The JNCAP Five Star Award is given to new cars introduced in during the Japanese fiscal year that earn the maximum five-star overall rating in the 2013 JNCAP crash safety evaluation tests conducted by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and National Agency for Automotive Safety and Victims' Aid (NASVA).

The award adds to the Outlander’s five-star rating from Euro NCAP in December 2013. The Outlander PHEV also satisfied all tests regarding electric shock safety; including protection against electric shock, high-voltage battery electrolyte leakage performance, and high-voltage battery attachment status.

With this award, the Outlander PHEV follows in the footsteps of its sibling, the Outlander SUV, which also received the 2012 JNCAP Five Star Award in May 2013, in addition to accolades in Europe, the United States, and Australia.

Mitsubishi added that it plans to expand on the Outlander PHEV and introduce a wider range of models based on this product direction in the future, as displayed at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show with the MITSUBISHI Concept GC-PHEV and the MITSUBISHI Concept XR-PHEV, both also a combination of electric, 4×4, and SUV technologies.