THE ALL-conquering Nissan Qashqai proved it still leads the field when it was named best mid-sized SUV for the second year running at the highly-regarded Fleet News Awards.
The British-built model took the honour despite increased competition in the crossover sector, further underlining its broad all-round appeal to fleet operators and company car drivers.
A judging panel made up of industry experts chose the Qashqai as category winner ahead of other shortlisted contenders – the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Range Rover Evoque, Renault Kadjar and Skoda Yeti.
Presenting the award, Stephen Briers, Editor-in-Chief of Fleet News, said: “A fleet staple vehicle with a wide range of engines, the Qashqai has the styling and appeal of an SUV with the pricing of a C-sector car. With bags of driver appeal and low total cost of ownership, it is still the benchmark in this category.
In 2015 a total of 33,629 Qashqais were registered to fleet customers in the UK, making the model the nation’s seventh bestselling fleet car. Nissan is now the sixth largest fleet manufacturer in the UK.
Barry Beeston, Corporate Sales Director at Nissan Motor (GB), said: “We’re thrilled to see the Qashqai win this Fleet News award.
“Qashqai was the original crossover and it remains top of its class and the benchmark by which all other crossovers are judged.
“It’s particularly pleasing to see the Qashqai recognised for its appeal to fleet operators and drivers as it’s now overtaken many of the more established choices to become one of the UK’s most popular and highly regarded fleet models.”
