Do we buy too many utes? Is Australia's love of tough, four-wheel drive utes such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi Triton really the best thing or are there better alternatives? | Opinion

Australia, sit down because this news might be a bit hard to take.

Last year 239,399 new utes were sold in Australia. Almost a quarter of a million and that’s repeated every year and it's increasing at about 11 per cent year-on-year.

Australia’s population grew by 260,371 from 2023 to 2024. At this rate ute sales will overtake population growth, possibly next year.

If utes were the only form of transport in Australia that might somehow make sense, but they’re not.

The total number of vehicles sold last year in Australia was about 1.2 million. But 21 per cent of them were utes, making them the second most popular choice of vehicle in the country behind family-friendly mid-size SUVs such as the Toyota RAV4. 

Last year, the top three selling vehicles were all utes.

In first place was the Ford Ranger with 63,356 sales, followed by the Toyota HiLux on 61,111 and then the Isuzu D-Max with 31,202 registrations.

So, what are you doing with them, Australia? And I mean that in the sense of where are you putting them in terms of room and space, but also, what are you actually doing with them?

About 90 per cent of Australia's population lives in urban areas so is it necessary to have a vehicle than can carry a load and tackle some seriously tough off-road terrain? 

Fair enough if you live in a rural area where such a vehicle is appropriate, but most utes live in the city. And again, it’s understandable if you’re an urban tradie and need to access sites that demand a vehicle with good ground clearance. Or if you do some serious off-roading, utes are a top pick.

But that still leaves a huge number who are buying utes that won't use them to their full capacity.

There are a few reasons why utes aren't the best option for urban tradies compared to say, a van.

Utes are shockingly impractical for carrying long items, a van like a Ford Transit Custom can easily take three euro pallets or two full size pallets in the cargo hold. Not to mention the full length roof makes it easier to carry long items up top. The cargo area is lockable and doesn't need an optional tonneau cover to make it secure.

Utes aren't the best vehicles to drive, either.

The suspension in four-wheel drive utes such as the Ranger and the HiLux is designed for excellent off-road capability, which is great if you’re off road, but not if you’re actually on a made surface.

A ute's leaf-sprung rear end is mated to a rugged ladder frame, just like trucks have had for the past 100 years.

Making matters worse is the ladder frame chassis is great for torsional strength when climbing over rocks at 5.0km/h, but not good for vehicle dynamics and handling in the wet on a twisty suburban rat run through a school zone.

In our experience vans are generally much better suited to urban commuting when loaded or unloaded than utes.

Thanks to generous tax concessions from the federal government, utes have morphed into quasi-family cars.

Utes can't compete in family values compared to an SUV. The tray is hard to access and there is no boot so where does the shopping and/or school bags go? If you don't want your eggs scrambled and apples bruised the bags generally end up on the cabin floor.

Cost is another issue.

An entry-level Ford Ranger dual cab is more than $50K, the equivalent mid-size SUV is about $10,000 cheaper and much cosier for family duties.

The cost of running utes can be high, too. Diesel is generally cheaper than premium unleaded but it is more expensive than the cheaper stuff a lot of mainstream vehicles run on.

I didn’t want to bring up the environmental aspect, either, but diesel engines emit more carbon dioxide per litre than petrol, it also produces nitrogen oxides. Both of these are bad.

The federal government's incoming New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) could also make diesel-powered utes more expensive as it will penalise brands for every gram of CO2 they emit over a certain level. This level gets lower every year and this cost may be passed on to the consumer.

Carmakers are finally starting to offer hybrid ute variants, which is great, but the biggest names in the business are running behind newer rivals in this field.

Ford is bringing its plug-in hybrid Ranger next year, but it will be beaten to the punch by the BYD Shark plug-in hybrid ute and the GWM Cannon Alpha. There is no word on when Toyota will have a full hybrid ute.

I’m not having a go, Australia. I’m just pointing out that there might be better options out there, especially if you’re using the ute as a family car.

Maybe, Australia, this has something to do with Holden and Ford closing down. Perhaps those who would have bought high-performance Falcons or Commodores in 2024 are turning to utes instead? That might make some sense.

At the end of the day, Australians can buy whatever car they so choose, for whatever reason they like, but maybe there is something a bit better suited to your situation.