Mitsubishi is returning to Canada’s fully electric vehicle market with a much more ambitious proposition than the tiny EV that introduced the brand to battery power more than a decade ago. The 2027 Eclipse Sportback EV will start at $48,998 and offer up to 454 kilometres of driving range from a 75-kWh battery when Canadian sales begin in November.
The price places Mitsubishi’s new electric crossover just below an important threshold for Canada’s federal EV incentive program, while standard NACS fast-charging compatibility gives it access to compatible Tesla Superchargers. Yet this is not an entirely independent Mitsubishi project. Beneath its distinctive bodywork, the Eclipse Sportback shares its foundation with Nissan’s latest LEAF, making price, warranty coverage and dealer experience particularly important parts of Mitsubishi’s pitch.
Mitsubishi Has Been Away From Full EVs for Years
Mitsubishi’s return is significant because the company was one of the earliest mainstream brands to sell a mass-market battery-electric vehicle in Canada. The i-MiEV reached Canada at the end of 2011 and was marketed more broadly from 2012. Its small dimensions, unusual rear-motor layout and early fast-charging capability made it an important pioneer, even if its limited driving range and modest Canadian sales prevented it from becoming a mainstream success. Mitsubishi ultimately decided to end Canadian i-MiEV sales for the 2018 model year.
That did not mean Mitsubishi abandoned electrification. The Outlander PHEV arrived in Canada and became a much more successful bridge between gasoline and electric driving. It has since become one of the company’s most important Canadian products and was the country’s best-selling plug-in hybrid for a third consecutive year in 2025. The Eclipse Sportback therefore marks Mitsubishi’s return specifically to the battery-electric new-vehicle market, rather than its return to vehicles with plugs. For longtime Mitsubishi customers, that distinction matters: the brand now has both PHEV and full-BEV choices under the same dealership network.
The $48,998 Price Is Built Around Canada’s EV Incentive
The base Eclipse Sportback carries a Canadian MSRP of $48,998. Mitsubishi’s published price excludes freight and pre-delivery inspection, and dealers ultimately set transaction prices. More important, the company explicitly positioned the vehicle to qualify for the federal Electric Vehicle Affordability Program, which provides an incentive of up to $5,000 on eligible battery-electric vehicles during 2026. That potentially changes the affordability calculation considerably for buyers comparing several EVs clustered around the $45,000-to-$50,000 range.
There is an important qualification. Transport Canada does not determine eligibility solely from the advertised MSRP. For EVs not manufactured in Canada, the relevant final transaction value generally must be $50,000 or less. Options and packages that count toward that value can push a transaction beyond the limit, while qualifying manufacturer or dealer discounts can bring one back underneath it. Mitsubishi says the $48,998 version qualifies, but customers should still confirm the final paperwork rather than assuming every Eclipse Sportback configuration automatically receives the full $5,000 incentive.
The 454-Kilometre Range Makes This a Very Different Mitsubishi EV
Mitsubishi says the Eclipse Sportback can travel up to 454 kilometres on a charge from its 75-kWh lithium-ion battery. That figure puts it firmly into the modern long-range EV conversation rather than the short-distance role associated with early electric cars. A theoretical 454-kilometre rating creates enough flexibility for ordinary commuting to occupy only a fraction of the battery, while making intercity driving far more practical when fast chargers are available along the route.
As with every EV rating, “up to” is important. Actual distance depends on speed, weather, heating and air-conditioning demands, terrain and other operating conditions. Canadian winters can make the advertised maximum especially difficult to reproduce. Mitsubishi has equipped the battery with liquid cooling, which it says helps with charging performance, range optimization and battery longevity. The manufacturer also stated in August that both its standard configuration and the version fitted with the optional technology package would offer up to 454 kilometres. Until broader independent Canadian testing becomes available, however, that number is best treated as Mitsubishi’s official range claim rather than a guarantee for every trip.
Performance Is Focused More on Everyday Use Than Supercar Numbers
The Eclipse Sportback uses a single electric motor driving the front wheels rather than the dual-motor all-wheel-drive layout increasingly common in more expensive electric crossovers. Published specifications put output at 214 horsepower and 261 lb-ft of torque. That is enough to make the vehicle competitive with conventional compact crossovers while keeping the emphasis on efficiency, range and affordability instead of headline-grabbing acceleration figures.
That approach also makes sense given the vehicle’s position in Mitsubishi’s Canadian lineup. The company already offers the Outlander PHEV for customers wanting electrified all-wheel-drive capability, while the Eclipse Sportback enters as a smaller and more conventional battery-electric commuter and family vehicle. Multiple drive settings allow drivers to alter vehicle responses, and regenerative-braking controls provide additional flexibility when slowing. It may not satisfy someone specifically shopping for a high-performance AWD EV, but that is not the role Mitsubishi appears to be targeting. The more relevant questions will be how smoothly it delivers its power, how efficiently it uses the battery and how comfortable it remains over everyday Canadian roads.
NACS Charging Could Be One of Its Most Useful Standard Features
Mitsubishi is taking a notably modern approach to charging. The Eclipse Sportback includes a J1772 connection for Level 1 and Level 2 AC charging, allowing owners to use familiar home and destination chargers. For DC fast charging, it receives a North American Charging Standard port as standard equipment. That provides compatibility with eligible Tesla Supercharger locations as well as the growing number of non-Tesla fast-charging installations adopting NACS.
The vehicle can accept DC power at rates of up to 150 kW. Mitsubishi estimates that charging from 10% to 80% can take approximately 35 minutes under suitable conditions. In practical terms, that makes a highway stop long enough for a meal or coffee capable of restoring a substantial portion of the battery, although charger output, battery temperature, ambient conditions and the vehicle’s state of charge can all change the result. The NACS decision is particularly notable given Mitsubishi’s history with CHAdeMO on vehicles such as the i-MiEV and Outlander PHEV. The Eclipse Sportback arrives prepared for the charging standard increasingly becoming dominant in North America.
Sharing Its Foundation With the Nissan LEAF Creates an Obvious Comparison
Mitsubishi is not hiding where the Eclipse Sportback comes from. The vehicle is supplied by Nissan under an OEM arrangement and is based on the latest Nissan LEAF. Mitsubishi has changed visible components including the front and rear fascias, lighting, grille, rear gate, D-pillars and wheels to create a separate identity. The basic electric architecture and much of the underlying engineering, however, are closely related.
That makes Nissan’s Canadian pricing particularly relevant. The 2026 LEAF S+ starts at $44,998 and is advertised with up to 488 kilometres of range from a 75-kWh battery. The LEAF SV+ starts at $47,998 and offers up to 463 kilometres. On those numbers alone, the Mitsubishi’s $48,998 starting MSRP and 454-kilometre claim do not make it the cheaper or longer-range option. The purchase decision therefore becomes more interesting than a simple specification comparison. Mitsubishi will need its styling, warranty, equipment mix and dealership experience to provide reasons for choosing the three-diamond badge over the closely related Nissan.
The $54,098 Technology Package Changes the Calculation
Mitsubishi is keeping the Canadian lineup deliberately simple. Instead of creating a long ladder of trim levels, the company says the Eclipse Sportback will be sold in one well-equipped configuration with an optional Technology Package. Pricing released in October puts that upgraded version at $54,098, a $5,100 increase over the standard $48,998 vehicle. Mitsubishi still advertises up to 454 kilometres of range for the package-equipped version.
The price difference has implications beyond the additional equipment. At $54,098 before considering transaction adjustments, the Technology Package sits above the federal EV program’s $50,000 final-transaction-value ceiling for non-Canadian-made vehicles. That does not make eligibility mathematically impossible: Transport Canada states that qualifying discounts can reduce the value used by the program. But a buyer should not assume the same rebate treatment simply because the standard Eclipse Sportback qualifies. It creates an unusual incentive to examine the base vehicle closely. If Mitsubishi has included enough comfort, connectivity and safety equipment as standard, the less expensive configuration could ultimately offer the strongest value.
Mitsubishi’s 10-Year Battery Warranty Is a Serious Selling Point
One area where Mitsubishi is making a particularly strong pitch is warranty coverage. The Eclipse Sportback receives a 10-year or 160,000-kilometre limited warranty on its powertrain and lithium-ion battery, whichever comes first. Mitsubishi also includes a five-year or 100,000-kilometre new-vehicle limited warranty and five years of roadside assistance with unlimited kilometres, subject to the company’s warranty conditions.
Long coverage can matter disproportionately to someone buying an EV for the first time. The battery is one of the most expensive components in an electric vehicle, and shoppers unfamiliar with EV ownership may be more concerned about long-term battery durability than experienced owners. A decade of stated battery coverage provides Mitsubishi with a simple message that does not depend on explaining kilowatts, charging curves or efficiency figures. It could also give the Eclipse Sportback a useful differentiator against its Nissan relative. Shared engineering does not mean the ownership propositions are identical, and warranty terms are one of the clearest areas where a rebadged or closely related vehicle can develop a distinct value argument.
It Arrives as Canadian EV Demand Starts Growing Again
The Eclipse Sportback is entering a Canadian EV market that has endured policy changes and uneven demand but is showing renewed growth. Statistics Canada recorded 58,811 new zero-emission vehicle registrations in the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 26.7% from the same period in 2025. ZEVs accounted for 10.7% of all new vehicle registrations during the quarter, compared with 8.6% a year earlier. It was the third consecutive quarter in which more than one in 10 new registrations were zero-emission vehicles.
The regional picture varied considerably. Ontario registrations rose 46.6% year over year, British Columbia increased 31.5%, and Quebec grew 12.5%. Those differences matter for a manufacturer preparing dealers to sell an EV nationally. Mitsubishi cannot rely on the same sales environment in every province, especially as provincial incentives and charging infrastructure vary. What it does have is an established national retail network. Mitsubishi said in its October announcement that its Canadian operation supports 99 dealerships. For buyers outside the biggest cities, having an existing local retailer could become an important advantage over newer EV brands still building distribution and service coverage.
Mitsubishi Already Has an Electrified Customer Base to Build On
Although Mitsubishi has lacked a pure EV since the i-MiEV era, it has spent years selling Canadians on plugging in. The Outlander PHEV recorded 8,899 Canadian sales during 2025 and remained the country’s best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle for the third consecutive year, according to Mitsubishi. The company as a whole sold 37,335 vehicles during the calendar year, making the plug-in model a meaningful portion of the brand’s business rather than a niche experiment.
That experience gives Mitsubishi dealers a customer base already familiar with home charging, batteries and electric driving. Someone who bought an Outlander PHEV several years ago and no longer feels the need for gasoline backup could be a natural Eclipse Sportback prospect. At the same time, the two models address different needs. The refreshed 2026 Outlander PHEV offers 72 kilometres of electric-only range before relying on its gasoline powertrain, while the Eclipse Sportback removes the engine entirely. Mitsubishi can now offer buyers a choice between partial and full electrification without sending them to another brand—a capability it has not had in Canada for years.
The Eclipse Sportback Is the First Test of a Much Larger Product Plan
Mitsubishi describes the Eclipse Sportback as the first completely new vehicle introduced under its Momentum 2030 strategy. The plan calls for at least one new or substantially refreshed vehicle every fiscal year through fiscal 2030, while broadening the company’s use of gasoline, mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric powertrains. Mitsubishi has also said its Canadian lineup is expected to expand from four vehicles to six during 2027.
More products are already being prepared. A rugged, off-road-focused Outlander derivative is scheduled to follow, and Mitsubishi has outlined plans to return to the North American midsize-pickup market through its cooperation with Nissan. That makes the Eclipse Sportback more important than its sales volume alone. It will test whether Mitsubishi can turn Alliance engineering into a product Canadians see as distinct enough to buy under its own badge. At $48,998, with 454 kilometres of claimed range, NACS charging and long warranty coverage, the fundamentals are credible. The harder task begins when it reaches showrooms: proving that a Nissan-related EV can still feel meaningfully like a Mitsubishi.
