New Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid goes on sale. Price from £28,249

The new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – Mitsubishi’s new plug-in hybrid Outlander – is now on sale in the UK at prices from (after the £5k grant) of £28,249.

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV arrived at the Paris Motor Show in 2012, and although it’s already available in Europe it’s only now going on sale in the UK. And it does offer a compelling package.

Mitsubishi say the Outlander PHEV is the most practical vehicle qualifying for the UK’s £5,000 grant for low emission cars, and instead of charging really silly prices for their new plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi have pitched it so buyers pay no more at entry-level (after the grant) than they would for its diesel equivalent. A smart move.

That means the GX3h Outlander PHEV will cost you £28, 249 and come with plug-in hybrid powerplant capable of delivering a range of 512 miles and an electric-only range of up to 32 miles (and silly official economy of 148 mpg) and, perhaps most importantly, a BIK rate for business users of just 5 per cent.

All models of the Outlander PHEV come with Mitsubishi’s Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) as standard, with even the entry-level GX3h getting 18″ alloys, Cruise, Climate, Privacy glass, electric folding mirrors and Bluetooth.

Move up to the GX4h (which costs £1k more than the equivalent diesel after the £5k bribe) and you can add stuff like SatNav, HID headlights, heated front seats, reversing camera, leather, DAB, sunroof and power tailgate, and the GX4hs adding Adaptive Cruise, Lane Departure warning and Forward Collision Mitigation.

Lane Bradley, Mitsubishi’s UK MD, said:

Having the first SUV plug-in hybrid in the UK market that has no premium over its diesel equivalent, has 4×4 capability with an EV range of 32.5 miles, can achieve 148mpg under the right circumstances and has emissions as low as 44g/km, puts Mitsubishi at the forefront of a new era in the automotive industry.

This vehicle is extraordinary and very different to other hybrids in the market and we are delighted that the range starts from £28,249 but the vehicle has also met the high levels of criteria required to qualify for the Government Plug-in Car Grant. With such low CO₂ from 44g/km the Outlander PHEV also benefits from £0 VED and 5% BIK.

It’s a compelling argument and one we’re sure will see strong sales for the Outlander PHEV, especially from company car users and from families who want it mainly for local stuff like ferrying children and popping to the shops.

If you want one, Mitsubishi is putting the Outlander PHEV on sale in the UK this week with first cars arriving in May.