Mitsubishi is set to make its triumphant return to the UK market in 2026 with a bold new vision... of 2012.
Spearheading the Japanese carmaker’s efforts in the UK will be the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the car that spawned a middle class plug-in hybrid revolution when its third generation launched back in 2012.
At one point the car was the bestselling PHEV in the world, and was particularly popular due to low company car tax costs, emissions-based congestion charges, and government vehicle taxation that was reoriented around CO2 levels.
The car will at least look different – the fourth generation of the stalwart SUV was launched at the in 2021, with a refreshed plug-in version available in European markets from the beginning of 2025.
The side profile of the car looks much the same as it did before, but the front end has a huge grille and aggressive chrome accents and stacked headlights. The interior looks plusher than the Outlander’s 2010s heyday too – it’s expected that Mitsubishi will just be selling one highly specced version of the car in the UK.
The four-wheel-drive SUV offers just under 50 miles of WLTP range and comes with a 2.4-litre petrol engine that can drive the wheels or generate electricity. For the first time the Outlander PHEV is available as a seven-seater, and it’s likely that this will be the only option available in the UK.
Mitsubishi’s L200 pickup truck will also go on sale in the UK in 2026. Other models the company could bring to the UK are mostly rebadged Renaults – it sells the Clio with a Colt badge and its main EV offering is the Eclipse Cross SUV, which is a Renault Scenic with a nose job.
Mitsubishi quit the UK back in 2020 because of poor sales, but has presumably decided to return because everything is better now. Interested in what else arrives in 2026? Check out our list of all the EVs coming on the market next year.
Latest Outlander plug-in hybrid has posher interior and two more seats than the we're used to... 
