Mitsubishi drops i-MiEV price

By Tom Phillips

August 2010

The price is right for the i-MiEV! Mitsubishi has elected to drop the price of its electric supermini from £38,699 to £28,990 for orders placed for delivery from January 1st next year. Add in the £5,000 ‘plug-in’ grant from the government, and buyers will pay £23,990 to get behind the wheel - a reduction of £14,709.

For that outlay, buyers get a proper four-door, four-seat supermini capable of a top speed of 81mph and a range of 90 miles. Power comes from a 49kW (66bhp) motor, and a full charge from a household socket takes nine hours, although a rapid charging system can recharge the batteries to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes.

What’s more, Mitsubishi claims the i-MiEV benefits from fuel costs of £144 per 12,000 miles. The car is exempt from road tax, company car tax and the congestion charge, while some London boroughs offer free parking for electric cars.

Standard kit includes alloys, air conditioning, electric windows, a heated driver’s seat and a four-speaker stereo. The full, Euro-spec i-MiEV will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show in September.

The price is still higher than the £23,350 Nissan will charge for its Leaf electric car, including government grant, when it goes on sale next February, although Mitsubishi has confirmed that the i-MiEV will come with a five-year, 62,500-mile warranty for the main battery and EV components and an optional three-year servicing package that costs and extra £300.