Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi has slimmed the Outlander range down a little and no longer offers a diesel option – it’s now a straight choice between the 2.0-litre petrol and the hugely successful PHEV (plug-in hybrid) version, of which Mitsubishi has sold over 50,000 examples in the UK alone.

At the time of writing the price difference between comparable trim levels of the two is about £6,000, the petrol version starting at just under £30,000. If seven seats, all-wheel drive and practicality matter to you more than running costs this is – literally – a lot of car for the money. High CO2 emissions and poor fuel consumption will score against it in everything from petrol costs to tax, though.

Being early to the market with a Benefit In Kind busting plug-in hybrid SUV has been Mitsubishi’s saving grace, and the Outlander PHEV has arguably kept the company afloat. The huge tax savings for company drivers are a big part of this, private buyers who can be bothered to charge it and use it mainly for shorter journeys within its 28-mile electric range also able to save on running costs. Like all plug-ins these advantages disappear on longer journeys, though. The rest of the market has caught up, meanwhile, and there are now many, many more plug-in SUV options, most of them fresher looking and more desirable to own.