Only e-Power hybrid versions of the Nissan Qashqai will be available to Australian customers from the first half of next year.
Nissan Australia will discontinue purely petrol-powered versions of its Qashqai small SUV when the new-generation e-Power hybrid system arrives in local showrooms in the first half of 2026.
According to Nissan Australia, this is due to "the growing demand from Australian drivers for hybrid vehicles", but year-to-date 2025 sales indicate the petrol Qashqai is outselling the e-Power hybrid version by more than three-to-one.
To the end of August, Nissan has sold a total of 3407 Qashqai models, split between 2651 petrol units and 756 e-Power examples.
Despite this, Nissan Australia deputy director of product and retail campaigns Warwick Daly said the brand believes local buyers are ready to embrace its hybrid technology.
"Australian drivers have spoken clearly through their purchasing decisions, particularly in higher-grade models – demonstrating clear preference for the smooth, efficient, and refined EV-like driving experience that e-Power delivers," Daly said.
Differing itself from series parallel hybrid systems – like those found in Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia models – and plug-in hybrid technology – as seen with Mitsubishi, Mazda, and BYD – Nissan’s e-Power hybrid is essentially a plug-less range-extender electric vehicle (EV) set-up.
Only the electric motor drives the wheels, with a small petrol engine onboard to charge the battery that owners can refuel at any service station.
The current Qashqai e-Power set-up produces 140kW/330Nm from a 1.5-litre engine and single electric motor arrangement, while also returning a claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 4.8 litres per 100km.
This compares with the petrol-powered Qashqai that features a 110kW/250Nm 1.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine and has an up to 6.1/100km economy claim.
Nissan’s next-generation e-Power system however, will be more efficient, with the brand claiming a 4.5L/100km figure under WLTP testing for a 1200km total range, as well as a 12 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
There will also be less cabin noise and an additional 10kW of power available in Sport Mode.
At present, only three of the top Qashqai grades are available with e-Power – the Ti, Ti-L, and N-Design priced at $47,165 before on-road costs, $52,365, and $54,365 respectively.
However, petrol-only versions can be had from as little as $34,665 in ST form.
It is likely Nissan will expand its e-Power hybrid system to lower grades in next year’s model, possibly retaining the five-variant selection with updated engines with prices readjusted.
Nissan has however, stated it is looking to bring price parity across petrol and e-Power hybrid options from around 2027.
Of note, the Qashqai is also available in overseas markets with a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine and mild-hybrid technology, cutting fuel consumption to 5.2L/100km when paired with an automatic transmission.
However, this mild-hybrid engine has never been available in Australia.
Nissan’s X-Trail family SUV is also available with e-Power hybrid technology, pairing the 1.5-litre engine with two electric motors for a combined 157kW/525Nm output.
While the percentage mix of e-Power sales with Nissan’s Qashqai is relatively low, the overall Australian market has been embracing hybrids more in 2025.
To the end of August, hybrid sales have risen 10.8 per cent, somewhat at the cost of petrol-only sales that have decreased 8.2 per cent.
Leading the charge in the hybrid space is Toyota, who dropped petrol versions of its passenger cars and SUVs outside of full-fat GR variants.
Honda Australia will also expand its hybrid offerings next year with more ZR-V and CR-V variants available with the fuel-saving technology.
The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which will penalise car brands if the combined emissions from sold cars exceed an ever-tightening target, is also forcing change in the automotive industry.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
