Nissan Juke practicality and boot space

• Much improved rear seat and boot space
• Small rear doors can be awkward
• Boot is larger than Skoda Kamiq or Seat Arona

The second-generation Juke takes a welcome step up in terms of practicality, and is now on a par with most of its competitors. Where the rear cabin was once very cramped indeed, it’s now large enough to allow a six-foot adult to sit behind a similarly-sized driver, and there’s plenty of room for child seats, too. Bear in mind, however, that the sharply-rising windowline of the Juke means it’s quite dark and claustrophobic in the rear, and children who like to look out of the window may be disappointed. You’ll find far greater accommodation in the rear of a Skoda Kamiq.

This means rear visibility is also compromised, but at least all models bar the entry-level Visia come with a rear-view camera - even if the display is a little low-res.

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There’s no such problem in the front, where slim windscreen pillars and big door mirrors ensure great visibility both in front and down the side. There’s plenty of space for driver and passenger and there’s a very wide range of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel – though it’s a shame that the seats are manually operated even on pricey top-spec cars.

The front of the Juke isn’t the cleverest for storage, with just an average glovebox, decently-sized door bins and a small central cubby under the armrest, plus two cupholders. Smartphones can be plugged in and placed on a small shelf ahead of the gearlever, but this doesn’t hold them very securely because it's not very big, nor can it be optioned with wireless charging as so many cars are offering now.

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The Juke’s boot is much improved over the original, and now offers 422 litres of boot space. That’s well up on the 400 litres of the Skoda Kamiq and SEAT Arona, though it’s not as capacious as the Citroen C3 Aircross and its enormous 520 litre boot (but that's when the seats are slid further forwards).

Moving the Juke’s taillights partially onto the tailgate means there’s now a wider, lower opening rather than a narrow gap, and an adjustable boot floor can either be lowered to unlock the full space or raised to give a flat floor when the rear seats are folded down. In its raised position, there’s a really useful amount of storage space underneath.

Safety

• Top score in Euro NCAP crash tests
• Safety assist technology standard across range
• Very strong adult occupant score

The Juke scored a full five-star Euro NCAP crash test safety rating when it was tested at the end of 2019.

All cars get autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognition and lane-departure warning, while higher trim levels get the semi-autonomous ProPilot system capable of driving the car under certain conditions. Despite this, all models scored the same excellent rating, with the standard safety kit considered performant enough to return a 73 per cent score in the Safety Assist category. A score of 94 per cent in the Adult Occupant category is very high, too.