The Mitsubishi Mirage is a long time contender in the subcompact car segment appearing off and on since the ’80s with varying degrees of reliability. In its newest iteration, the 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage is available in four trim levels such as ES, LE, SE, and GT. So what’s the verdict on the latest Mirage?

U.S. News & World Report review

U.S. News ranks the 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage eighth in the subcompact car category with a score of 4.6 out of 10. For comparison, the 2020 Hyundai Accent and the 2020 Nissan Versa tied for sixth/seventh place with a score of 7.7.

The 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage received praise for its low base price and economical fuel mileage but poor acceleration, uncomfortable ride, minimal safety features, poor quality interior, and “abysmal predicted reliability” detracted from the overall score of the Mirage.

Consumer Reports review

Consumer Reports gives the 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage a score of 31 ranking it in eighth place out of the eight entrants reviewed. Perhaps more telling is that there are only 23 points between first and seventh places and 17 points between the seventh-place 2020 Chevrolet Spark and the 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage in eighth place.

Of the eight subcompact cars ranked by Consumer Reports the Mitsubishi Mirage has the best fuel economy with 37 mpg. Unfortunately, this is the lone bright spot as comfort, ride, braking, predicted reliability, and transmission scored a barely above average three out of five. Acceleration, emergency handling, and cargo area dropped to two out of five, and noise and interior finish dropped to one. 

Car and Driver review

Car and Driver also rate the 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage at the bottom of the subcompact list at number nine. In addition to familiar findings in other reviews mentioned here, Car and Driver found that heavy acceleration produces substantial engine noise and vibration that radiates into the cabin. The standard and available infotainment options were also bright spots in the Car and Driver review.

Is the Mitsubishi Mirage worth buying?

Car and Driver suggest that those who are intent on buying a 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage should consider purchasing one in LE trim as it comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability.

In addition, LE trim includes power-adjustable side mirrors, LED brake lights, automatic interior climate control, and Bluetooth connectivity. While there is no complimentary maintenance, Mitsubishi’s 5-year/60,000 mile limited warranty combined with a 10-year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty is another feather in the Mirage’s proverbial cap. They also recommend adding carpeted floor mats and a tonneau cover which could combine to reduce cabin noise somewhat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage four of five stars based on frontal and side crash testing in addition to rollover resistance. As the Mirage does not offer advanced driver assistance safety features such as forward collision warning, lane departure warning, crash imminent braking, and dynamic brake support these tests were not performed. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has not tested the 2020 Mirage.

In short, the Mitsubishi Mirage is not reliable and buying one is not generally recommend but if for some reason one cannot imagine not owning one it seems that since there isn’t much data available for 2020 models the 2017 or 2018 models are best based on the number of complaints registered at Car Complaints and the probability of finding a great price on a pre-owned specimen.