While the Outlander has been on sale in Europe for around 18 months, it hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP. However, it’s achieved top marks in similar tests in the USA, South America and Australia, and the long list of safety features should ensure passengers and other road users are protected. Setting up some of the systems can be a bit fiddly, while the driver-inattention warning can be a bit over-sensitive, activating when you’re looking across to enter a roundabout, for example.

Best buy: Mitsubishi Outlander Nativa level 

The range starts with the £46,995 Nativa, which gets the ‘5+2’ seating arrangement and a strong standard equipment list. Among the highlights are 20-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry/ignition, front/rear parking sensors, a rear parking camera, heated front seats, an electrically adjustable driver's seat, synthetic leather upholstery, a 12.3-inch infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, an eight-speaker Yamaha sound system, a head-up display, a digital rear-view mirror, dual-zone climate control, a powered tailgate and a heated steering wheel. That’ll be more than enough stuff for most, and the extra pair of seats is a handy thing to have, even though they’re not that big. 

The Outlander Diamond is £3,000 more. It drops to a five-seater layout while adopting even more kit, including three-zone climate control, a hands-free tailgate, a 12-speaker Yamaha sound system, a wireless phone charging pad, leather upholstery and electrically adjustable front seats with ventilation and a massage function.

You can save on the list price by building your new Mitsubishi Outlander with the Auto Express Buy A Car service. We also have a selection of Outlander leasing deals, and can even help you to sell your car.

The Toyota RAV4 is probably the Outlander’s closest competitor, which is why we put the cars against each other in a triple test with another key rival, the Hyundai Tucson. 

The 5+2 layout in the Nativa gives the Outlander a practicality edge against those two, though - if seating for up to seven is a necessity, you could also consider the Nissan X-Trail, although there’s no plug-in hybrid version. 

There’s no shortage of spacious and budget-friendly PHEVs from Chinese manufacturers, but cars like the Geely Starray and Jaecoo 7 aren’t as well-rounded as the Mitsubishi nor any of the other competitors we’ve just mentioned.