A Nissan Qashqai’s insurance group runs from 11 at the bottom of the range to 30 at the top, and road tax is either £20 to around £275 a year for models first registered before April 2017 (set by CO2 emissions) or a flat £200 a year for anything registered since, with a one-off first-year charge on new cars and a £440 supplement on any Qashqai with a list price above £40,000.
Insurance Groups by Engine and Trim
Every UK car gets an insurance group from 1 to 50, assessed by Thatcham Research with the Association of British Insurers.1Thatcham Research. Group Rating Lower is cheaper. The Qashqai’s number depends heavily on which powertrain you choose.
1.3 DIG-T Mild Hybrid
The mild hybrid is the cheaper Qashqai to insure. Entry-level Visia sits in group 11, which is low for a crossover of this size. Acenta Premium lands somewhere between groups 12 and 21 depending on whether you take the 138 or 158 PS engine and whether it has a panoramic roof or the automatic gearbox. Tekna with the Bose audio pack clusters around group 13 in lower-powered form, rising to group 16 for the 158 PS four-wheel-drive Xtronic. Tekna+ in mild hybrid form tops out at group 23.
e-Power
The e-Power drivetrain uses the petrol engine only as a generator, with electric motors driving the wheels. That complexity costs more to repair, and insurance groups reflect it. Acenta Premium e-Power starts around group 24 and reaches 27 in 205 PS form. N-Connecta e-Power sits between groups 25 and 27. N-Design and Tekna e-Power variants reach group 29, and the range-topping Tekna+ e-Power 205 hits group 30. If you want to hold insurance costs down, the mild hybrid is the sharper choice.
Road Tax if Registered Before April 2017
Qashqais first registered between March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pay Vehicle Excise Duty on CO2-based bands set out in the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994.2House of Commons Library. Vehicle Excise Duty These bands stay with the car for life; a change of owner never moves it onto the newer flat-rate system.
The previous-generation 1.5 dCi diesel is the cheapest to tax, sitting in Band A or B (up to 110 g/km) at £20 a year.3GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars Registered Between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 The 1.2 and 1.6 petrols of the same era usually fall into Band D or E (121 to 140 g/km), which is £170 to £200 a year. Higher-emission variants reach Band G or above at £275 or more. Small charge or not, the car still has to be taxed every year: driving without valid VED is an offence whatever the amount.
Road Tax if Registered from April 2017
The system changed on 1 April 2017. New cars pay a first-year rate based on CO2 emissions at registration, then a flat standard rate from year two onwards.4GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017
First-Year Rate
This is a one-off charge, and on a new Qashqai it is folded into the on-the-road price. The current 1.3 DIG-T mild hybrid emits around 131 to 150 g/km of CO2, putting its first-year rate at £455 to £560. The e-Power is cleaner at roughly 100 to 102 g/km, so its first-year rate lands between £365 and £405.5Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Rates of Vehicle Tax for Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles and Private Light Goods Vehicles – April 2026 Buying used, you never see this figure. The original owner paid it.
Standard Annual Rate
From the second year onward, every petrol, diesel, and alternative fuel Qashqai pays the same flat £200 a year.5Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Rates of Vehicle Tax for Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles and Private Light Goods Vehicles – April 2026 The e-Power and mild hybrid used to receive a £10 alternative-fuel discount, but that was removed from April 2025.6GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax for Electric, Zero and Low Emission Vehicles Every powertrain now pays the same standard rate.
The £40,000 Expensive Car Supplement
Any car with a list price above £40,000 at first registration attracts an extra £440 a year on top of the standard rate. That runs for five years, starting from the second time the car is taxed.5Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Rates of Vehicle Tax for Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles and Private Light Goods Vehicles – April 2026 So £640 a year for that window, not £200. Most Qashqai trims stay below £40,000, but a heavily optioned Tekna+ e-Power can push over. What counts is the manufacturer’s list price on the V5C, options and VAT included, not the discounted price you actually paid.
What Else Moves Your Premium
The insurance group is only the starting point. Insurers weight personal circumstances heavily, and two people driving the same Qashqai in the same trim can be quoted very different premiums. Age and driving experience matter more than almost anything else: a 21-year-old on a group-11 Visia can easily pay double what a 40-year-old pays for the same car. Postcode feeds in through local accident and theft data. Claims history, penalty points, annual mileage, and even declared occupation all shift the number.
Levers you can pull include telematics policies (particularly useful under 25), a higher voluntary excess, paying annually rather than monthly to avoid instalment interest, and building up years of no-claims bonus. Where the car sleeps also counts. Mention a driveway or garage when you quote.
The Group Rating System Is Changing
Thatcham Research is replacing the 1 to 50 scale with a new Vehicle Risk Rating that assesses cars across five separate dimensions instead of one number.1Thatcham Research. Group Rating A dual-rating period runs until early 2027, with new vehicles carrying both the old group and the new rating. The group numbers above are the ones insurers are currently using to price Qashqai cover. After the switch, the categorisation will look different on paper, though the same underlying factors (repair cost, safety kit, theft resistance) will still drive what you pay.