Electric Reviews

To say Toyota’s first major mainstream EV, the bZ4X, arrived in Australia with an arm tied behind its back would be something of an understatement. It arrived with both arms removed entirely.It was expensive, didn’t travel as far on a charge as its major rivals and had some tech quirks – and omissions – in the cabin. The fact that Toyota itself had spent much of the 12 months preceding its launch talking down EVs as impractical and unsuitable for much of Australia probably didn’t help much, either.Sales trickled along in minuscule numbers, while brands like Tesla and, later, BYD stole the limelight and the customers.But this is the bZ4X take two. It’s significantly (like $10K) cheaper, will travel much further on a charge, and hosts a more modern-feeling tech package in its cabin. And so I’ll be living with the two-wheel drive variant for the next three months to see if Toyota has at last got an answer to the sales-storming Tesla Model Y, or the BYD Sealion 7, for that matter.First things first: the price. My car opens the range, and you can have it finished in the same Eclipse Black you see in these photos for $61,320, on the road. That’s now cheaper than the cheapest Tesla Model Y, the rear-wheel drive, which is $64,215, drive-away right now. The cheapest Sealion 7, though, is a smidge over $59K, on the road.The Toyota now also outperforms the cheapest Tesla in terms of range. Toyota says my car, with its 74.7kWh battery, will travel 591km on the WLTP combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle, compared with the Model Y RWD’s 466km. In fact, to get a circa-600km range from Tesla, you’ll be dropping almost $75K drive-away on the Long Range AWD. The Sealion 7 offers just 482km on the WLTP cycle.So the price is right, or at least much better and the range stacks up well, too.In terms of power, Toyota has regrettably positioned its single motor on the front axle for front-wheel drive, and it develops 167kW and around 269Nm. Now, this is around two tonnes of metal, and Toyota says it will clip 100km/h from standstill in around 7.5 seconds. In real terms, it feels sprightly enough, but definitely not sporty in the way it goes about it. There is enough torque on offer to break front-wheel traction occasionally, but it’s otherwise a pretty sedate way of getting around.Nuts and bolts aside, the real test for the Toyota will be how well it fits into our family life. We have a home charger, by the way (just a cheap 7.0kW wallbox), so that makes EV life much easier for us. If we couldn’t charge at home, I think a true BEV would be off the list for us.The bZ4X is so far proving big enough for our one-kid family. The back seat swallows the baby seat with no issue, and the boot takes our two-part pram with little fuss, as well. But be warned, that’s about all it takes. For such a big car — around 4.7m long – the boot is a little underwhelming, and it’s hard to fold the seats flat when you need the second row for baby seats and the like.Toyota says you can expect 452L of luggage space, which is down significantly on the 500L-plus offered in the RAV4 Hybrid, chipping away at this EV’s family credentials.Another perk for my wife and me is the familiarity of the Toyota's cabin. I know some might view this as a negative, but I think the fact there are physical buttons for most core functions – things like your drive modes, mirror adjustments and core climate settings – is a major win.Now, no matter how much range your EV offers, if you're anything like me, you will find yourself running on the battery equivalent of fumes at some point. For me, that came when I was leaving my parents' place for the 29.8km journey home. For reasons known only to Murphy and his infernal law, I was unable to plug in during my visit, so I was forced to rely on the remaining juice to get home.No problems there, with some 45km of range remaining. Now, as I discovered so you don't have to, that estimate is very much a glass-half-full situation and – to my increasing horror – would drop in chunks of 5.0km at a time, seemingly at random.After much holding of breath, we made it back to our charger with about three per cent battery remaining, and the power output automatically throttled back as the Toyota went into make-it-home-somehow mode.Fully topped up, my in-car reader was telling me I had more than the maximum range at my disposal, some six-hundred-and-something kays. So take those readouts as a guide, not as gospel.Acquired: June 2026Distance travelled this month: 427kmOdometer: 4667kmAverage energy consumption this month: 13.5kWh/100kmNote: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number of automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics, and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

The Lexus ES has never been regarded as a blue-blooded Lexus, being so clearly Toyota Camry-based. But that changes with the eighth-generation ES, ushering in a redesigned body and interior, fresh tech, a stronger platform, sharper steering, new suspension and adaptive dampers for the electric version as tested here in ES350e guise. Collectively, do they transform the Japanese luxury sedan?

You’ve no doubt heard the term ‘design by committee’, which is another way of describing what happens when too many people have too much input in a creative project, and so the end result has had any unique or interesting features beaten right out of it.Well, I have another term for your lexicon. And that is ‘design by France’. And that, it seems, is the complete opposite, where just one person says ‘I think our family focused electric SUV should look like a muscular hot hatch. Throw those 20-inch alloys on it, too. Oh, and I want so many stalks behind the steering wheel that it feels like the driver is lost in a corn field.”Case in point? The Renault Scenic E-Tech Esprit Alpine (even the name is faintly ridiculous). On paper, none of the above would make much sense. But in an electrified world awash with same-same design (take amorphous blob, apply wheels), the Renault is a breath of fresh air.The matt grey paint and black roof of our test car (+$1300) surely helps, but the Esprit Alpine looks good/different, and its tough, muscular design only further grew on me.Inside, the good/different continues with Renault making some clever material choices, including the couch-like fabric (which turned out to be kenaf, a plant fibre) stretching across the dashboard and up the A-pillars. It gives the cabin a warm, modern and more environmentally conscious feel than the usual slabs of black plastic or synthetic leather.Less immediately positive is the congregation of stalks behind the steering wheel, with the gear selector, windscreen wiper stalk and separate media-control unit all clustered together. Add to that one of the flappy paddles that controls the regen braking and it's a busy place behind the wheel.Truthfully, it’s fine and fairly intuitive once you know where everything is, but it is confusing at first.In more good news, Renault hasn’t buried everything behind the vertical 12.0-inch central screen and horizontal 12.3-inch digital driver display (all angled toward the driver), either. There are physical air-con controls, steering-wheel buttons and mercifully the ability to adjust your wing mirrors from the driver's window panel.The tech generally works well, too. Wireless Apple CarPlay was flawless on test, and there’s a wireless phone charger that holds your phone in place, which is rarer than you might think. There’s also a deep storage area under the centre console, more space under the armrest and twin USB-C ports up front, though the single cupholder reminds you this is still a fairly compact-feeling vehicle in places.The front of the cabin can feel a little tight in terms of width and not all of the materials are winners. Some of the door plastics feel cheap, and that is even more obvious in the back seat, where the door trims and some of the other plastics don't feel overly premium.But space in the back is impressive. Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, I had enough knee room to properly stretch out and the flat floor means the middle-seat passenger isn’t forced to straddle a transmission tunnel.There are two ISOFIX points, rear air vents, twin USB-C ports and a very clever fold-down centre armrest with cupholders and some extra storage built in.The boot isn’t huge in length, but it is deep and tall, and will swallow a total of 545 litres with the rear seats in place, or 1670 with them folded flat. A bit like the rest of the 4470mm-long, 1864mm-wide and 1565mm-high Scenic, then, in that none of it feels massive, but it does feel cleverly packaged.The nuts and bolts are positive, too. While lesser Scenic models get 125kW and 280Nm, this flagship model ups that to 160kW and 300Nm, produced via a front-mounted electric motor that delivers a sprint to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds.It gets the biggest battery, too, an 87kWh lithium-ion unit that delivers an impressive WLTP range of 625km. Charging is 11kW AC, or 150kW DC, the latter below average in a world of faster-charging EVs.On the road, the Scenic is a more complicated thing. It has all the ingredients that should make it one of my favourite driving cars. The steering is quite natural feeling, there's a firmness to the suspension that doesn't disconnect you from the road below and the acceleration is perky enough without being brutal.But it's the way those ingredients are put together that takes more getting used to than I expected. It feels as though the sensitivity has been dialled right up to the point where it can feel overly reactive to inputs, and as the brake pedal doesn't always feel linear in its application, it can end up feeling a bit jerky on the road.It just takes some getting used to with your inputs to smooth out the drive experience, and I should point out that my test was exclusively in greater Sydney, and the Scenic feels like a car that would really shine on flowing roads out of town.Still, it feels a cut above plenty of newcomer EVs from behind the wheel. There is a connection to what's going on beneath the tyres that's missing from some newer brands and there's very little in the way of motion sickness-inducing body roll from the Scenic's chassis.And perhaps best of all, I covered plenty of kilometres and all sorts of road conditions, and the active safety systems remained mostly quiet, calm and blissfully quiet throughout.Downsides? The reversing camera is poor. It has a weird fisheye effect that makes judging your surroundings harder than it should be, to the point where you end up relying on mirrors and old-fashioned shoulder checks instead.At five years or 100,000km, the warranty is way off the pace, too.And it isn't challenger-brand cheap. My car is $65,990, before on road costs, and before you add the $1300 in paint and roof. That’s real money. The longer-range Tesla Model Y is $68,900 MSRP. But the mid-tier Kia EV5 Earth is $64,990, and adds a second motor and AWD. That said, though, there is a cheaper Renault, still with the long-range battery, that starts below $60k. Still, what price a little joie de vivre?

The GAC Aion UT is the first GAC I’ve ever driven, so I went into this review not really knowing what to expect. Sort of like walking through a room in the dark, in a house that isn’t yours.It was full of discovery but without all the falling over and toe stubbing. First, what is the Aion UT? It's a fully electric small hatch that almost crosses into SUV territory with its slightly elevated ride height.At 4270mm long it’s a similar length to the BYD Dolphin, but shorter than an MG4 Urban, but it does match the MG's price at $31,990 before on-road costs. That’s for the entry grade Premium Aion UT tested here. The price is impressive. It’s an electric car for the same money as a petrol car of a similar size, like a Honda HR-V.The Premium grade has an almost identical features list to the top grade luxury, from powered and heated front seats to a 14.6-inch touchscreen. All it misses out on really, is ventilated seats, wireless phone charging and a power tailgate. The Aion UT is not just an affordable small car, it’s more practical than many larger vehicles thanks to clever storage andplenty of cabin space. The UT’s 2750mm wheelbase is on the longer side for cars this small and that’s a good thing for occupant space and excellent rear legroom is the result. Rear headroom is more than adequate too, thanks to a tall and flat roofline.Storage is outstanding with a deep centre console bin and an area underneath for bags. There’s even a hatch under the dash that opens to reveal a netted pocket. There are door pockets, cupholders and a phone tray up front that doubles as a wireless charger if you stump up the extra $4000 for the Luxury grade.The 321-litre boot isn’t enormous but it's large for a car this size with enough space for a week’s worth of shopping for my family of four or a couple of smaller luggage bags.The main practicality downside is the lack of physical buttons in the cabin for functions such as climate control and media. There are none at all apart from on the steering wheel and the window switches.Instead, all controls are accessed through the central touchscreen and not only is that more awkward to use but it's a safety concern. A driver could easily be distracted just trying to turn the cabin temperature down.We lived with the Aion UT for a week doing what families do: from school runs and weekend sports to grocery shopping and family visits. This is a front-wheel-drive electric car with a 60kWh battery and 150kW/210Nm motor. That battery size is good for 430km of driving range (WLTP) according to GAC and after 250km in one week there was 170km left, making that claim accurate. Our average energy consumption was 15.6kWh/100km according to the trip computer, which is less than the official 16.4kWh/100km.In the city and urban areas where we live the UT shines with brisk acceleration, its quiet and smooth nature, good visibility and small size. On motorways, as we found during a trip to a regional area, the UT feels slightly vulnerable among the trucks and the stability was tested in the windy, rainy weather. There were times I wished we were in something larger and higher up.The driving position is let down by the steering wheel's lack of reach adjustment. I got around this by adjusting my seat, although it's not ideal.Also not ideal is a persistent driver alert system that reminds you to slow down and avoid distraction. It activates far too easily and interferes with concentration while driving. It’s not just the driver being hassled either. My front passenger was told on one occasion not to put her feet on the dashboard even though they weren’t - she had her legs crossed and this seemed to trigger the system.Finally the styling of the Aion UT isn’t appealing to me. GAC boasts that the little electric car was penned at its Milan design centre, but Chinese rivals like Zeekr and BYD have much more interesting and beautiful creations.

I’ve been doing this for a while now, and I have had the opportunity to test and review all sorts of weird and wonderful metal. But this one might be a first for me.I can’t recall ever testing a vehicle that’s not actually intended to be bought by you, the CarsGuide reader. But so it is with the new Toyota HiLux BEV. You can have one if you really want one, but even Toyota concedes that its first all-electric ute isn’t really designed for the public buyer.Instead, it’s for mine sites, which Toyota has been studying for two years to deliver an electrified HiLux fit for a very particular purpose.Which is why, on paper, the numbers aren’t overly impressive. The Hilux is offered in two grades and three styles – the SR cab-chassis ($74,990), the SR double-cab pickup ($76,490) and the more luxurious SR5 double-cab pickup ($82,990), all prices before on-road costs – and all share the same powertrain componentry.That means dual-motor power, fed from a 59.2kWh lithium-ion battery. Range, then, is just 245km in the cab-chassis, and 315km in the pick-up. Critically, though, Toyota is quoting the more lenient NEDC figure there. In line with the more realistic WLTP protocol (which is the industry standard in Australia), those numbers would likely be less than 200km and around 270km, respectively.That is… not a lot of range for an EV. But remember that particular purpose I mentioned? Toyota tells me the average open-cut mine site is about 40 square kilometres, and workers there need an electric ute to only cover relatively short distances before it is docked to recharge (150kW DC, 10kW AC).They also, Toyota says, need their electric utes to do ute-like things, which is why this electric HiLux can still very much go off-road. There are two motors on board here, one front and one rear, delivering a total 144kW. Toyota doesn’t quote a combined torque figure, though each motor is capable of producing more than 200Nm.It’s fed to all four wheels through a single-speed transmission, and Toyota has debuted a six-mode multi-terrain select system, with Auto, Dirt, Sand, Mud, Mogul and Snow modes.We tested the electric HiLux off-road, on a not-overly-challenging course to be fair, and the plug-in Toyota handled it all with ease and felt like it had more to give.It will also tow a 2.0-tonne braked trailer and the payload figures are around 725kg for the pickup versions and 855kg for the cab chassis – though we tested neither, and suspect your battery charge will drop like a bowling ball off a balcony when you ask the HiLux to carry or tow.The electric HiLux also looks a lot like a diesel HiLux. It is, and feels like, a retrofit, rather than a bespoke EV model, which they tell me is kind of the point. The minesites want the HiLux, they just don’t want the emissions. The big differences outside are, wait for it, the charging flap, the filled-in grille and aero-friendly wheel designs. Inside, there’s a new shift-by-wire gear selector, which has been moved closer to the driver. You still benefit from the tech overhaul given to the rest of the new HiLux range, which means twin 12.3 inch screens with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There are some strange-feeling shortcuts at this price point, though. Your circa-$75K SR model gets fabric seats with manual adjustment, for example, and you’ll need to spend more like $83K to get a wireless phone charger included.Anyway, that visual familiarity extends to the drive experience as well. Yes, acceleration is smoother, quieter and more constant without stepping through gear shifts, and that all feels very EV. But the behavior of the HiLux feels very familiar, in that it still has that kind of jittery unladen ride that is pretty common in dual cab utes. I thought the extra battery weight would settle the ride down a little bit, especially because it's down low and quite heavy, and should act a bit like having a load in the tray. But it still feels plenty bouncy on the road, and especially in the passenger seat, which somehow feels the ride more than the driver.That's not a big criticism. It's symptomatic of virtually all dual-cab utes. Electric or otherwise, as it turns out.On the road, the power on offer is ample. It feels quite punchy off the line, and while it's not one of those EVs that throws you back in your seat, the power is instantaneous and constant, and smooths-out the acceleration. We pushed towards and beyond 100km/h a couple of times and the power didn’t die off it just kept smoothly climbing to triple digits. All of which I fear might end up being something of an irrelevant point, because as I've said, you are unlikely to buy this. Toyota says that private sales are going to make up about five per cent of the BEV's total haul. The rest are going to mine sites and the like, which is why so much of this vehicle has been tailored to work there, rather than in civilian life.But those who do opt for the electric version are going to find themselves with the smoothest and perkiest Hilux, possibly of all time and also the quietest.It bodes well for electrified utes of the future, if only they can extend their range out to something a bit more usable.

After some heavy delays and legal action, the updated 2026 XPeng G6 has finally arrived in Australia through a factory-backed operation that has no ties to the previous distributor, TrueEV.There are now more variants on offer and on test here is the new flagship trim level, the G6 AWD Performance Black Edition. Only rear-wheel drive versions were offered previously.This flagship is priced from $66,800, before on-road costs, which sees it rival the BYD Sealion 7 Performance ($63,990 BOC), Tesla Model Y Premium Long Range AWD ($68,900 BOC) and Zeekr 7X Performance ($72,900 BOC).One of the biggest changes is under the surface. Every G6 trim now receives a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery compared to the previous nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) unit. These batteries have better thermal safety and can charge to 100 per cent more often without the risk of degradation.While the slightly smaller 80.8kWh LFP battery means claimed range is down incrementally compared to the pre-update car (this new version offers up to 510km of WLTP-claimed range), peak DC fast-charging has been boosted from 280kW to 451kW. This is equivalent to the Zeekr 7X which also offers LFP batteries.No DC fast-charger in Australia can currently charge at that higher rate and we didn’t get to properly test out the car’s charging performance due to the short loan length. However, XPeng claims the battery can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 12 minutes.Another big change that has already been alluded to is the availability of a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain. It offers a total system output of 358kW, which is 140kW more than the RWD Long Range and 173kW more than the RWD Standard Range.Power delivery is immediate and there’s just the right amount without being excessive. You’re able to accelerate up to speed in traffic with ease and there’s plenty of oomph left for higher-speed overtakes.If you want to experience the proper 4.1-second 0-100km/h sprint, you can use launch control and the Sport drive mode. Surprisingly, it doesn’t snap your neck like some electric vehicles (EVs), instead the power is delivered progressively.Things largely stay together once you start turning the wheel in the twisties, but you can tell this car leans a touch more towards the comfort side than the dynamic, which is the case for many Chinese EVs.This continues on to the suspension as it’s largely compliant around town, though there’s some roll and sway as the car settles itself. It also gets a touch bouncy if you hit a series of undulations at higher speeds.Something XPeng deserves credit for is its advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) calibrations. The systems do everything they should and only interact when required.You’re able to customise the sensitivity of all the safety systems which is a lovely surprise. This means fewer bings and bongs. Hallelujah!You can also customise the steering weight, brake pedal feel and there’s even an ‘Individual’ drive mode. It’s great to see.It’s a little disappointing XPeng hasn’t been able to roll out its more advanced semi-autonomous driving system in Australia yet, but what is already present does a good job.The lane-centring is rock-solid, the automatic lane changes feel natural, plus the parking assist is great as it reads the parking lines, rather than the space between parked cars.Once the more advanced tech arrives it’ll finally give Tesla some competition. Speaking of which, a lot of the G6 feels inspired by Tesla.It feels uncanny inside with the minimal design putting the 15.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system in centre stage. There are barely any physical buttons around the cabin, forcing you to use the touchscreen for many functions.Thankfully the touchscreen’s user interface is easy to navigate. Unlike Tesla it also boasts wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a proper digital instrument cluster.However, beyond this it feels like the G6 lacks any character or defining feature that marks it specifically as an XPeng. Even the exterior design feels like a generic amalgamation of many models.On the safety front, the pre-update model received a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing conducted by Euro NCAP in 2024. It’s unclear if this will be renewed for the updated model.As standard there is autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition as well as a surround-view camera system.New G6 owners are covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, whereas the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km, whichever comes first.Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km, however XPeng hasn’t confirmed pricing yet.One critical point is XPeng’s new factory-backed operation in Australia is still scaling and as it stands there is no open dealer or service centre.A number are coming soon in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It’s unclear whether XPeng has plans to open a dealer in New South Wales, or any other state yet.

The 2026 GWM Ora 5 Ultra, starting from $36,990 drive-away, is a small electric SUV from China as part of the relaunch of the Ora brand in Australia after the mildly received Ora hatchback a few years ago.It boasts Australian ride and handling tuning, plus a decent list of standard features including 18-inch wheels, auto LED headlights and LED tail-lights, rain-sensing wipers and tinted privacy glass, a large 14.6-inch multimedia touchscreen, wireless phone mirroring, a 10.25-inch driver display, synthetic leather upholstery and electric driver’s seat adjustment.The extra $3000 the Ultra costs over the base Lux grade adds an electrically adjustable front passenger seat, seat ventilation and heating for both up front, wireless phone charging, ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof and three extra speakers for nine in total.It has a single 150kW/260Nm electric motor at the front axle drawing from a 58.3kWh battery. Its claimed consumption figure of 15.5kWh/100km results in a 435km range under WLTC testing according to GWM. DC fast-charging is maxed at 120kW, for a 30-minute charge from 10 to 80 per cent.The Ora 5 remains unrated by ANCAP for now, but it has seven airbags and a pretty comprehensive list of features including door-open warning and rear cross-traffic alert.GWM’s seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty also includes eight years (unlimited km) for the battery, plus there’s seven years of roadside assistance and seven years capped-price servicing at $195 per service (every 12 months or 15,000km).

Toyota has adopted a slow and steady approach to electric vehicles, with the new bZ4X Touring only its second battery-powered model. The new, more spacious SUV goes head-to-head with the likes of the Tesla Model Y, BYD Sealion 7 and Subaru Trailseeker. We put the bZ4X Touring to the test to see how it rates for value, practicality, performance, safety and more.

Starting at $33,990 drive-away, the 2026 GWM Ora 5 Lux is a competitively priced small electric SUV from China that marks the relaunch of the Ora brand in Australia after the Ora hatchback faced an arguably unenthusiastic reception on launch a few years ago.With Australian ride and handling tuning and some updated ergonomics and tech, the Ora 5 SUV comes with a decent list of standard features including 18-inch wheels, auto LED headlights and LED tail-lights, rain-sensing wipers and tinted privacy glass, a large 14.6-inch multimedia touchscreen, wireless phone mirroring, a 10.25-inch driver display, synthetic leather upholstery and electric driver’s seat adjustment.A single motor mounted at the front axle provides drive, with 150kW/260Nm outputs. It draws from a 58.3kWh battery and has a claimed consumption figure of 15.5kWh/100km, which GWM says results in a 435km range under WLTC testing.DC fast-charging is maxed at 120kW, and takes about 30 minutes from 10 to 80 per cent.ANCAP hasn’t completed an assessment of the Ora 5 SUV yet so, for now, the model remains unrated. It does however have seven airbags and a pretty comprehensive list of features including door-open warning and rear cross-traffic alert.GWM’s seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty (with eight years for the battery), plus seven years of roadside assist and seven years capped-price servicing at $195 per service (every 12 months or 15,000km) is a strong ownership proposition.

GWM is relaunching its Ora brand with another go at creating a hero model, this time a small SUV called the Ora 5. There are supposedly some big improvements compared to the electric hatchback that arrived a few years ago, so we headed to the Australian launch of the new model in Victoria to find out if that’s true.