2026 CarsGuide Car of the Year: Best Ute Under $85K shortlist announced! Can the reborn Toyota HiLux hold off Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6, Isuzu D-Max and a host of Chinese newcomers?

CarsGuide's top 10 utes revealed

Is there a more important vehicle category in dual-cab-devoted Australia than utes? I’m not sure there is. And I’m also sure that, in a segment that has sat stagnant for years, there has never been a more exciting time to be picking the best and brightest in the country.

Where do we start? Maybe with China’s full-throttle assault on the segment? Or with the rise of plug-in hybrid petrol in a diesel-dominated market? Or Kia turning its hand to a ute for the very first time? Or BYD, for that matter?

See what I mean? It’s an exciting time to be picking the best ute in Australia as part of the ongoing 2026 CarsGuide Car of the Year (COTY) awards, and the days of it being a two-way battle between the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger are well behind us.

BYD Shark 6 (from $57,900)

Perhaps no other ute has been quite as surprising as the barnstorming BYD Shark 6, which has not only taken the fight to the established giants of the ute segment, it has done it without a diesel engine in sight.

Instead, a plug-in hybrid powertrain does the heavy lifting here, with BYD arguably doing more to electrify the ute segment than any model to come before it. Our reviewers love the on-road refinement and the value-packed feature list, but concede its towing capacity lags its major rivals.

It’s also on our shortlist because of its segment-altering drivetrain, which has forced several mainstream ute makers to follow its lead.

Ford Ranger (from $37,130)

A classic and the best-selling ute in the country for a reason. The Ford Ranger is on our shortlist for its driving dynamics (it’s among the most car-like utes on our list), which takes nothing away from its ability to get down and dirty in terms of towing or off-road capability.

What really drew praise from our judges, though, is the breadth of the Ranger’s offering, with worksite-ready versions, family friendly versions, hardcore off-road versions, and a choice between several diesel engines or plug-in hybrid powertrains.

That said, some pointed to the PHEV solution offering little in the way of real-world range.

Isuzu D-Max (from $36,200)

The unsung hero of Australia’s automotive world (it is, after all, often one of our top five best-selling vehicles), the Isuzu underwent a fairly major update that ironed out some of its more agricultural qualities with some design, cabin and technology updates.

The D-Max was praised by our judges for doing exactly what it says on the tin, and delivering exactly what many ute buyers are looking for, with little fuss or fanfare. But some wonder whether it feels new and fresh enough.

The entry-level cars also get a bigger smaller engine, if that makes sense. With the old 1.9-litre diesel swapped out for a 2.2-litre unit that’s both more powerful and more efficient. Tick and tick.

Kia Tasman (from $42,990)

Kia burst onto the ute scene with the boldly designed Tasman, a ute that really does look like few others on the road.

Our judges were unanimous in praising the Tasman’s delightful and tech-filled cabin experience and its road manners, and reports of its off-road prowess are impressive, too.

Its looks seemingly remain controversial, at least among the buying public, but there’s little doubting Kia’s first ute has plenty of substance, no matter what you think of its style.

LDV Terron 9 (from $53,674)

Sure, the BYD Shark 6 has been getting a ton of attention, but the LDV Terron 9 has been quietly plugs away as one of the biggest, and thus most practical in terms of tray, utes in the segment.

And with 520Nm of torque at its diesel-powered disposal, it’s pretty punchy, too (as a vehicle this size probably needs to be).

Our reviewers praised the space on offer in its tray, the strong value-for-money argument and its imposing street look, but were less sold on the lack of a power outlet in its tray and a sometimes lumpy power delivery.

LDV Terron 9 2026 review - Australian first drive

Mazda BT-50 (from $37,900)

The BT-50 tends to stick out a little bit, both in the ute segment (where rough and tough is the design order of the day), and in Mazda’s own lineup, where the dual-cab ute rubs shoulders with mostly premium and polished SUVs.

Early last year, Mazda addressed both those issues, deploying an Australia-led design overhaul intended to make the BT-50 “sportier and tougher”, clearly separating it from the rest of the brand’s lineup, and appealing more to traditional ute buyers.

Our reviewers loved the look, the diversity of the range and the lux feel of the top-spec models, but didn’t love the too-firm suspension and the lack of a true hero model.

MG U9 (from $52,990)

The Chinese brand’s first-ever ute isn’t strictly its own, or at least not entirely. The MG U9 is a sibling to LDV Terron 9, which also appears on our shortlist.

Our reviewers loved the U9’s interior space, especially in the impressive backseat, the ute’s sharp pricing against the established competition, and the nifty automatic step that deploys beneath the tailgate — described as “the nicest and definitely the easiest” way to climb into the tray.

The active safety tech, however, impressed us less.

Mitsubishi Triton (from $34,490)

The Mitsubishi Triton is a household name, albeit one that’s been left behind by the HiLux, Ranger and D-Max in recent years. A new generation arrived in 2024 that aimed to fix that, delivering more space, more power, more practicality and more space in the cabin.

We loved the smoother drive experience, its warranty coverage (provided you service with Mitsubishi), its more modern-feeling cabin and its workhorse credentials.

The less-positive notes included a clunky stop-start system and over-active safety tech.

Toyota HiLux (from $33,990)

A new HiLux is big news in Australia, and while Toyota has opted to carry over a lot of key ingredients from the outgoing HiLux, they've also moved to address key complaints, like ride comfort and cabin technology, and to introduce a new look.

And while our reviewers praised the updates, they also wondered whether Toyota had gone far enough in the face of new and stiff competition.

Toyota HiLux 2026 review: Australian first drive

Volkswagen Amarok (from $55,490)

The Volkswagen Amarok hasn't made quite the sales splash in Australia that its Ford Ranger relative has, but the German brand's ute has attracted plenty of praise from our reviewers, who love its style, its interior packaging and materials, and its on-road manners.

Less positive is the sticker price of the high-end variants, and the sparse backseat amenities in the more affordable models.

Category	Announcement #1	Winner & finalists
Sub-$50K Small Car	Top 10 shortlist	Winner & finalists
Sub-$80K Small Car	Top 10 shortlist	Winner & finalists
Sub-$60K Medium SUV	Top 10 shortlist	Winner & finalists
Sub-$130K Medium SUV	Top 10 shortlist	Winner & finalists
Sub-$100K Large SUV	Top 10 shortlist	Winner & finalists
Sub-$220K Large SUV	Top 10 shortlist	Winner & finalists
Sub-$85K Ute	Top 10 shortlist	Winner & finalists