Mitsubishi -MiEV prices announced

By Mark Rainford

24th March 2010

Mitsubishi has announced that its production electric i-MiEV will go on sale for a shocking £38,699 on January 1 next year. The only light relief for customers is the £5000 grant they will receive from the Government which brings the car’s price down to £33,699.

The price tag hasn’t put off every buyer, however, as one Mitsubishi spokesperson told Auto Express that two customers had approached dealers when the car was first announced and offered to pay £50,000 to be the first to own the electric supermini.

Whilst the initial outlay seems exceptionally high, i-MiEV owners will benefit from fuel costs of just £115 for 12,000 miles of driving, over £1000 less than a standard car achieving 50mpg.

Drivers will also benefit from free road-tax whilst avoiding the London congestion charge and even parking fees in some London boroughs and UK cities. Servicing costs are also expected to be particularly low as electric cars have only four working parts compared to 300-plus on ordinary cars.

Managing Director at Mitsubishi Motors UK, Lance Bradley, said: “We are aware that, by their very nature, any new technologies always command a premium, which has been true for anything from plasma televisions to cars. Others make price claims and estimations, but we have a real vehicle that is available now and is proven in the real world.”

Nissan’s Leaf is likely to be a strong competitor to the i-MiEV and the Sunderland built hatchback, which goes on sale in 2013, is expected to cost marginally more than a similar sized hatchback like the Ford Focus.

The vast price tag of the i-MiEV will please bosses at Vauxhall who are gearing up to launch the Ampera plug-in electric hatchback at the end of 2012. Prices have not yet been announced for the Ampera but it is expected to cost more than a top-spec £24,070 Astra, but less than the Mitsubishi. The Ampera also qualifies for the £5,000 government grant.