LDV Advice

What is the safest car in Australia?

Just like passenger cars and SUVs, the world of utes and pick-ups is set for an electric transformation in the coming decade. Medium and heavy-duty trucks and even semis are also set to be a part of this change, with big-name brands such as Freightliner, Kenworth, Peterbilt and Volvo joining Tesla in the electric prime mover market.

Manufactured in China by the same company that builds MGs - SAIC Motor - the LDV brand is not factory-backed in Australia, but imported by distributor, Ateco Automotive.This means the commercial-focused LDV does not have uniform warranty and service terms with its passenger car sister brand, and currently the only vehicle in its catalog with a capped-price servicing program is the Deliver 9 large van.The Deliver 9 is covered by a three-year, 95,000km service schedule, covering the first four services. The first visit is due in just six months or 5000km, the second is due at 12, but the remaining two are due in yearly 30,000km intervals.Pricing isn’t as cheap as some rivals, but still in the realm of reality, with the average cost per visit for the manual coming it at $473.75, or $490.50 for the automatic.A capped-price program is not available on any of the brand’s other products, including its popular T60 ute, D90 SUV, Mifa people mover, or the G10 or V80 vans.Warranty is also not standardised across LDV’s line-up. The combustion versions of the T60 ute and Mifa people mover, for example, are covered by an impressive seven-year/200,000km warranty, while the electric versions, the eT60 and Mifa 9, are covered by a more standard five year/160,000km warranty. Confusingly, the D90 SUV is covered by a slightly different five year/130,000km warranty.Down the bottom of the pile are the brand’s commercial offerings, the G10, V80, and Deliver 9, which are only covered by a behind-the-pace three-year/160,000km warranty.In summary: LDV’s lack of transparency around its service pricing and inconsistent warranty terms make it frustrating to compare its products with those from other brands which have more or less standardised these terms. While the seven-year warranty offered on the T60 and Mifa seems impressive, it still leaves owners unable to build a view of all but the Deliver 9’s total cost of ownership. 4/10If you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

We break down the big players by auto group, and which vehicles on the Australian market in 2019 and 2020 are owned and produced by Chinese car companies.

Australians have always loved the idea of the ute, an iconic vehicle with outback cred, and indeed one that was invented here by a Ford engineer, but that didn't mean we actually bought them.