# Mitsubishi i-MiEV
**Mitsubishi i-MiEV** (アイ・ミーブ, short for [Mitsubishi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mitsubishi) innovative Electric Vehicle) is a four-seat kei-class battery electric car built by [Mitsubishi Motors](https://www.edgepedia.org/mitsubishi-motors) on the platform of its "i" minicar and sold from 2009 to 2021. Mitsubishi describes it as the world's first mass-produced electric vehicle, and it went on sale to fleet customers in Japan in July 2009 before reaching individual buyers and export markets.[1](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/what-drives-us/i-miev-history) • [2](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsrelease/images/download/pdf/c_230216_p_1412.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Launch | Fleet sales in Japan from July 2009; sales to individuals from April 2010; left-hand-drive European production from 2010; Canada and US from December 2011[1](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/what-drives-us/i-miev-history) • [3](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2010.pdf) |
| Powertrain | Rear-mounted AC synchronous motor, 47 kW (64 PS) at 3,000–6,000 rpm, 180 N·m from 0 to 2,000 rpm, top speed 130 km/h[4](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsroom/stories/ev1/index.html) |
| Battery | 16 kWh lithium-ion pack, 330 V, 88 cells, mounted under the floor[4](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsroom/stories/ev1/index.html) • [5](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/mitsubishis-i-miev-greener-ride-but-not-ready-for-the-daily-commute/) |
| Range | 160 km on a full charge in the Japanese 10–15 mode; 164 km in the later JC08 mode; EPA-rated 62 miles for the 2012 US model[4](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsroom/stories/ev1/index.html) • [6](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/jp/newsroom/newsrelease/2019/20190605_1.html) • [7](https://www.edmunds.com/mitsubishi/i-miev/2012/long-term-road-test/) |
| Charging | About 30 minutes to 80% on a fast charger, about 7 hours on Level 2, about 22 hours from a 110–120 V outlet[1](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/what-drives-us/i-miev-history) |
| Dimensions | 3,395 mm long, 1,475 mm wide, 1,610 mm high; about 1,080 kg[8](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/company/history/car/?MID=21) • [1](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/what-drives-us/i-miev-history) |
| Production end | Terminated in 2021 without a successor generation; combined i-MiEV and MINICAB-MiEV sales exceeded 31,000 units by April 2019[8](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/company/history/car/?MID=21) • [6](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/jp/newsroom/newsrelease/2019/20190605_1.html) |
## Development
Mitsubishi Motors traces its electric vehicle research to the mid-1960s; the company's car history dates the start of EV research to 1964, and its 2009 annual report describes the i-MiEV as the product of EV technology work dating back to 1966.[8](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/company/history/car/?MID=21) • [9](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2009.pdf) The production car followed a 500,000 km proving program covering basic performance, comfort, and practicality, plus fleet tests with Japanese electric power companies, [Kanagawa Prefecture](https://www.edgepedia.org/kanagawa-prefecture) police duties, the Ministry of Environment, Japan Post, and Lawson.[3](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2010.pdf) • [9](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2009.pdf)
**Battery choice.** Until the early 1990s lead-acid batteries, which could account for around half of an electric vehicle's weight, were the main obstacle to commercialization. Lithium-ion batteries let Mitsubishi bring the battery-to-vehicle weight ratio below 20%, which the company identifies as what made the i-MiEV commercially feasible.[9](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2009.pdf) In December 2007, Mitsubishi Motors, GS Yuasa Corporation, and [Mitsubishi Corporation](https://www.edgepedia.org/mitsubishi-corporation) established Lithium Energy Japan to mass-produce lithium-ion batteries.[10](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2008.pdf)
**Packaging.** The i-MiEV inherits the "i" minicar's rear-midship layout: the long wheelbase leaves room for the drive battery under the floor and the power unit under the luggage compartment, preserving the four-seat cabin and luggage space of the gasoline car.[9](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2009.pdf) An integrated control system, MiEV OS, manages the powertrain and battery and can shut down the high-voltage system completely in a collision.[8](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/company/history/car/?MID=21)
## Sales and PSA variants
The i-MiEV reached Japanese fleet customers in July 2009. In April 2010 Mitsubishi began selling it to individuals at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of ¥3,980,000, a reduction of ¥619,000 from the fleet-era price, and a national subsidy brought the customer cost to ¥2,840,000; the company stated a goal of lowering the post-subsidy price to around ¥2,000,000.[3](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2010.pdf) Right-hand-drive exports began with Hong Kong and Australia, a left-hand-drive version reached Europe in late 2010, and the car entered the Canadian and US markets in December 2011.[3](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2010.pdf) • [1](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/what-drives-us/i-miev-history)
Under a cooperative agreement with PSA Peugeot Citroën, Mitsubishi produced a jointly developed European model based on the i-MiEV from October 2010, sold as the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-ZERO from the end of that year.[11](https://www.media.stellantis.com/em-en/psa-archive/press/new-cooperative-project-for-electric-powertrains-between-psa-peugeot-citroen-and-mitsubishi-motors) The three cars share their design and safety equipment, and [Euro NCAP](https://www.edgepedia.org/euro-ncap) tested them together in 2011, awarding the i-MiEV a four-star rating in the program's first published results for a fully electric car.[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWWk0Out3bM)
In 2011 Mitsubishi extended the i-MiEV powertrain to a kei commercial vehicle, the MINICAB-MiEV, sold mainly to delivery businesses from December 2011.[6](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/jp/newsroom/newsrelease/2019/20190605_1.html) • [13](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/financial/2022/221102-5v.pdf) Combined sales of the i-MiEV and MINICAB-MiEV exceeded 31,000 units by the end of April 2019.[6](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/jp/newsroom/newsrelease/2019/20190605_1.html) Production of the i-MiEV ended in 2021 without a generational change, although MINICAB-MiEV sales resumed in November 2022 for commercial EV demand and overseas production in Indonesia was announced for 2024.[8](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/company/history/car/?MID=21) • [2](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsrelease/images/download/pdf/c_230216_p_1412.pdf)
## Performance and reception
The 2012 US model was EPA-rated at 62 miles of range and 30 kWh of electricity per 100 miles combined; in Edmunds' six-month long-term test the car averaged 28.1 kWh/100 miles, beating the rating, with a best observed range of 57.8 miles. A Level 2 charger filled an empty pack in about eight hours and a 120 V outlet took closer to 22 hours.[7](https://www.edmunds.com/mitsubishi/i-miev/2012/long-term-road-test/) Mitsubishi quotes a 0–60 mph time of around 11 seconds and a top speed restricted to 81 mph for the US version.[14](https://consumerguide.com/used/2012-14-mitsubishi-i-miev/)
Reviewers consistently noted the car's light weight, about 1,080 kg, roughly 800 pounds less than a contemporary [Nissan Leaf](https://www.edgepedia.org/nissan-leaf), as the source of its efficiency and its quick low-speed response from the 180 N·m motor.[1](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/what-drives-us/i-miev-history) • [7](https://www.edmunds.com/mitsubishi/i-miev/2012/long-term-road-test/) The same lightness and narrow body made it a city car: Auto Express's long-term test concluded it was a better city driving choice than the Leaf, though its limited range restricted both cars to town use, and the Leaf was only £2,000 more.[15](https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mitsubishi/i-miev/19402/mitsubishi-i-miev-final-report) In motorsport, the MiEV Evolution derivative finished second in the electric division of the 2012 [Pikes Peak International Hill Climb](https://www.edgepedia.org/pikes-peak-international-hill-climb), with driver Hiroshi Masuoka eighth overall.[7](https://www.edmunds.com/mitsubishi/i-miev/2012/long-term-road-test/)
## Battery longevity
Mitsubishi's owner documentation estimates that after five years the traction battery retains approximately 80% of its original capacity, and notes that range shrinks and charging lengthens at low temperatures.[16](https://mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/13MY-i-MiEV-Owners-Manual.pdf) The pack has no liquid cooling, which parts-market guidance identifies as the main factor in gradual capacity loss, aggravated in hot climates.[18](https://www.go-parts.com/garage/battery-mitsubishi-i-miev-2012) In a 2025 study of second-life batteries, retired i-MiEV packs showed a higher capacity degradation rate (0.0170) and lower energy efficiency retention (79.0%) than Nissan Leaf packs (0.0086 and 91.4%).[19](https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/19/16/3876)
## Emergency power and legacy
After the 2011 East Japan earthquake, when gasoline supplies in the [disaster zone](https://www.edgepedia.org/disaster-zone) ran short, Mitsubishi provided more than 90 i-MiEVs free of charge as doctors' house-call cars and transport between evacuation centers. In 2012 it launched the MiEV Power BOX, a device that draws power stored in the car's battery to run home appliances, and concluded Japan's first cooperation agreement of this kind with [Kyoto Prefecture](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyoto-prefecture) for portable emergency power.[8](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/company/history/car/?MID=21)
The EV expertise accumulated through the i-MiEV underpinned the plug-in hybrid system of the Outlander PHEV launched in January 2013, which Mitsubishi calls the world's first plug-in hybrid electric SUV, and the MINICAB-MiEV line continued the same EV system in commercial vehicles.[8](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/company/history/car/?MID=21) • [6](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/jp/newsroom/newsrelease/2019/20190605_1.html) • [2](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsrelease/images/download/pdf/c_230216_p_1412.pdf)
## References
1. [i-MiEV: the "little big car", Mitsubishi Motors Canada](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/what-drives-us/i-miev-history)
2. [Mitsubishi Motors news release, February 16, 2023 (Minicab-MiEV overseas production)](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsrelease/images/download/pdf/c_230216_p_1412.pdf)
3. [Mitsubishi Motors Annual Report 2010, "Bringing the i-MiEV to the World"](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2010.pdf)
4. [Management's keen ambition to start an EV revolution, Mitsubishi Motors](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsroom/stories/ev1/index.html)
5. [Is Mitsubishi's "green" city car worth the cash?, Ars Technica (2012)](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/mitsubishis-i-miev-greener-ride-but-not-ready-for-the-daily-commute/)
6. [三菱自動車の電気自動車『i-MiEV』10周年, Mitsubishi Motors news release (June 5, 2019)](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/jp/newsroom/newsrelease/2019/20190605_1.html)
7. [2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV: What's It Like to Live With?, Edmunds long-term road test](https://www.edmunds.com/mitsubishi/i-miev/2012/long-term-road-test/)
8. [Car History: i-MiEV (2009), Mitsubishi Motors](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/company/history/car/?MID=21)
9. [Mitsubishi Motors Annual Report 2009, "New-Generation Electric Vehicle i-MiEV"](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2009.pdf)
10. [Mitsubishi Motors Annual Report 2008](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/anual/annual_2008.pdf)
11. [New cooperative project for electric powertrains between PSA Peugeot Citroën and Mitsubishi Motors, Stellantis Media (PSA archive)](https://www.media.stellantis.com/em-en/psa-archive/press/new-cooperative-project-for-electric-powertrains-between-psa-peugeot-citroen-and-mitsubishi-motors)
12. [Euro NCAP testing plug-in electric vehicles, Mitsubishi i-MiEV (2011)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWWk0Out3bM)
13. [Financial Results Presentation with Transcripts, Mitsubishi Motors (November 2022)](https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/content/dam/com/ir_en/pdf/financial/2022/221102-5v.pdf)
14. [2012-14 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Consumer Guide Auto](https://consumerguide.com/used/2012-14-mitsubishi-i-miev/)
15. [Mitsubishi i-MiEV: Final report, Auto Express (2011)](https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mitsubishi/i-miev/19402/mitsubishi-i-miev-final-report)
16. [13MY i-MiEV Owners Manual, Mitsubishi Motors UK](https://mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/13MY-i-MiEV-Owners-Manual.pdf)
17. [iMiev 2018, battery test after 8 years and 70k km, myimiev.com forum](https://myimiev.com/threads/imiev-2018-battery-test-after-8-years-and-70kkm.6246/)
18. [2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV Battery: Degradation, Diagnosis, and Used Buying Tips, Go-Parts](https://www.go-parts.com/garage/battery-mitsubishi-i-miev-2012)
19. [A Data-Driven Framework for Assessing Second-Life Electric Vehicle Batteries for Stationary Energy Storage Applications, Energies (MDPI, 2025)](https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/19/16/3876)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Road transport › Automobiles › Japanese automobile models*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license