WHAT CAR AWARDS - Double delight for Nissan with Qashqai and Pulsar winning awards.

• Nissan Qashqai retains crown as What Car?’s Best Small SUV
  • British-built Qashqai praised for blend of comfort, refinement and practicality
  • New n-tec+ trim is the judges’ pick with class-leading levels of refinement, generous standard equipment and overall practicality
• Newly launched Pulsar hatchback chosen as a Best Buy Family car under £16,000 for 1.2 DIG-T 115 Visia
  • Newcomer praised for “incredible value” offering customers the “complete package”
  • Entry-level model gets air-conditioning, electric windows, Bluetooth and six airbags

It was a successful night for Nissan at the annual What Car? Awards in London as the brand scooped an overall category win along with a Best Buy Family Car accolade.

For the second year running, Nissan’s pioneering Qashqai crossover won the title of Best Small SUV while the all-new Pulsar hatchback was chosen as a Best Buy Family car under £16,000 in the hugely competitive Family Car category.

Designed, engineered and built in Britain, the Qashqai continues to deliver an unrivalled package of technology, safety, practicality and efficiency

James Wright, Managing Director, Nissan Motor GB, said: “After winning Qashqai’s category and the outrightCar of the Year crown last year, we are extremely delighted with this year’s category win – especially considering the strong competition in this fast-growing segment.

“Like the Qashqai, the new Pulsar majors on technical innovations, safety and practicality – boasting the largest rear legroom of any C-segment hatchback available in the UK. It adds yet another dimension to Nissan’s diverse product line-up and ensures the brand offers a product to suit every customer’s needs.”

Jim Holder, Editor of What Car? said: “The Qashqai was chosen on the strength of its overall offering in terms of practicality, refinement and standard equipment. As impressive at the new Citroen and Range Rover are, neither really come close to dethroning the Qashqai as our top Small SUV.

“The Pulsar meanwhile delivers incredible value with the entry grade Visia. It’s hard to think of any other model in this price bracket that offers such a complete package.”

As standard, the Pulsar 1.2 DIG-T 115 Visia costs £15,995 OTR and benefits from air-conditioning, Bluetooth, electric windows, 16-inch alloys as well as safety equipment such as six airbags, tyre pressure monitoring and electronic stability control.

Testament to the Qashqai’s popularity, Nissan produced the two millionth Qashqai at its Sunderland factory in November last year – making it the fastest car model to reach this milestone in the history of the UK car industry.

What Car?’s favourite Qashqai is the recently introduced n-tec+ model, which replaced the Acenta Premium grade. With n-tec+, owners get and even greater level of value thanks to a multitude of safety and comfort features including Around View Monitor (AVM), Forward Emergency Brake (FEB), and additional equipment including roofrails and a Panoramic roof with prices starting at £22,250 OTR (or £21,700 OTR for n-tec).