The 2026 Nissan Qashqai will be the brand’s first model to only be offered in hybrid guise, set to occur when a new-generation system becomes available next year.
Nissan only introduced the Qashqai e-Power – the name for its unique hybrid system – in 2023, which has subsequently been followed by the arrival of a facelifted version of the small SUV.
Currently offered across three grades, the e-Power system sees a petrol engine charge a small on-board battery, which powers the electric motors driving the wheels. Unlike the vast majority of hybrids, the petrol engine can’t directly power the wheels.
It’s a system also used on the X-Trail and it provides an EV-like driving experience with no need for recharging cables, though the equivalent Qashqai Ti e-Power is $4200 dearer than its petrol-powered Ti counterpart.
Earlier this year Nissan launched a new-gen e-Power system in Europe, and its Australian arrival in the first half of 2026 will culminate in the Qashqai moving away from pure petrol power.
“One of the things we’re doing with Qashqai is we are going to become exclusively e-Power with that range, moving forward,” Nissan Oceania managing director Andrew Humberstone told Australian media at the launch of the Ariya EV.
“It’s part of the strategy we have in terms of not only addressing customer needs and demands, but also obviously managing NVES (the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard), given we have a clear customer portfolio that is very much wanting the 4×4 experience with the Navara and Patrol.”
Regarding the NVES, carmakers are fined $100 per gram of CO2 per kilometre their vehicles emit above a set limit.
For ‘Type 1’ passenger vehicles, this limit is 141g/km in 2025, before reducing to 117g/km in 2026, 92g/km in 2027, 68g/km in 2028 and 58g/km in 2029.
Currently, the Qashqai e-Power emits 112g/km of CO2, rather than the 134-138g/km claim of the petrol model.
Nissan claims the new e-Power system for the Qashqai has improved its fuel efficiency by 16 per cent, drinking just 4.5L/100km on the WLTP cycle. It’s worth noting Australia still uses the outdated NEDC cycle. It has also said the system reduces emissions by 12 per cent.
In addition to using less fuel, the new e-Power system will be more powerful.
The current Qashqai E-Power consists of a front electric motor producing 140kW and 330Nm unit, fed by a 2.1kWh lithium-ion battery which is charged by a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, itself producing 116kW and 250Nm.
Upcoming versions of the Qashqai e-Power will be able to produce 151kW in normal driving modes, or 161kW in sport mode.
In addition to the power and efficiency boost, Nissan says the new Qashqai e-Power will deliver ‘EV-like quietness’, with cabin noise reduced by 5.6dB.
Nissan Australia will announce more details on the 2026 Qashqai range closer to its Australian arrival, though it could reduce the overall sales of the model.
Between January and August 2025, Nissan delivered 3407 Qashqais, down 31.2 per cent on the same period a year ago. It only outsells niche products such as the Juke, Z and Pathfinder in the local lineup, with the X-Trail, Navara and Patrol continuing as Nissan’s top-sellers.
It’s also far from the best-seller in its segment, trailing behind the class-leading Hyundai Kona (15,127 deliveries), MG ZS (14,419 deliveries) and multiple others.
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