Nissan Qashqai e-POWER Four-Star ANCAP Safety Rating: What Hybrid Buyers Need to Know in Brisbane

2026-06-22

Vehicle Safety & Technology | Nissan Qashqai

The Nissan Qashqai e-POWER holds a four-star ANCAP safety rating under the current 2023-2025 assessment criteria.

Published in April 2026, this rating applies to all e-POWER variants built from November 2025 onwards (VIN SJNJ12***A2261759 onwards), on sale from March 2026.

For buyers at Barton's New Energy Vehicles, this result needs clear context. The Qashqai was previously rated five starsunder ANCAP's older 2020-2022 criteria. The 2025 reassessment under current protocols has returned a four-star result, reflecting the increasingly demanding threshold for five-star performance across all categories.

Critical build date note: The four-star rating applies to Qashqai vehicles built from November 2025 onwards. Vehicles built before November 2025 carry the earlier five-star rating under the older criteria. The vehicles look identical. Always confirm the build date via the VIN.

What is an ANCAP Safety Rating?

ANCAP independently crash-tests and rates new vehicles in Australia and New Zealand. ANCAP's assessment criteria evolve over time. A vehicle that earned five stars under older criteria may be reassessed at four stars or fewer under current protocols. This reflects rising standards across the market, not a change to the vehicle itself.

ANCAP assesses four key categories: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist.

Nissan Qashqai ANCAP Safety Rating: The Full Scorecard

The Nissan Qashqai e-POWER (J12 series, built from November 2025) achieved the following results under 2023-2025 criteria:

Category	Score	Rating
Adult Occupant Protection	31.39 / 40	78%
Child Occupant Protection	44.78 / 49	91%
Vulnerable Road User Protection	43.29 / 63	68%
Safety Assist	11.33 / 18	62%

All four variants sold in Australia and New Zealand are covered. The rating expires December 2031.

Adult Occupant Protection: 78%

The passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal offset test. The driver received adequate chest and lower leg protection, with good results elsewhere. The front passenger received good results throughout. The compatibility penalty was 3.08 points. In the full-width frontal test, driver chest protection was adequate. Rear passenger chest protection was marginal (1.62 out of 4). The side impact scored the maximum 6.00 out of 6 points. The far-side impact scored 2.50 out of 4 due to the centre airbag symmetry penalty. Rescue and extrication scored 0.17 out of 4, with no multi-collision braking fitted, a door extrication deduction was applied, and window submergence was not demonstrated. No eCall is fitted.

Child Occupant Protection: 91%

The Qashqai's child occupant result is the highest child occupant score of any vehicle in the Bartons ANCAP content series across all brands. The frontal offset test scored 15.78 out of 16 and the side impact earned the maximum 8.00 out of 8 points. The restraint installation assessment scored the full 12.00 out of 12 points, a perfect result. All assessed child restraint types can be correctly installed in all rear seating positions. ISOFix and top tether anchorages are fitted across all rear positions. No child presence detection system is available.

Vulnerable Road User Protection: 68%

The VRU result of 68 per cent reflects two compounding issues. Pelvis, femur, and lower leg physical protection were mixed, with areas ranging from good to weak (pelvis 2.65/4.5, femur 2.22/4.5), which is the primary driver. AEB Backover was rated good, earning the full 2.00 out of 2 points, a genuine strength. However, cyclist AEB was only adequate and does not react in turning scenarios. No cyclist dooring alert is provided. Motorcyclist AEB in turning scenarios was rated poor (2.50 out of 6 overall). Lane support in car-to-motorcyclist emergency lane keeping earned the full 3.00 out of 3 points.

Safety Assist: 62%

The 62 per cent Safety Assist score is driven primarily by the absence of AEB Crossing and AEB Head-On capability. Car-to-car AEB (5-130 km/h) earned good performance across all standard scenarios (3.75 out of 4) and AEB Junction was good. However, AEB Crossing: the system does not react, scoring zero points. AEB Head-On: the system does not react, scoring zero points. These two gaps account for most of the shortfall. The lane support system earned the full 3.00 out of 3 points (60-250 km/h). iACC is standard. The driver monitoring system scored 0.25 out of 2, with indirect drowsiness monitoring only, no distraction detection.

The e-POWER System and This Rating

The Nissan Qashqai e-POWER uses a series hybrid system where the petrol engine generates electricity to power the electric motor that drives the wheels. There are no PHEV-specific safety testing provisions for this system; the vehicle is assessed as a standard passenger car. The four-star result reflects the vehicle's performance against current criteria, not any characteristic of the e-POWER drivetrain itself.

Safety Features: What Comes Standard

Dual frontal, side chest, side head curtain, and centre airbags (symmetry penalty applied)
AEB: car-to-car (5-130 km/h), pedestrian forward, AEB Backover (good), cyclist (adequate; no turning), motorcyclist (forward good; turning poor)
AEB Junction; no AEB Crossing; no AEB Head-On
Lane keep assist and emergency lane keeping (60-250 km/h)
Lane departure warning, forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring
iACC, camera-based speed sign recognition, manual speed limiter
Indirect driver drowsiness monitoring (no distraction detection)
Seat belt reminders with occupancy detection (all positions)
ISOFix and top tether anchorages

Not fitted: Multi-collision braking, eCall, AEB Crossing, AEB Head-On, cyclist dooring alert, child presence detection, direct DMS.

Speak to Barton's New Energy Vehicles

Our team at Barton's New Energy Vehicles in Wynnum can walk you through the Qashqai e-POWER specification, the e-POWER drivetrain's real-world benefits, and how the safety results compare to other electrified options.

Visit BartonsNewEnergyVehicles.com.au to browse current stock or make an enquiry online.

Nissan Qashqai e-Power Hybrid For Sale in Brisbane

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All safety scores, test results, and feature listings are drawn from the official ANCAP assessment report for the Nissan Qashqai (J12 series, March 2026 onwards), published April 2026. This is a four-star rating under 2023-2025 criteria. A five-star rating under the previous 2020-2022 criteria applies to variants built before November 2025. Rating applies to Australian and New Zealand market variants built from November 2025 (VIN SJNJ12***A2261759 onwards). Source: ancap.com.au.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the current ANCAP safety rating for the Nissan Qashqai?

The Nissan Qashqai e-POWER has a four-star ANCAP safety rating under the current 2023-2025 assessment criteria, published April 2026. This applies to all variants built from November 2025 onwards. The vehicle scored 78 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 91 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 68 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 62 per cent for Safety Assist. It is important to note that the Qashqai was previously rated five stars under ANCAP's older 2020-2022 criteria. The 2025 reassessment under current, more demanding protocols has returned a four-star result.

Why did the Nissan Qashqai go from five stars to four stars?

The Qashqai's original five-star rating was based on 2021 testing under ANCAP's 2020-2022 criteria. ANCAP's criteria have since become significantly more demanding, particularly around active safety system capability and VRU physical impact testing. The current four-star result reflects the Qashqai's performance under these updated standards. Specifically, the vehicle does not have AEB Crossing or AEB Head-On capability, which results in zero points in those sub-categories, and its VRU physical impact scores for pelvis, femur, and lower leg no longer meet current five-star thresholds. The vehicle itself has not changed in ways that would reduce its safety; the assessment criteria have evolved.

Is the Nissan Qashqai e-POWER safe?

The Nissan Qashqai e-POWER holds a four-star ANCAP safety rating under the current criteria. Its child occupant protection score of 91 per cent is the highest of any vehicle across the Bartons ANCAP content series, and its restraint installation assessment scored a perfect 12 out of 12. The maximum side impact score and good AEB Backover result are also genuine strengths. The limitations to understand include the lower VRU physical impact scores in pelvis, femur, and lower leg protection, the absence of AEB Crossing and AEB Head-On capability, the limited driver monitoring system (indirect drowsiness only), and the very low rescue and extrication score driven by the absence of multi-collision braking.

Which Nissan Qashqai has the four-star ANCAP rating and which has five stars?

The four-star ANCAP rating (current 2023-2025 criteria) applies to all Nissan Qashqai variants built from November 2025 onwards (VIN SJNJ12***A2261759 onwards), on sale from March 2026. The five-star rating (older 2020-2022 criteria) applies to Qashqai vehicles built before November 2025. Both vehicles look identical. If you are unsure which rating applies to a vehicle you are considering, ask the dealer to confirm the build date via the VIN before purchase.