PRECIS

The Mitsubishi Precis — a compact car explained

The Mitsubishi Precis is a compact car built from 1988 to 1994. Most were assembled in South Korea (100% of the cars in our records).

Data · NHTSA & EPA · 1988–1994 · 7 model years · Updated Aug 22, 2026 · 4.0 ★★★★★★★★★★ ForCar Score
Quick answer

The Mitsubishi Precis is a compact car built from 1988 to 1994. Most were assembled in South Korea — 100% of those on record. Engines offered: 4-cyl. Worth buying? It holds up well, with the usual caveat about model years at 4.0/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).

1988–1994
Years
14
Recalls
28
Top MPG
—★
NHTSA
37
Complaints

What the Precis is

The Mitsubishi Precis is a compact car that Mitsubishi built from 1988 to 1994 — 7 model years. It has been offered with 4-cyl power. Its closest siblings in the Mitsubishi range: Eclipse, Mirage, 3000GT.

Where the Precis is built

A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 9 Preciss on record.

FIG.02·Where the Mitsubishi Precis is built
Assembled inShareVIN starts withYears seen
South Korea100%KPH1988-1993
ROWS 1·SOURCE NHTSA records, grouped by VIN manufacturer code

Check your own: the first three characters of a Mitsubishi VIN decide which of these lines your Precis belongs to. What every character in a Precis VIN means →

Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Mitsubishi Precis adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.

Mitsubishi Precis tire size, oil type & owner specs

The fitment Precis owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.

Wheels & tires
Wheel sizeby VIN
Tire sizeby VIN
Bolt patternby trim
Tire pressure32–36 PSI
Engine oil
Oil typeFull synthetic
Gradeon oil cap
Capacityby engine
Battery
Main battery12V · group by trim
Key-fob cellCR2032
Wiper blades
Front bladesby generation
Rear bladeif equipped
Fuses
Fuse boxeshood + dash
Diagramon box lid
Light bulbs
Headlightby trim
Tail / brakeby trim
Fogif equipped

Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.

What engines does the Mitsubishi Precis have? Power & range

The Mitsubishi Precis is offered with 1 powertrain — 1.5L 4-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 1 for the Mitsubishi Precis, against one or two on most rivals.

FIG.06·Mitsubishi Precis Powertrains
EngineDisplacementTransmissionDriveFuel
4-cyl1.5L · 4-cylManual 4-spdFWDRegular
ROWS 1·SOURCE EPA + NHTSA vPIC

Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.

The Precis by the numbers

What the federal and market records say about the Mitsubishi Precis. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.

FIG.05·Mitsubishi Precis by the numbers
TopicPrecisDetail
Recalls14 campaignsNHTSA, all years
Owner complaints37 filedWhat breaks and when
Reliability4.0 / 5Best and worst years
ROWS 3·SOURCE NHTSA, EPA, HLDI and market listings

Frequently asked questions

What kind of car is the Mitsubishi Precis?

The Precis is a compact car, built from 1988 to 1994. Engines offered: 4-cyl.

Where is the Mitsubishi Precis made?

Across 9 cars in our records the split is: South Korea (100%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.

What is the Mitsubishi Precis warranty?

New models carry 5 years / 60,000 miles basic cover and 10 years / 100,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.

Is the Precis reliable?

It scores 4.0/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.

How do I check a specific Precis?

This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.

More in Mitsubishi

More Mitsubishi models
ModelYearsRecallsBest MPGForCar score
Mitsubishi Outlander2003–202614028 mpg4.0/5
Mitsubishi Eclipse1990–201213624 mpg3.5/5
Mitsubishi Mirage1985–20266539 mpg3.5/5
Mitsubishi Lancer2002–20177830 mpg3.5/5
Mitsubishi Galant1985–20126724 mpg3.5/5
Mitsubishi 3000GT1991–19992119 mpg4.0/5
ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA + EPA
Data sourced from NHTSA (recalls, complaints, safety ratings) and EPA fueleconomy.gov (MPG). Best/worst-year analysis is ForCar's own aggregation of complaint volume. Last updated Aug 2026. — ForCar Editorial Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.