The Nissan Qashqai, the Kia Sportage and the Hyundai Tucson have been trading places at the top of the UK family SUV charts for years. They are similar in size, similar in price and similar in what they set out to do, which makes choosing between them harder than it should be.
The useful differences are not the ones most comparisons lead with. One of these cars is about to be replaced, one was retested for safety last year and dropped a star, and one cannot tow in the version most people order. None of that shows up in a spec table.
The Quick Verdict
Lease the Tucson for space and price
The biggest boot here by a clear margin and the broadest engine range. An all new one is coming, which on a lease works in your favour rather than against you.
Lease the Sportage for the plug-in hybrid
The only one of the three offering a PHEV in front wheel drive, and Kia's seven year warranty is the longest here by a distance.
Lease the Qashqai for e-POWER
It drives like an electric car without a plug and it is the cheapest of the three to fuel. Just not if you tow.
One of These Cars Is Being Replaced
Hyundai unveiled an all new fifth generation Tucson in Europe at the Paris Motor Show on 12 October. Its own UK page gives indicative figures of up to 150PS petrol, up to 245PS hybrid, up to 292PS plug-in hybrid, a boot of up to 695 litres and towing up to 1,910kg, alongside a plain statement that official technical data is pending final homologation. No UK on sale date has been given.
If you were buying, that would be a reason to wait. On a lease it is close to the opposite. A funder pricing a run out model knows it is a run out model, and that shows up in the monthly figure.
Because you hand the car back at the end of the agreement, what it is worth in three years is the funder's problem rather than yours. A superseded model on a lease is frequently the best value car on the page.
The other two are mid cycle. The Sportage was facelifted with UK orders opening on 1 July 2025. The Qashqai was facelifted in 2024 and gained an all new third generation e-POWER system from September 2025, which among other things extended service intervals from 9,000 to 12,000 miles.
Safety: the Qashqai Result Needs Explaining
On the face of it this looks clear cut.
| Stars | Tested | Adult occupant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Sportage | 5 | 2022 | Not retested since |
| Hyundai Tucson | 5 | 2021 | Not retested since |
| Nissan Qashqai | 4 | Reassessed 2025 | 78% |
That is not the comparison it appears to be. The Qashqai was rated five stars in 2021 and then reassessed by Euro NCAP in 2025, under the protocol in force now rather than the one in force four years ago. Euro NCAP tightens its requirements on a rolling basis, so a four star result from 2025 and a five star result from 2021 are not measured against the same bar.
The Qashqai's reassessment scored 78% for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupant protection, 65% for vulnerable road users and 62% for safety assist.
The Qashqai has been held to a newer standard than its two rivals and still scored well in the areas covering the people inside it. The Sportage and Tucson ratings are not wrong, they are simply older, and neither has been retested. If safety is your deciding factor, the scores are more informative than the stars.
Engines, and the Mild Hybrids That Have Disappeared
This has changed a lot in the last 18 months and most comparisons have not caught up.
Nissan Qashqai
Two choices. The DIG-T 158 mild hybrid, a 1.3 litre petrol with 158PS, with a six speed manual or a CVT. Or e-POWER, which uses a 1.5 litre petrol engine purely as a generator to drive an electric motor, giving 190PS and 205PS in Sport mode. There is no plug. You fill it with petrol and it drives like an EV, which is genuinely distinctive in this class.
Kia Sportage
Four choices after the facelift. A 1.6 T-GDi petrol with 147bhp, manual or seven speed DCT. A full hybrid with 235bhp, front or all wheel drive. And a plug-in hybrid with 283bhp and a 13.8kWh battery, now available in front wheel drive for the first time.
Hyundai Tucson
Three choices in the current March 2026 range. A 1.6 turbo petrol with 150PS, manual or DCT. A full hybrid with 239PS. And a plug-in hybrid with 252PS and a 13.8kWh battery, available from April 2026.
Economy and CO2
| Car and powertrain | MPG | CO2 g/km |
|---|---|---|
| Qashqai e-POWER | 64.2 to 65.7 | 98 to 100 |
| Qashqai mild hybrid, CVT | 44.8 to 45.6 | 140 to 142 |
| Qashqai mild hybrid, manual | 44.1 to 44.8 | 142 to 145 |
| Tucson Hybrid | 48.7 to 50.4 | 126 to 132 |
| Tucson 1.6T petrol, DCT | 39.8 to 40.9 | 157 to 162 |
| Tucson 1.6T petrol, manual | 39.2 to 39.8 | 161 to 164 |
| Sportage Hybrid | Kia publishes litres per 100km | 125 to 129 FWD, 145 AWD |
| Sportage 1.6 T-GDi petrol | Kia publishes litres per 100km | 158 to 162 |
The Qashqai e-POWER is comfortably the most efficient non plug-in here, by a wide enough margin that it will show up in your fuel bill. Kia does not print an mpg figure for the Sportage on its UK site, and we would rather say so than convert one and present it as official.
The plug-in hybrids
Both use a 13.8kWh battery. The Sportage is quoted at 44 miles of electric range in front wheel drive and 40 miles in all wheel drive, with CO2 of 23g/km and 26g/km. The Tucson runs from 43.5 down to 39.2 miles depending on trim and drive, with CO2 between 24 and 29g/km. Our plug-in hybrid leasing guide covers how these compare in use.
There has been a lot of noise about the Euro 6e-bis emissions standard inflating plug-in hybrid CO2 figures, which it has done in the EU and Northern Ireland but has not been mandated in Great Britain. Both cars sit well under the 51g/km threshold that matters for the plug-in hybrid benefit in kind easement, so neither needs it. Rates change each tax year, so check the position for the specific derivative in the year you order, and our business leasing guides cover the groundwork.
Kia dropped the Sportage's at the July 2025 facelift and Hyundai dropped the Tucson's in March 2026, both replaced by a plain petrol. So if you had settled on a mild hybrid Sportage or Tucson because you read about one, that car is no longer sold. The Qashqai is now the only one of the three that offers a mild hybrid at all.
Towing: the One That Catches People Out
| Car and powertrain | Braked towing capacity |
|---|---|
| Qashqai mild hybrid, CVT | 1,830 kg |
| Qashqai mild hybrid, manual | 1,680 kg |
| Tucson 1.6T petrol, manual | 1,650 kg |
| Tucson 1.6T petrol, DCT | 1,510 kg |
| Tucson Hybrid and PHEV 2WD | 1,210 kg |
| Qashqai e-POWER | 770 kg |
The Tucson hybrid drops to 1,210kg from the petrol manual's 1,650kg, which is meaningful but not disqualifying. Kia does not publish a towing figure for the facelifted Sportage on its UK site, and there is no published number for the facelifted PHEV at all, so if towing matters and you want a Sportage, get the figure confirmed in writing for the exact derivative before you commit.
It tows 770kg. The mild hybrid CVT version of the same car tows 1,830kg. That is a 58% reduction for choosing the more efficient, more desirable powertrain, and it rules the e-POWER out for any realistic caravan, horsebox or plant trailer. It is fine for a small box trailer and little else.
Boot Space and Warranty
| Boot, seats up | Warranty | |
|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Tucson | 620L petrol manual, 616L DCT, 556L hybrid | 5 years, unlimited miles |
| Nissan Qashqai | 504L to 455L by trim, not engine | 3 years or 60,000 miles |
| Kia Sportage | Kia publishes no figure | 7 years or 100,000 miles |
The Tucson wins on boot space, and the 64 litre gap between its petrol and hybrid versions is the difference between a boot that swallows a buggy plus a weekly shop and one that needs a bit of thought. Hyundai does not publish a figure for the PHEV.
The Qashqai is unusual in that capacity depends on trim rather than powertrain: Acenta Premium carries 504 litres, N-Connecta 479 and N-Design 455, identical across all three engines. None of the three offers seven seats.
On warranty, note that Kia excludes battery capacity reduction on the hybrid. And on a purchase that seven year figure would be close to decisive, but on a lease it matters much less than it appears, because a typical 24 to 48 month agreement sits inside all three warranties anyway and the car goes back before the longer cover becomes relevant.
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Pricing moves constantly, so compare live monthly figures on the exact derivative rather than working from a comparison like this one.
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Get in touchFrequently Asked Questions
The Sportage and Tucson both hold five Euro NCAP stars, from 2022 and 2021 respectively, while the Qashqai holds four. That comparison is less clear than it looks, because the Qashqai was reassessed in 2025 under the current and tougher protocol, where it scored 78% adult occupant, 85% child occupant, 65% vulnerable road user and 62% safety assist. The Sportage and Tucson have not been retested against the newer standard. A four-star 2025 result and a five-star 2021 result are not measured against the same requirements.
770kg braked, which is very low for a car of this size. The mild hybrid version of the same Qashqai tows 1,830kg with the CVT and 1,680kg with the manual. If you tow anything beyond a small box trailer, the e-POWER is not the right choice and the mild hybrid is.
The Hyundai Tucson, at 620 litres for the petrol manual and 616 litres for the petrol DCT. Its hybrid drops to 556 litres. The Qashqai ranges from 504 litres on Acenta Premium down to 455 litres on N-Design, varying by trim rather than engine. Kia does not publish a boot capacity for the facelifted Sportage on its UK site, so we are not quoting one.
No. Both have withdrawn their 48-volt mild hybrids. Kia dropped it at the July 2025 facelift and replaced it with a plain 1.6 T-GDi petrol, and Hyundai's March 2026 Tucson range is petrol, full hybrid and plug-in hybrid only. The Qashqai is now the only one of the three with a mild hybrid in the line-up.
Yes. An all-new fifth-generation Tucson was unveiled in Europe at the Paris Motor Show on 12 October. Hyundai's own UK page gives indicative figures including a boot of up to 695 litres and towing up to 1,910kg, but states that official technical data is pending final homologation, and no UK on-sale date has been announced.
Not necessarily, and on a lease the logic often runs the other way. Funders price a superseded model as a superseded model, which tends to show up in the monthly figure, and because you hand the car back at the end of the agreement its future value is not your risk. A run-out model is frequently the best value car on a leasing page. The case for waiting is stronger if you are buying.
Kia, at seven years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, though battery capacity reduction on the hybrid is excluded. Hyundai offers five years with unlimited mileage and Nissan three years or 60,000 miles. On a lease this matters less than it sounds, since a 24 to 48-month agreement sits inside all three and the car is returned before the longer cover comes into play.
In e-POWER the petrol engine never drives the wheels. It runs as a generator to supply an electric motor, which does all the driving, so the car responds like an electric vehicle but takes petrol rather than a charging cable. A conventional full hybrid, like the Sportage and Tucson hybrids, drives the wheels with both the engine and the motor. e-POWER is more efficient in town and quieter, and in the Qashqai's case it also tows far less.
The Sportage, marginally. Both use a 13.8kWh battery. Kia quotes 44 miles for the front-wheel-drive Sportage PHEV and 40 miles for the all-wheel-drive version. Hyundai quotes between 43.5 and 39.2 miles for the Tucson PHEV depending on trim and drive. The Sportage is also now available as a PHEV in front-wheel drive, which the Tucson's cheapest PHEV trims do not undercut on range.
No. The Qashqai, Sportage and Tucson are all five-seat cars across every trim and powertrain. If you need a third row of seats you need to look at a larger class of SUV or an MPV.
On fuel alone, the Qashqai e-POWER, at an official 64.2 to 65.7mpg against 48.7 to 50.4mpg for the Tucson hybrid. If you can charge at home regularly, either plug-in hybrid will beat it, since both will cover a typical commute on electricity alone. If you cannot charge at home, a plug-in hybrid is the wrong choice and the e-POWER is the efficient option.
Yes. The car was facelifted in 2024, and an all-new third-generation e-POWER system arrived in European markets from September 2025. Among other changes it extended service intervals from 9,000 to 12,000 miles. The electric Qashqai that had been expected has reportedly been shelved, according to a Reuters report that Nissan did not confirm, with Sunderland production capacity going to the Kicks e-POWER instead.