Mitsubishi offers a standout vehicle in the plug-in hybrid segment, the 2025 Outlander PHEV, a spacious and stylish mid-sized SUV that offers room for up to seven passengers. The powertrain consists of a 2.4L gas-powered engine coupled with two electric motors, front and rear, and a 20 kWh battery that offers up to 61 km of all-electric driving. An outlet is there for you to plug in and charge the battery, which also gets fed with regenerative braking during regular driving.

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A typical hybrid vehicle would have a single electric motor that can drive the vehicle at low speeds for a short period, but its main purpose is to assist the primary gas engine for acceleration. The battery would be around 2 kWh or less, depending on the size of the vehicle, and is only charged with regenerative braking; there is no outlet to plug in. The motor does help a hybrid get better fuel economy than a comparable, gas-only vehicle.

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Which one is right for you? Let’s look at a typical weekend scenario to see how each version performs.

Friday: The Commute

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Last day of work before the weekend plans, but you’ve got to get through it. A 15-km city commute to the office means you can do the entire day – there and back, with a lunch run in between – on silent electricity in your Outlander PHEV, which would be fully charged being plugged in at your home. A Level 1, 120V household plug would charge in around 16 hours, but a Level 2, 240V charger tops it up in around 6.5 hours. And if you live in Ontario and benefit from Ultra-Low Overnight electricity rates of 2.8¢ per kWh, for example, that 61-km battery capacity would cost just 56¢. Other provincial electricity rates may not be as low, but they would still work out to be cheaper than gasoline for the Outlander PHEV.

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A similar-sized hybrid SUV would generally have a fuel consumption of around 6.5 to 7.5 L/100 km, depending on the vehicle, and it would use the gas engine for almost the entire drive. The Outlander PHEV has an overall fuel consumption rating of 3.6Le/100 KM.

Saturday: Let the Weekend Commence!


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Today’s plans are adventure and exercise: a 100-km drive, much of it on a highway, to a nature reserve for a day of trail riding on some e-bikes, and a night of camping. While the distance is further than the Outlander PHEV’s electric-only distance, you can still go for quite a stretch on the battery, as you’ve obviously plugged in overnight. But once that limit is reached, there’s no such thing as “range anxiety” with this SUV. Coupled with the 2.4L engine, the Outlander PHEV has a total range of up to 687 kilometres, and you can stop at a gas station anytime to fill up for even longer trips.

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Here’s another thing this plug-in hybrid has over hybrid vehicles. The Outlander PHEV offers three options for electric operation: the EV Priority Mode puts precedence on electric-only driving whenever possible; the Charge Mode uses the gas engine as a generator to charge the battery while the vehicle is being driven with the electric motors; and the Save Mode puts priority on gas driving to preserve battery charge. That last mode could be considered if, say, you wanted to have energy left to charge your e-bikes after the drive with the SUV’s 120V outlets – another feature of the Outlander PHEV.

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This trip is typical of where the hybrid vehicle is at its lowest efficiency; at highway speeds, the electric motor is almost never used, so the gas engine does the heavy work. Its highway fuel consumption would be similar to a gas-only vehicle, so plan for your fuel stops along the way.

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Sunday: A Meandering Return


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On the way back the next day, you don’t want to go directly home; a few stops at a picturesque town and some antique shops would make the trip more relaxed. Of course, the Outlander PHEV’s battery is pretty much depleted this morning, but you’ve got the gas engine to get going; plus, normal braking will put a charge back into the battery, which helps when you get off the highway onto the country roads and into the stop-and-go of small towns. At this point, it will operate pretty much like a normal hybrid – unless you find a Level 3 fast charger, which can top the Outlander PHEV battery up to 80 per cent in about 38 minutes, or about the time it’ll take to get your lunch.

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And when you get home, the biggest difference between PHEVs and hybrids becomes apparent once again. No one looks forward to Monday mornings, but at least an Outlander PHEV owner will be happy knowing their commute will cost cents without the need for a gas stop after a full night of being plugged in.