Valuations

Such is the popularity of the Qashqai, resale values are ridiculously steep. Unless you’re looking at a particularly shabby or high-mileage example – and they do exist – prices for well-maintained 2007 cars are still upwards of £3000-£3500. You can spend less on numerous 10-year-old cars that serve as perfectly functional family vehicles, such as a Vauxhall Zafira or Citroën C4 Picasso, but they don’t have the suburban driveway appeal of the Qashqai. In many ways, the Nissan has become the default choice of family car, as well as being the one that really sets the trend in the burgeoning crossover market.

If you have around £6000 to spend, this covers the bulk of the used market and will get you a good 2010-2011 car, which is probably a better choice. Forewarned about the potential for future corrosion, you can apply preventive maintenance rather than end up with an expensive repair.

Top-end values are still north of £10,000, which is quite a lot to pay for a non-premium car that has come out of its warranty period, but these are the market prices.

In terms of which model to go for, none is a bad choice, with even the base model Visia having quite a few toys on board. That said, the Tekna is brilliantly well-equipped and, allowing for depreciation, either this or the n-tec+ make the most sense today if you’re prepared to spend a couple of hundred quid more than you would on a Visia or Acenta.

Whichever one you go for, it should retain its value better than most similar cars. The only real downside is that you will have had to pay more for it in the first place.