Electric Ute Australia 2026: Which You Can Buy, and What They Actually Tow

An electric ute in Australia now exists as a real purchase, but you only get three choices and none of them is cheap. The KGM Musso EV starts at $60,000 drive-away, the Toyota HiLux BEV at $74,990 before on-roads, and the MG U9 EV costs $78,990 before on-roads, all as of November 2026. Our short answer: they suit fixed daily runs and light towing, while long-distance caravan towing still belongs to diesel or a plug-in hybrid.

Buyers know it, too. Utes made up about 17% of the new car market to September 2026, but electric ones accounted for under 1% of that, according to CarExpert’s analysis of industry sales figures. VFACTS shows Ford sold 37,858 Rangers to the end of September, while The Driven’s 2026 sales table has KGM at 244 Musso EVs over the same period.

What most people want is a work-ready dual cab with 450 km or more of range at a price close to a diesel. That truck doesn’t exist yet. Here is what does, and how to tell if one fits your week. For every electric model on sale, see our electric vehicle guide.

Every Electric Ute in Australia, Side by Side

The Musso wins on price and payload, the U9 EV on range and towing, and the HiLux BEV on charging time and safety rating. All three are dual cabs.

	KGM Musso EV 2WD	KGM Musso EV AWD	Toyota HiLux BEV SR5	MG U9 EV
Price, as of Nov 2026	$60,000 drive-away (range starts)	Up to $64,700 drive-away (range tops out)	$82,990 before on-roads	$78,990 before on-roads
Battery	80.6 kWh LFP	80.6 kWh LFP	59.2 kWh	102.2 kWh LFP
Claimed range	419 km WLTP	379 km WLTP	315 km NEDC, 245 km WLTP	430 km WLTP
Power and torque	152 kW, 339 Nm	266 kW, 630 Nm	144 kW, 468 Nm	325 kW, 700 Nm
Driven wheels	Front	All	All	All
DC charging	10-80% in about 36 min on a 300 kW charger	Same	150 kW, 10-80% in about 30 min	115 kW, 20-80% in 42 min
Braked towing	1,800 kg	2,300 kg	2,000 kg	3,500 kg
Payload	905 kg	805 kg	715 kg	685 kg
Power outlet	V2L, rating not published	V2L, rating not published	1.5 kW inverter	6.6 kW V2L
ANCAP	Unrated	Unrated	5 stars	5 stars, from Maxus eTerron 9 testing
Warranty	7 yr/unlimited km	7 yr/unlimited km	5 yr/unlimited km	See below

Figures come from the KGM Musso EV spec sheet, Toyota’s HiLux BEV sheet and MG’s U9 EV page. Toyota publishes only NEDC range, an older and more generous lab test. The 245 km WLTP figure comes from CarExpert, so don’t confuse it with the 245 km NEDC Toyota quotes for the cab-chassis. WLTP range is the better one for comparing all three.

KGM Musso EV: The Value Pick for Local Work

The Musso EV is the one to look at first if you stay within a day’s drive of home. Its $60,000 drive-away start is about $15,000 below the cheapest HiLux BEV, even before that Toyota’s on-road costs, which makes the sums far easier for a small business. CarExpert recorded about 21 kWh/100 km in an AWD Musso on a suburban and freeway mix. That suggests close to 380 km unladen and untowed.

Payload is the standout at 905 kg for the 2WD. Warranty is also strong: 7 years with unlimited kilometres, and KGM’s launch material quotes 10 years and unlimited kilometres on the battery.

Be clear-eyed about the gaps. The Musso has no ANCAP rating. EV Central reported in August 2026 that about 306 were sold with six airbags instead of the advertised eight, which KGM called an unintentional administrative error. It comes with an inflator kit rather than a spare wheel, a real issue on gravel. Check which towing figure applies as well, since KGM’s model page advertises up to 2.3 tonnes, and only the AWD reaches it.

Toyota HiLux BEV: For Fleets With Short, Known Routes

The HiLux BEV is a town ute, and its buyers so far are mostly fleets. Toyota told CarExpert it had sold about 300 between May and early July, with fewer than 10 going to private buyers, and it expected about 500 for the year. It suits a fleet that needs five stars, a known badge and a full-size spare.

Range is the problem. CarsGuide drove an SR5 258 km carrying a 650 kg load for part of the way, used 27.8 kWh/100 km on average and finished with 19% left. It estimated 200 to 220 km of real urban range. At 59.2 kWh, that battery is the smallest here by a wide margin.

SR5 buyers should also budget well above list. RACV quoted $88,342 drive-away in Victoria for a private buyer in July 2026. Toyota’s own warranty position on the battery is reported inconsistently, so ask for the terms in writing, and ask about the annual check that extends cover.

MG U9 EV: The Most Capable, Priced Above the Point Where It Makes Sense

The U9 EV has the best hardware and the hardest price to justify. Australia is getting it first of any market, with 325 kW, 102.2 kWh and a 6.6 kW power outlet that will interest anyone running tools on site. Reviewers recorded about 26.5 to 26.7 kWh/100 km on country roads, in line with MG’s claim. That works out at about 380 km from a full battery, short of the 430 km WLTP figure.

CarExpert’s verdict was blunt: at nearly $85,000 drive-away, MG has priced it out of relevance, and $70,000 would be a different story. EV Central rated it as the most convincing electric ute yet, though a niche one. MG’s position is that demand exists among buyers who specifically want an EV in a ute body. Sales will show whether that group is big enough, and with the first cars only just arriving, there is no owner history yet.

Two things to check before signing. MG’s product page advertises a 7-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, but its warranty page and CarExpert show 5 years and unlimited kilometres as standard, or 7 years and 200,000 km conditional on servicing. MG’s warranty page lists the high-voltage battery at 7 years and 150,000 km with a 70% capacity floor, so get the exact wording for this model. Also, the ANCAP rating comes from a 2024 test of the related Maxus eTerron 9, not the U9 itself.

How Far Can an Electric Ute Actually Tow?

Plan on about half the rated range when towing anything big, and treat the rated figure as a long way from a highway number. We found no Australian highway towing test of any battery electric ute, so nobody can give you a measured answer yet. MG has not published a towing range. Our EV towing guide shows a 45 to 55% reduction is typical for an EV pulling a full-height caravan at highway speed, and CarExpert’s own estimate of about 200 km for the U9 fits that.

Our estimate, full-height caravan at highway speed	Rated range used	Full battery	Usable 10-80% leg
MG U9 EV	430 km WLTP	About 200 km	About 150 km
Musso EV 2WD	419 km WLTP	About 210 km	About 145 km
Musso EV AWD	379 km WLTP	About 190 km	About 130 km
HiLux BEV pick-up	245 km WLTP	About 120 km	About 85 km

Those are planning numbers, and a light box trailer at 80 km/h will do far better. Fast-charging stops change the maths too. Most DC bays are nose-in, so a caravan usually has to come off first, then go back on. A Sydney-to-Melbourne run at 150 km per leg is a long day with a family and a van on the back.

A daily tow is a different case. If your tool trailer does 100 km a day and the ute charges overnight in the yard, range hardly matters, and the U9 or Musso AWD handles that easily. For the two trips a year that don’t fit, you can hire something for the weekend instead of buying around them.

The Payload Catch When You Tow at Full Rating

The towing figure on the brochure doesn’t tell you what you can carry at the same time. Gross combination mass (GCM) is the legal limit for the ute, its load and the trailer combined. Take away kerb weight and the trailer, and what remains is your allowance for people and gear.

Model	Kerb weight	GCM	Max braked tow	Left for people and gear at max tow
MG U9 EV	2,815 kg	6,500 kg	3,500 kg	185 kg
HiLux BEV SR5	2,455 kg	4,670 kg	2,000 kg	215 kg
Musso EV AWD	2,285 kg	5,390 kg	2,300 kg	575 kg
Musso EV 2WD	2,165 kg	4,870 kg	1,800 kg	725 kg

We worked these out from published weights. For the Musso, we also subtracted towball download from its payload, because that limit bites first. So a U9 towing 3,500 kg has 185 kg left, roughly two adults and nothing else. Add a towbar, tool box or canopy, and it shrinks further.

This is the point owners and reviewers most often miss when they compare a ute’s headline figures. The KGM’s towing rating looks modest beside the MG’s, yet in real use it may carry more with the trailer on. Before you tow, confirm weights on the compliance plate, and ask the dealer for final figures with your accessories fitted.

Electric Ute vs Plug-In Hybrid

For long-distance towing, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) still makes more sense, because you can refuel in five minutes anywhere. A PHEV runs on battery for short trips and has a petrol engine for everything else. Three rivals tow 3,500 kg for less than an electric U9 costs.

PHEV ute	Price	Braked towing	Claimed EV range
BYD Shark 6	$62,021 Dynamic to $69,231 Performance drive-away, Sydney	2,500 to 3,500 kg	100 km
GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV	From about $57,490 drive-away, Sydney	3,500 kg	Up to 115 km
Ford Ranger PHEV	$59,000 to $70,000 drive-away, May 2026 introductory prices	3,500 kg	49 km NEDC

Prices are as of November 2026 except where shown, so check for current offers. Our BYD Shark 6 review covers how much of your driving a PHEV ute can do without petrol.

The PHEV case has real limits. You still pay for servicing, engine and all. PHEVs lost the electric car FBT exemption from 1 April 2025. And a PHEV pays both fuel excise and, in NSW, a planned road user charge. For a business doing fixed daily runs, the running-cost argument can favour a full EV, even at a higher price.

Why You Can’t Buy the Others

Most of the electric utes you have read about won’t be sold here any time soon. The Tesla Cybertruck was cancelled for Australia and New Zealand in October 2026, with deposits refunded. Ford ended F-150 Lightning production in December 2025, and the Australian firm converting them to right-hand drive went into receivership in March 2026.

Model	Status, November 2026
LDV eT60	Off LDV’s range and price pages, no 2026 sales in The Driven’s data. No LDV statement
Isuzu D-Max EV	Cancelled for Australia, per CarExpert
Volkswagen eAmarok	Scrapped, per CarsGuide
Kia Tasman EV	Unconfirmed, reported as back at the evaluation stage
Riddara RD6	Not on sale, reported as PHEV-only for Australia
BYD electric Shark	No confirmed plan
Rivian R1T, RAM 1500 REV	No Australian retail plan found

Expect more arrivals later this decade. Utes fall in Type 2 of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, and the headline limit tightens from 180 g/km in 2026 to 150 g/km in 2027 and 110 g/km by 2029. Battery cars count as zero, so every brand selling lots of diesel utes has a reason to offer one.

FBT and Novated Leases on an Electric Ute

All three pass the first tests for the electric car FBT exemption at list price, and that can change the sums more than anything else here. The ATO treats a vehicle as a car if it is designed to carry under one tonne. It measures that as GVM minus kerb weight. All three sit under one tonne, and all list below the $91,661 luxury car tax threshold for 2026-27. That is our reading of the rules, as no ATO ruling names these models, and options count, so get your provider to confirm.

The bigger risk is timing. Draft law, not yet passed as of November 2026, would keep the full exemption after 1 April 2027 only for cars valued at $75,000 or less. Dearer cars would drop to a 25% discount. At list price the U9 EV and both HiLux pick-ups sit above that line, and the Musso sits below it. A $74,990 cab-chassis with a tray fitted could tip over, so check how the base value would be worked out.

The separate work-ute exemption is much stricter. It needs private use to be minor, infrequent and irregular, and regular family trips or weekend use fail. Line up the models in our compare tool first, then run the sums for your salary in the novated lease calculator.

Should You Buy an Electric Ute Now?

Buy one if your ute comes home each night, does under about 200 km a day and tows little or locally, and you can charge at home or in the yard. In that case, start with the Musso AWD, because it offers the best real-world balance of payload and towing. Pick the HiLux BEV if your fleet policy requires five stars and you can live with its range, and the U9 EV only if you need the 6.6 kW outlet or its extra range at a price you can stomach.

Stay out for now if you tow a caravan interstate, work far from a fast charger or need a true one-tonne payload. Buying a diesel or PHEV doesn’t lock you out of anything, and the next wave of electric utes will almost certainly be better than this one.