2017 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 5h

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is, by the manufacturer’s own admission, the most important car it makes. Launched in 2014, the niche plug-in hybrid SUV became a sales sensation as the UK’s best selling plug-in hybrid and threw Mitsubishi to the forefront of the green revolution in big cars.

Since then, however, the company and the car have faced some setbacks. News of electric motorway charging stations becoming a paid-for service means that an 80% charge of the car’s 33-mile range battery costs around £6, and the government's plug-in grant has been halved. Meanwhile tax changes due in April mean that instead of being free from VED, it will cost £10 for the first year then £130 every year after that on vehicles that cost £40,000 and below, the bracket into which most Outlander PHEVs fall. Above £40,000, you can expect to pay around £440 a year.

But while the Mitsubishi's prospects as a private buy look to have been severely hampered, low CO2 emissions mean it's still a cheap company car option that undercuts any like-for-like conventional diesel rivals.

The car received a comprehensive update in 2016, but it’s been lightly refreshed again this year because it’s such an important model for its maker. The electric-only range has increased by one mile (yes, just the one) to 33 miles, while CO2 emissions have dropped by a single gramme per kilometre to 41g/km, along with an improved claimed combined economy figure of 166mpg. Elsewhere the suspension has been altered again with new dampers and rear bushes.

Differences from the 2016 model are minimal, but if nothing else that means you can still expect the same combination of high-riding SUV practicality matched with an impressive hybrid powertrain.

Push the power button and all you get is an eerie silence on start up, and moving along at low speeds it’s whisper quiet and relaxing to drive. Crank up the speed, however, and road noise becomes more noticeable, and when it’s just the petrol engine powering the car it’s noisier still.

One difference in the new model is an EV Priority mode, which means that by pushing a button on the centre console you’re able to keep the car in electric mode only, provided there's sufficient juice in the batteries. Don’t expect to be able to do this for too long, though. While Mitsubishi claims the Outlander PHEV is able to cover 33 miles on electricity alone, our range indicator was claiming it had around 20 miles left when it was nearly full on our cold test route.