Kia Sportage vs Nissan Qashqai vs Volkswagen Tiguan: SUV big-sellers do battle

Mid-life car updates can take many forms. Some makers like to go after buyers’ hearts; sprinkling a little design magic inside and out to make an already appealing car just that little more fresh and modern.

A second approach is much rarer. From the outside, the car might look the same, but the brand instead decides to leave the updates to its engineers; tweaking an engine here, or revising the suspension set-up there. 

Two of the biggest names in the current UK new-car landscape have taken these differing approaches for 2025. The Kia Sportage is the UK’s second best-selling car, behind the Ford Puma, and held top spot in September. It has recently been given a hefty cosmetic makeover. 

The Nissan Qashqai was facelifted in 2024, but for this year, the country’s third best-selling car has a new hybrid powertrain that its manufacturer claims makes it the most efficient of its type in this segment. 

To give these sales titans additional context, we’ve also brought along another of the UK’s most popular cars. The Volkswagen Tiguan, all new last year, currently sits ninth in the best-sellers list – and with its space, powertrains and badge appeal, it isn’t hard to see why.

Used - available now

2024 Land Rover

Defender 110

16,468 milesAutomaticPetrol5.0L

Cash £81,950

View Defender 110

2022 Nissan

Qashqai

21,671 milesAutomaticPetrol1.3L

Cash £17,300

View Qashqai

2023 Kia

Sportage

30,230 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L

Cash £23,476

View Sportage

2023 Audi

Q3

50,861 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L

Cash £20,697

View Q3

Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.

Kia Sportage

47

The fifth generation of Kia’s family SUV isn’t just a huge hit with UK buyers – the Sportage is the brand’s most popular car in Europe, and globally too. Plenty would say that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but that hasn’t stopped Kia from freshening things up, courtesy of a subtly revised look inside and out, plus a tweaked trim structure, aiming to keep the Sportage challenging at the top of the sales charts. The model we’re testing here is the mid-spec GT-Line trim with a hybrid powertrain – it costs £36,925.

Latest Kia Sportage deals

Tester’s notes

Kia’s latest hybrid powertrain comes with adjustable regenerative braking, and the paddles behind the wheel allow the driver to adjust the strength of its response on the fly. We really like this level of flexibility, making the car very easy to control on inclines and when slowing down generally. 

In its weakest setting, the Kia in effect coasts without motor regen; the strongest two of the four deceleration modes engage the brake lights when you lift off the accelerator. Level one regen feels closest to a standard petrol car’s engine braking.

Kia isn’t a manufacturer that goes in for optional extras very much, and that’s reflected in the Sportage’s trim line-up. If you want more kit, then you’ll need to step up the range from the base Pure model to the GT-Line and GT-Line S variants. 

The latter is a big step up in cost, but adds plenty of extra tech, including adaptive LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats and heated rear seats, a powered tailgate, a Harman Kardon sound system, a head-up driver’s display, blind-spot detection and much more.

Nissan Qashqai

47

Nissan can claim to have invented the family SUV segment with the Qashqai, and it’s a formula that it has continued to refine in the almost 20 years since. In 2025, the third-generation car’s improvements focus on technical upgrades, with an overhaul of the e-Power hybrid technology aiming to boost performance, efficiency and refinement. The new system costs almost exactly the same as the outgoing set-up; it starts from £34,860, while our range-topping Tekna+ test car costs £43,210.

Latest Nissan Qashqai deals

Tester’s notes

It isn’t just the casual observer who’d be hard pushed to spot the Qashqai’s exterior design tweaks; I had a hard job until they were pointed out. But that’s because they’re not about changing the car’s aesthetics, but boosting its aerodynamic efficiency. 

The front bumpers get new wind deflectors to channel air around the sides of the Nissan more smoothly, while revised door mirrors also aim to achieve the same. Combined with a larger undertray beneath the car, the changes add up to a 1g/km reduction in CO2 emissions. 

New cars are mandated to feature certain driver-assist systems that switch on every time the vehicle is started, so if these annoy you, then you must turn them off each time. 

Fortunately, Nissan makes this  easy to do. Similar in principle to Renault’s approach, it’s possible to program your preferred driver-assist arrangement in the infotainment menu, and then access this via two button presses on the steering wheel when the car starts. In other words, it’s much easier to switch the tech off than in rivals from Kia and Volkswagen.

Volkswagen Tiguan

47

We’re testing the Volkswagen Tiguan in range-topping R-Line trim, and unlike its rivals here, it has a mild-hybrid powertrain, so there’s less electrical assistance to work with the petrol engine. It’s priced from £42,135 on the road, but the car in these pictures featured an additional £9,070 of optional extras, including the Comfort Pack (£1,170), a panoramic sunroof (£1,415) and an electrically folding towbar with Trailer Assist (£1,125). Those features, and others, take the total price to £51,205.

Latest Volkswagen Tiguan deals

Tester’s notes

Front storage space is very impressive in the Tiguan, with two smartphone slots (both of which offer wireless charging in many models) plus a deep cubby space with moveable partitions for holding drinks. 

This large central space has been made possible in part due to the steering column-mounted gear selector. Much like in the brand’s all-electric ID. models, the Tiguan’s stalk can be twisted to select either Drive or Reverse, while a button on the end engages Park. It doesn’t take long for this set-up to feel very intuitive.

Like much of the Volkswagen range, the Tiguan drives at its best when equipped with the optional adaptive dampers – part of a pack that VW calls “Dynamic Driving Package with Adaptive Chassis Control”. These greatly widen the spread of the Tiguan’s abilities, increasing body control through tighter turns, and ride comfort on more open roads.

Cars with the standard springs and dampers tend to fidget more over pretty much all road surfaces, but in their softest setting the adaptive dampers take the edge off. 

Head-to-head

47

On the road

Little separates these three in terms of ride and handling. The Nissan’s ride is narrowly the best, but all are relaxing, while keeping composure in corners. The Qashqai’s powertrain also sets it apart; it has the smoothness, responsiveness and very nearly the refinement of a full EV. The Kia’s electrical power is strong, but the gearbox can be clunky. The Tiguan’s mild-hybrid tech feels a step down from the others.

Tech highlights

Whether under the bonnet or from the driver’s seat, the Qashqai feels the most hi-tech car here. Its hybrid powertrain is much more advanced than the Sportage or  Tiguan’s set-up, with electrical power playing a much greater part than in either rival. Nissan’s Google-based infotainment is slick, loads quickly and looks great; VW’s, displayed on a huge screen, is second. Kia’s clunky set-up lags behind.

Price and running

The Qashqai’s e-Power system is the most efficient powertrain here. We averaged 52.5mpg on test, comfortably beating the Sportage (43.8mpg) and the Tiguan (39.5mpg). Not only is the VW set-up the thirstiest in the real world, it’s also quite expensive to buy – especially if you dive into the list of options. Show some restraint with those extras, however, and it’s the car that’s most resistant to depreciation of this trio.

Practicality

When it comes to interior space, the Tiguan is the one to have of this trio. Its cabin measurements are nearly identical to the Sportage’s, but its real advantage comes with its vast 652-litre boot. The Kia’s load bay is still impressive, at 587 litres, and it has the lowest load lip here, while rear passengers get reclining seat backs. The Qashqai’s 479-litre boot is still generous, but is the smallest of the three. 

Safety

All three cars bagged a five-star rating from Euro NCAP when they were assessed, but the VW achieved that score against higher standards, given NCAP’s ever more stringent test procedures. Self-steering tech that can ease the strain of longer journeys is standard on all Sportage trims, while it’s a £1,000 extra on the Volkswagen. For the Nissan, it’s standard on all but the entry-level Acenta Premium.

Ownership

In our 2025 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, Nissan finished 15th out of 31 manufacturers, beating both Kia (18th) and VW (27th). As ever, Kia presents the lure of a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty, though – the other two cars only get three years’ cover. The Qashqai is the only model here to get three years’ breakdown cover; the other two come with a 12-month package.

Verdict

Winner: Nissan Qashqai

47

The Mk3 Qashqai has been crying out for a competitive powertrain since its launch. Four years on, the e-Power tech has matured with the responses, smoothness and very nearly the refinement of a fully electric car, but with the flexibility of a fuel-sipping petrol engine that allows for huge ranges between refills. 

One of the very best-selling cars in the UK is now also one of the best family cars in the business.

Runner-up: Kia Sportage

47

While the Sportage might be more popular than the Qashqai with buyers, as an overall package, it just falls slightly short. If you consider cabin and boot space a dealbreaker, the Kia is still the car to have. 

But in other areas, including the chassis and its hybrid powertrain, it can’t quite match the Nissan’s quality. Even so, its value, generous kit levels, smart interior design and strong performance – plus a seven-year warranty – mean that there’s a huge amount to like here.

Third: Volkswagen Tiguan

47

Third place might make Tiguan owners feel we’re doing the car a disservice, but in reality it has only narrowly fallen short of the class’s two best cars. In some ways, it’s the pick of this bunch for its superb practicality and strong overall driving experience. 

But beyond the lure of the VW badge, we don’t feel like there’s enough reason to spend more on the Tiguan – a lot more if you delve into the options list – when both the Qashqai and the Sportage offer so much for the cash.

What we would choose

47

Kia sportage

• Best for equipment

Even the entry-level Sportage is loaded with standard equipment, with the range-topping GT-Line S furnished with all of the luxuries you’d ever want

Nissan Qashqai

• Best for efficiency

The Qashqai’s latest hybrid technology isn’t just smoother, more refined and slightly quicker than before, it also delivers excellent real-world efficiency

Volkswagen Tiguan

• Best for space

The Tiguan is huge inside, with both cabin and boot space ranking up with the class best. The Volkswagen’s interior is a very nice place to spend time, too

Prices and specs

Looking for your next car? You can now search our nationwide dealer network for a choice of great cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from...