IF you were to ask most business motorists what PHEV stood for – we reckon they’d probably point at the Mitsubishi Outlander.
The Outlander SUV was at the forefront of the PHEV revolution: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
PHEVs give you a great combination of economy and low company car tax thanks to a supplementary battery that means the car can be driven in zero emission mode for almost 30 miles. The latest Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, launched in 2019, does that still – and a little bit more.
We’re driving the 4h model – one up from the entry point to the Outlander PHEV line up – to find out what it’s like to live with a PHEV.
One thing’s for sure, there’s no lack of kit for the Outlander PHEV.
There’s a heated windscreen and heated front seats – so there’s no excuse not to see out on frosty mornings while feeling toasty yourself (because there is also a heated steering wheel – utter bliss on chilly mornings).
And those seats are leather, too, as standard. Plus there’s a reversing camera which helps seeing what’s behind you in what is a big car. And once you’ve reversed and parked there’s an electric tailgate that takes the effort out of loading the boot.
But what we think is equally impressive so far are the numbers behind the luxury SUV.
For business motoring, the benefit in kind is…well, very kind!
Company car tax is is currently 13%. This will rise to 16% in April 2019 tax year before dropping down to 12% in the following tax year of 20/21.
It means you pay company car tax from just £86 a month – or £172 if you’re a higher rate tax payer – for what is a luxuriously specified SUV with four-wheel drive. A Ford Fiesta 5 Door 1.0T EcoBoost Active X 125PS, which is half the Mitsubishi’s list price, costs a similar amount in company car tax: £81 a month.
So that’s how much of a BIK bargain this Mitsubishi represents – before it’s even turned a wheel!
And when it does turn a wheel, you end up driving a highly refined executive SUV. But more of that in our next report later this week. For now, just consider those figures – and see whether it shouldn’t be on your company car choice list.
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 2.4 4h auto 4WD
- P11D value – £39,445
- Power – 135bhp
- Torque – 211Nm
- Transmission – four-wheel drive automatice
- Engine – 2.4 litre MIVEC Atkinson cycle petrol engine with 13.8kWh capacity lithium ion battery
- Top speed – 106mph
- 0-62mph – 10.5s
- CO2 emissions – 46g/km
- Official mpg – 52.1mpg (no battery engine only) / 159.5mpg (Weighted Combined MPG including battery EV running)
- Test mpg – 57.5mpg
- Company car tax band 2017/18 – 13%
