Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV review

While not exactly being a household name in the UK, Mitsubishi has a far higher profile in the field of plug-in hybrids; the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has become one of the most popular vehicles of its type. And, with SUV looks and the practicality to back them up, its popularity is justified.

Key to its appeal, though, is that the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is a company car tax marvel. Although it’s based on the regular diesel-engined version of the Outlander, the PHEV's petrol-electric plug-in hybrid system brings its CO2 emissions down to result in a low benefit-in-kind car tax bracket.

Essentially, it can be driven by the naturally aspirated 2.4-litre petrol engine, by the electric motors and batteries alone, or a combination of the two. Those batteries can be charged on the move by the petrol engine, or the car can be plugged into the mains to charge overnight.

As a result, against conventionally powered rivals such as the Skoda Kodiaq, Peugeot 5008 and Seat Tarraco, the Outlander PHEV will potentially save company car taxpayers thousands of pounds in tax payments. And because it can run on pure electric power, many will be able to travel to work and back after an overnight charge, using no petrol at all; the car is rated under the WLTP testing cycle as being able to travel 28 miles on pure electricity alone and should be able to return an incredible 139mpg in mixed use.

It’s these kind of figures that have proved so popular with buyers and has brought Mitsubishi a prominence it hasn’t had for decades – at one point the PHEV accounted for a staggering 50 per cent of sales in the electric car and hybrid sector in the UK, selling even better than it did in Japan. That said, such success shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s still the only ‘affordable’ large SUV with sub-50g/km carbon emissions,

So, is it worth considering over its conventionally powered rivals? Read on over the next few pages to get our in-depth impressions. And if you do indeed fancy an Outlander PHEV, check out our New Car Buying pages to find some tempting offers.