Nissan’s Qashqai is pound-for-pound the UK’s safest car in 2022. That’s the expert conclusion that independent testing organisation Thatcham Research has drawn after completing its judging for the coveted What Car? Safety Award.
Choosing a winner of the UK’s leading car safety award is a responsibility shared between Thatcham Research, Euro NCAP and What Car? journalists.
As a family SUV, the Qashqai was an outstanding performer during Euro NCAP’s most exacting safety assessments in 2021, a year in which 20 cars achieved the coveted five-star rating.
Built in the UK, the Qashqai scored more than 90% in three out of four safety categories and its Safety Assist score is one of the highest ever recorded at 95%.
Experts were impressed by the Qashqai’s range of passive and active safety features, and the fitment of reverse AEB and centre side airbags – two newer innovations that are beginning to make a real difference to passenger and pedestrian safety.
Yet according to Matthew Avery, Thatcham Research’s Chief Research Strategy Officer, the most encouraging aspect is the popular Qashqai’s potential to bring high-end safety features to the mass-market without breaking the bank.
“The Qashqai is an affordable, family-focused SUV that is already popular with motoring consumers,” he said. “There were more than 29,000 new registrations in the UK last year alone, so it’s very encouraging to see this year’s safest car is also one many people already have on their driveways.”
Runner-up in the Safety category for the What Car? Car of the Year Awards 2022 is the all-electric Polestar 2, closely followed by the Skoda Enyaq in third place.
Meanwhile, Gridserve’s pioneering motorway service station concept won the What Car? Innovation Award, in association with Thatcham Research.
Gridserve’s Electric Forecourts will offer up to 36 dedicated EV chargers, including some 350kW fast chargers capable of charging vehicles in around 20 minutes.
BMW’s new virtual navigation system and a smart innovation by Hyundai that could revolutionise the way we overcome blind spots when behind the wheel took second and third place respectively.
