A film crew is wowed by the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in a road challenge.

The usual film crew car was swapped for the nation’s favourite plug-in vehicle as part of the #EVChallenge. Would be up to the job – and would it surpass expectations?

Go Ultra Low, the campaign group helping motorist understand the benefits of the ultra low emission vehicles on the market, took on the challenge with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

In the video, director Ian Nuttall tells how important it is that their film cars are rugged and reliable. On a shoot, the vehicles are used in a variety of ways: as a base, as a mobile shooting platform, for boxes and equipment, as well as for comfortable long distance travelling.

Despite Ian’s initial reservations because demands on the Outlander PHEV would be so high, he concludes: ‘The great thing about the Outlander PHEV is it just works – not just as a crew car but also as a family vehicle. We’ve used it constantly since we’ve had it and I’d be very happy to keep it.’

He also highlights the benefit of fast chargers now situated at all motorway service stations, they are perfect for keeping the Outlander PHEV topped up with electricity while the driver has a quick reviving cuppa.

Campaign group Go Ultra Low recently announced that Nottingham, Bristol, Milton Keynes and London would become international pioneers of green vehicle technology, after winning a share of £40m to boost the number of plug-in cars on their roads.

The multi-award-winning Outlander PHEV is becoming known as the nation’s favourite plug-in vehicle. Mitsubishi have already sold more than 15,000 of them in the UK since the launch here in 2014. Currently the Outlander PHEV accounts for around half of all Plug-in Car Grant applications. The new model now comes with improvements to fuel economy – up from 148mpg to 156mpg – while CO₂ emissions are down from 44g/km to 42g/km.

The Outlander PHEV can travel up to 32 miles in electric mode alone – more than enough to accommodate most many average journey distances. It’s exempt from vehicle tax, and the London congestion charge. It also qualifies for the Government’s Plug-in Car Grant and Plug-in Van Grant. Attracting just five per cent taxable benefit in kind, it gives company car drivers a virtual pay rise of thousands of pounds a year.

Scooping award after award since its launch. In 2014, it won Diesel Car’s Best Alternative Fuel Vehicle award as well as Business Car’s Best Green Development gong in its Techie Awards, while in May 2015 it was named Best Ultra Low Emission Vehicle at the Fleet World Honours. Also last year, Scotland’s national newspaper The Scotsman awarded it the title of Plug-in Vehicle of the Year and Next Green Car made it SUV of the Year in its annual awards.