Whoever would have thought that a shootout between three crossover SUVs could one day become a squabble over bragging rights at the very top of the car market?

That’s what this is, though. The Nissan Qashqai is Britain’s fifth best selling car – only the Fiesta, Corsa, Focus and Golf shift in greater numbers.

It’s there for a reason, which is that it’s very, very good. Sooner or later, someone will manage to beat it – and here we have the latest newcomer to try, in the shape of the interestingly priced Hyundai Tucson.

Also represented is the Qashqai’s close relative, the Renault Kadjar. This is basically the same car, but it’s more than two grand cheaper – so as well as having to step up on quality, the Tucson has it all to do in terms of price.

Qashqai and Kadjar alike are powered by the Nissan-Renault Alliance’s 1.5 dCi engine. The Tucson’s 1.7 CRDi is all-round stronger, beating the others without breaking a sweat, but even then it lacks their refinement.

Similarly, the Tucson has the best road manners in corners, with grip and poise to spare when the others are already out of shape. It’s more composed over crests, too.

But that counts for less than it should, thanks to the vagueness of its steering, brakes and gearbox. As a result, the others are better fun to drive.

Everything’s relative, and none of these three are about thrills on the ragged edge. But the Tucson is second-best in too many areas – with the Qashqai in particular showing it the way home thanks to an unbeaten quality of ride.

Nissan wins it in terms of interior quality, too. All three are broadly similar in the space they offer, but a plus point for the Tucson is its reclining rear seats.

In the very back, meanwhile, the Kadjar has a little more cargo room but the Qashqai and Tucson have variable-height false floors to flatten out their load bays. There’s not a lot in it here, all told – though the size of the Tucson’s inner arch blisters eats into the width of its boot.

So the Qashqai is leading the way, and that doesn’t change when you look at the kit you get for your money. All three are well equipped, but only Nissan gives you autonomous emergency braking as standard.

It all adds up to one obvious conclusion: it’s business as usual in this corner of the market. The Qashqai is the most expensive car here, both to buy and to own over three years, but you get what you pay for.

If saving money is crucial, the Kadjar does run its non-identical twin a close second. It’s not quite cheap enough to justify the step down in terms of kit, refinement and interior quality. But it’s comfortably good enough to keep the Tucson at arm’s length.

1st: Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCI 110 [5 stars]

Engine size: 1.5-litre diesel

Price from: £23,770 (list)

Power: 109bhp

Torque: 192lb ft

0-60mph: 11.8 seconds

Top speed: 113mph

Fuel economy: 54.7mpg

CO2: 103g/km

2nd: Renault Kadjar 1.5 dCI 110 [4 stars]

Engine size: 1.5-litre diesel

Price from: £21,595 (list)

Power: 109bhp

Torque: 192lb ft

0-60mph: 11.5 seconds

Top speed: 113mph

Fuel economy: 58.0mpg

CO2: 99g/km

3rd: Hyundai Tucson 1.7 CRDi 116 [3 stars]

Engine size: 1.7-litre diesel

Price from: £22,740 (list)

Power: 114bhp

Torque: 207lb ft

0-60mph: 11.4 seconds

Top speed: 109mph

Fuel economy: 47.0mpg

CO2: 119g/km