Summary
The Mitsubishi Mirage is a small, supermini-class five-door hatchback. It was on sale from 2013 until Mitsubishi withdrew from the UK market altogether in 2021, with a number of updates over that eight-year period.
It’s an understatement to say that the Mitsubishi Mirage is not a good car. We actually found it difficult to put together a comprehensive Expert Rating for the Mirage, as there were simply very few reviews of the vehicle available. According to some of our review sources, Mitsubishi did not keep any Mirages on its press fleet in order to avoid unflattering reviews of the car being published…
The Mirage was considered sub-par when it was launched in the UK way back in 2013, and a couple of facelifts over the years did not close the gap to the rest of its supermini rivals, almost all of which have been replaced by all-new vehicles during the eight years the Mirage was on sale. By the time it was finally withdrawn from 2021, it had fallen a long way behind every other new small car on sale.
In short, there is no objective reason to choose a nearly-new Mitsubishi Mirage over any other similar small car on sale. It has by far the worst Expert Rating score of any car we have analysed, sitting at just 27% by the time Mitsubishi abandoned the UK in September 2021.
It could make a perfectly decent used car if you can find one cheap enough, but beyond price it’s definitely one to avoid.
Mirage highlights
- Respectable fuel economy
- Generous cabin space
Mirage lowlights
- More expensive than budget rivals
- Dated and cheap interior
- Underwhelming engine quality
- Poor steering dynamics
- Easily surpassed by newer rivals
Key specifications
Body style: Five-door hatchback
Engines: petrol
Price: From £10,580 on-road
Launched: Spring 2013
Last updated: Spring 2020
Removed from sale: Autumn 2021
Image gallery
Media reviews
Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.
Auto Express
Model reviewed:
Score: 4 / 10
“It’s cheap to run and lavishly equipped, but the Mitsubish Mirage’s ride and handling is disappointing and it’s pricey too.”
Read review
Auto Trader
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 4.4 / 10
“The Mitsubishi Mirage has its merits, but it simply doesn’t have enough all-round ability for us to recommend it.”
Read review
Car
Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual
Score: 4 / 10
“Likeable as the Mitsubishi Mirage’s thrummy engine, generous equipment and spacious cabin is, it’s too below-par to drive and noisy at speed to recommend in a class that contains the VW Up and its brethren, and it feels the heat too from the better-value Korean opposition.”
Read review
Car Keys
Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual
Score: 6 / 10
“While it’s undoubtedly cheap, there are other city cars around which can perform the same tasks just as well if not better for a similar price. The Mitsubishi Mirage is competent enough, but there’s a lot of strong competition nowadays which makes it harder to recommend.”
Read review
Carbuyer
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 5.4 / 10
“The Mitsubishi Mirage is well-equipped and cheap to run, but compared to the competition, it’s expensive to buy and not enjoyable to drive.”
Read review
Carwow
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 2 / 10
“The Mitsubishi Mirage is a spacious city car that will prove cheap to run, but it’s undone by its cheap-feeling interior and tedious drive.”
Read review
Heycar
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 3 / 10
“When designing the Mirage, Mitsubishi was clear about the focus for its small car. Fuel economy, CO2 emissions and practicality are what the Mirage is built around. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to give the Mirage appeal and it lags behind the competition in too many key areas.”
Read review
Honest John
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 2 / 10
“Disappointing to drive. Steering is slow and lacks feel. Not as good as similarly priced hatchbacks like the Volkswagen Up or Kia Picanto.”
Read review
Motoring Research
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 3 / 10
Nope, we’re stumped. We can’t see why anyone would choose a Mitsubishi Mirage over any of its city car rivals.
Read review
Parkers
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 5 / 10
“The Mitsubishi Mirage offers excellent running costs and ultra-low emissions but has a drab interior and rivals offer better value.”
Read review
Top Gear
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 3 / 10
“Thinking about buying a Mitsubishi Mirage? Don’t. Now you can’t say we haven’t warned you. Especially awful.”
Read review
Safety rating
Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP
No safety rating
The Mitsubishi Mirage was crash tested by Euro NCAP way back in 2012 and achieved a four-star rating. However, this rating expired in January 2020 and is no longer valid.
Eco rating
Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP
No eco rating
The Mitsubishi Mirage was not lab tested by Green NCAP during its production life.
Reliability rating
Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy
No reliability rating
As of December 2022, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Mitsubishi Mirage to generate a reliability rating.
The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusively to us using extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy. As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the Mirage, we’ll publish the score here.
Similar cars
If you’re looking at the Mitsubishi Mirage, you might also be interested in these alternatives
Citroën C3 | Dacia Sandero | Ford Fiesta | Honda Jazz | Hyundai i20 | Kia Rio | Mazda 2 | MG 3 | Mini hatch | Nissan Micra | Peugeot 208 | Renault Clio | SEAT Ibiza | Skoda Fabia | Suzuki Swift | Toyota Yaris | Vauxhall Corsa | Volkswagen Polo
More information
More news, reviews and information about the Mitsubishi Mirage at The Car Expert
Buy a Mitsubishi Mirage
If you’re looking to buy a new or used Mitsubishi Mirage, The Car Expert’s partners can help you find the right car.
Buy a car online from your sofa. We’ll deliver it. Find out more
Search less, live more. We make finding the right car simple. Find out more
Discover great deals available on both new and used cars. Find out more
Search for your next new or used car with Auto Trader. Find out more
Subscribe to a Mitsubishi Mirage
If you’re interested in a car subscription, The Car Expert’s partners can help. (PS: What’s a car subscription?)
