Alex Grant reports on how easy our Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV long-termer is proving to live with.

The flexibility of the Outlander PHEV is proving a boon

Living with a car beyond the usual week-long loan is always a learning experience, and the Outlander PHEV is generating plenty of talking points. A couple of months in, and I’ve discovered that it fits my new freelance lifestyle almost perfectly.

I don’t have a typical working week; I’m mostly home-based but with frequent long trips, and I pitch in with school runs and other errands depending on deadlines and workload. The Outlander gets charged overnight, and for five days a week (if not six) it’s an electric vehicle. A 25-30-mile electric range sounds short, but that’s usually plenty for a full day of local jour- neys – and those are mostly urban trips, where it’s desirable not to be adding to Cardiff’s noise or air pollution.

On longer trips, the engine kicks in just before the Severn Bridge, so I’ve taken to finding opportunities to plug in. A lot of my meetings are with leasing companies and manufacturers, who often have chargers, so I’ve had chances to top up while parked. On a recent 300+ mile, double-meeting day trip, I averaged 49mpg with help from two short charging sessions. Plugging in during a trip to ALD Automotive in Bristol, I returned home averaging 89mpg. I’m learning quickly, it seems.