Nissan's Qashqai crossover has been voted Used Car of the Year in the UK by used car pricing experts CAP - and this makes it the second year in a row.
A panel of judges comprising used car market and vehicle valuation experts at CAP said: "The Nissan Qashqai has created an entirely new crossover sector and prompted other manufacturers to follow by marrying the practicality of a people carrier with the looks of a quality 4x4. By achieving this in a package that also offers economy, handling, strong build quality and reliability the Qashqai has become the perfect used car for our time."
The panel noted that strong demand meant the Qashqai was always highly sought after by trade buyers and customers alike, meaning it depreciated slowly and outperformed the general market.
Launched in 2007, the Qashqai has broken out of its niche and has become a top-selling mainstream model, rivalling conventional family hatchbacks. It has become a permanent feature in bestseller lists.
The CAP judges said: "In late 2010 a serious challenger to the Qashqai entered the market. But this serious rival was simply the updated Qashqai and that is now becoming the dominant player."
The double win from CAP comes on top of a similar award from leading consumer magazine What Car? which named the Qashqai as its Best Used Car 2011 last month.
Ballina Nissan, Crossmolina Road, Ballina, Co Mayo.
