Plug-in hybrid

It was not so long ago plug-in hybrids looked to have found the middle ground between electrified power and long driving range. PHEV power experienced more growth than any other powertrain type in 2025 - and by some significant margin. It was up by more than 130 per cent compared to 2024.Leading the charge for PHEV power is the BYD Shark 6 ute, one of the few utes to experience sales growth last year. Its 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and dual electric motors provided outstanding fuel economy (when the battery was charged) capturing attention despite modest towing and carrying capacity. Most other brands have also jumped on the PHEV pathway, especially in the SUV segment. However, it now looks like a change might be on the horizon, as fully-electric sales continue to rise and at an even faster rate.There is a combination of factors likely contributing to this new set of circumstances in the new car sales space.While PHEVs offer incredible fuel efficiency, EVs do not need any fuel and obviously have far superior electric-only driving range with electric-only driving range remaining one of the biggest selling points for PHEVs. This is becoming an increasingly relevant point for buyers due to the current scarcity and cost of fuel in Australia.One of the other key factors which could erode PHEV sales is the substantial improvement in driving range of electric cars. Most EVs now offer more than 400km before needing to be charged, and even then charging times have also rapidly improved, with most brands targeting a 30 minute-or-less fast charge time compared to an hour previously.Charging infrastructure has been seeing rapid investment in Australia in the past 12 months, with governments as well as major brands getting on board. Just this week, the New South Wales government announced $45 million of funding towards new public fast chargers as part of its ‘2026 NSW Electric Vehicle Strategy’, and this adds to the existing federal ARENA public funding for EV infrastructure.BYD has also confirmed it will bring its ‘Flash’ charging to Australia this year, removing barriers to charge speed usually imposed by the grid thanks to an inclusion of a high-voltage buffer battery.There is also the question of increasing accessibility to electric vehicles in Australia, with many becoming available at a more affordable price point. The BYD Atto 1, for example, is available from $23,990, before on-road costs, while the cheapest PHEV, also a BYD, the Sealion 5 is $10,000 more. This is more reflective of the types of vehicles in which PHEV set-ups are offered as opposed to electric cars. The most common PHEV car body type is SUVs, which targets family buyers and more car (size-wise, with two powertrains instead of one) costs you more money.And yet, the models surging the most in the sales charts are the fully electric Tesla Model Y and Zeekr 7X, which are both in that core mid-size family buyer segment.This combined with the early adopter phase for much of this technology ending and electrified cars becoming more mainstream will mean some buyers who don't have access to home charging, like those who live in units, might not be able to utilise the key benefits of a PHEV.Many of this wider-audience may value the range on offer from an EV, which will see them charge only once or twice a week as a benefit at such a competitive price-point, not having to worry about not being able to charge at home, and not needing to fuel up altogether. This is also an audience which predominantly buys small or mid-size SUVs.PHEVs then, may be destined to be relegated to only larger vehicles, like utes and three-row SUVs where battery electrics become less cost competitive.

Denza says its incoming EV tech and charging infrastructure is so good, they will perform as well, if not better, than the brand's DM-i plug-in hybrid technology.In fact, Denza's local Chief Operating Officer, Mark Harland, says charging speeds and total range offered has them thinking twice about importing both PHEV and EV versions of certain models, given the latter delivers similar real-world range and refuelling, and much better performance.Speaking about the brand's incoming Z9 GT, which is offered as both a pure EV and a plug-in hybrid internationally, but will only be offered in electric guise in Australia, Mr Harland said that the brand's fast-charging EVs did the same job as a PHEV."The reason that we're not bringing the DM (PHEV) right now is, if we can offer flash charging and 800 kilometres of range, you're really getting to the point where it's the same kind of range as a DM, and then you're just running a pure EV system," he says."So I can charge it in nine minutes and go over 800 kilometres. It starts to lessen the impact of having a DM. But we're gonna watch, yeah, and if the demand is there, what I know is I can make a call, and I can get supply here pretty damn quick."What Mr Harland is referring to is the brand's 'flash charging', which is now confirmed to begin rolling out in Australia by the end of the year. The technology threatens to change the EV game in our market, effectively tripling the maximum charging speeds currently offered here.BYD’s flash chargers are capable of delivering up to 1500kW of DC charging – enough to take a big battery from empty to effectively full in nine minutes.In the Z9 GT, that means adding 500km of range in about five minutes, and almost fully replenishing its 820km range in less than 10 minutes.The network is expected to be small at first, focusing on metropolitan areas. Central to the idea is to install a big enough central battery to deliver the charge, so that vehicles are not drawing off the grid."It’s something we think can be a real game-changer to the industry, when someone can go for 400 or 500kms in the same time you would fill up at a bowser. They're doing the testing in China to understand the impact on the grid, but they want to back it with a battery, so you’re not drawing off the grid," Mr Harland has previously told CarsGuide. 

Cupra has officially unveiled the updated range for its sweet-steering Formentor small SUV in Australia, ahead of the start of deliveries late next month. The range has been consolidated for 2026, with a new mild hybrid variant starting the range off from $53,990 (drive-away). This means it is $7000 cheaper to buy into the Formentor range (before on-road costs), but elsewhere there have been some substantial price increases, particularly for internal combustion examples.The cheapest petrol-powered Formentor now retails from $57,490 (before on-road costs), which is up from $51,990, but it will be available with a drive-away offer of $61,990. The Formentor takes on other small SUV rivals across different powertrain choices, such as the petrol powered BMW X2 and up-spec versions of the Mazda CX-30. Plug-in hybrid variants of the Formentor have also experienced a decent price jump, starting from $68,990 (before on-road costs), up from $64,990, although it also has a drive-away offer of $74,490. The updated petrol version of the Formentor still features a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, which produces 150kW, up from 140kW.The juiced up petrol version has seen a slight power increase of 17kW and now produced 245kW, while getting other performance upgrades like a torque vectoring rear differential for added handling boosts.To compensate for the extra cost, the PHEV set-up has seen a more substantial increase in power, now producing 200kW - an increase of 90kW. It has also been given DC fast charging capabilities, as well as a boosted electric-only range up to more than 100km, according to Cupra.On the inside, there is a 12.9-inch central touchscreen, along with synthetic suede upholstery and a power operated and massaging driver seat. Cupra has introduced an optional ‘Extreme’ package which costs $6500 on the plug-in hybrid and $7000 on the more powerful ICE variant. This unlocks features such as carbon fibre-backed bucket seats in a grey upholstery as well as performance Akebono brakes on the ICE and Brembo ones on the PHEV.These variants complete the Formentor range for 2026, following the announcement of the high-performance variant of the car, which was announced last month. 2026 Cupra Formentor pricing Australia  

A new more affordable variant of the Chery Tiggo 9 plug-in hybrid family seven-seater SUV has just been unveiled.It will start from $52,990 (before on-road costs), which is $7000 cheaper than the only other Tiggo 9 variant on the market and will be available in showrooms from the start of next month. This price drop makes it cheaper than a comparative BYD Sealion 8, which has a starting price of $56,990 (before on-road costs).It also cements the Tiggo 9's comparative cheapness to a seven-seater example of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which recently increased in price, now starting from $66,790 (before on-road costs). Although the Outlander PHEV comes as standard with AWD.The main difference on this cheaper Tiggo 9 is it is front-wheel drive as opposed to the all-wheel drive system on the up-spec model.There are some other compromises buyers will have to make, including only two electric motors instead of three, producing a combined 225kW and 450Nm, as opposed to 315kW and 580Nm. There is a 19kWh battery, down from 34kWh, which nearly halves the electric-only driving range to 90km, according to more generous NEDC testing.On the inside, the FWD version gets much of the gear found on the AWD, such as heated front seats as well as a 15.6-inch central touchscreen and a 10.25-inch digital driver display. The FWD swaps leather seats for a synthetic-based material, with massage function only available on the driver’s seats, and neither front seat is ventilated.Other omissions include a heated steering wheel as well as heating and ventilation for the rear outward seats.From the outside, the Tiggo 9 FWD looks much the same, keeping the panoramic sunroof, but it does ride on smaller 19-inch wheels, down from the 20-inch ones on the AWD. The Tiggo 9 launched in Australia late last year and has managed 420 sales so far in 2026, trailing the likes of the BYD Sealion 8. 2026 Chery Tiggo 9 pricing  

Cupra is the Volkswagen Group's charismatic Spanish brand and the Terramar is a category-busting compact crossover-style SUV with plug-in petrol-electric hybrid power. Does it do enough to capture your attention ahead of well-specified and sharply-priced options from China, Japan and Europe?

Australia is facing a used-car market black hole.With the number of affordable new small-car options shrinking annually due to more-expensive SUVs, so too will be the number of affordable used small-car options.Unless there is a big uptick in new small-car production, stocks will continue to contract, putting significant upward pressure on used-car prices.We’re already seeing this affordability catastrophe unfold. And the numbers tell a sobering story.The great small-car cullSince 2016, Australia has gone from having over 40 new light and small car options under $30,000 (in today’s money), to just 10 right now – and falling. And even if you add the proliferation of cheap new small SUVs (mostly from China), that only adds another 10. That’s a 50 per cent drop right there.This means that there will be far fewer affordable used smaller cars to go around as we head towards the 2030s and beyond.Or, in other words, Australia will soon run very low on affordable, low-mileage second-hand small cars under 10 years old, adding substantially to the cost-of-living pressures for many people who cannot or won't buy new.Since 2020, we’re already seen Toyota, Ford and Honda drop their sub-$20,000 models, namely the (non-hybrid) Yaris, Fiesta and Jazz hatchbacks respectively, creating a void filled by new Chinese brands MG, GWM and BYD.In Ford’s case, its cheapest new passenger vehicle in 2026 is the Everest Ambiente 4WD SUV from $58,990 (before on-road costs), having also abandoned the Puma and Focus, as well as the larger Mondeo, Escape and Endura, since the start of this decade.Why the small-car cull? A long-term sales slide against SUVs, coupled with the massive investment required in electric vehicles (EVs) to meet coming legislated zero-emissions targets, stalled decades of on-going small-car development and evolution.Some industry analysts even believe that the middle of last decade was the era of “peak small-car”, as defined the highly-successful Volkswagen Mk7 Golf – a model widely considered superior to its 2020 Mk8 successor.It’s been reported that VW cancelled scores of new-model projects in the aftermath of 2015’s Dieselgate emissions-cheating scandal, including shelving an advanced redesign of the Golf in favour of today’s reskin, pivoting instead to EVs to help atone for the disaster.Others seem to have followed suit. In fact, if you look at today’s remaining small cars, most sit on architectures that date back to last decade.The Mazda 3’s debuted in 2013; the Peugeot 308 in 2014; Subaru Impreza and Honda Civic in 2016; the Hyundai i30 in 2017; Toyota Corolla in 2018; and Kia K4 in 2020.Defying depreciationIncredibly, some high-quality used small cars with a few years under their belts are holding their value to an almost comical degree, especially with fewer than 100,000km.A 2016 Mazda 2 auto from $16,990 when new is still worth at least $13,000 today – and some lower-mileage examples match the original price. Likewise, a 2018 Honda Civic VTi from $22,390 is still a $20,000-plus proposition.But nothing beats the Toyota hybrid phenomenon.A 2019 Corolla Hybrid that new started from $25,870 is likely to cost upwards of $24,000 today, with some even nudging $30,000 in the right colour and specification.And a 2021 Yaris SX hybrid from $27,020 new… is still very nearly that amount today at its lowest point, even with 70,000km on the clock, meaning owners could be making a profit after all these years. Great news for them. Bad news for used-car buyers today.Your cheap choicesThe only quality, reliable and economical used small cars currently priced in the $10,000 to $15,000 bracket are now mostly older (pre-2015), higher-mileage (150,000km-plus) or ex-repairable write-offs (including flood/hail damaged cars, since fixed). Do not risk buying the latter.Otherwise, Australian used small-car buyers must roll the dice on niche European brands with (albeit at-times unfounded) reputations for expensive maintenance costs, orphaned Holdens like the (ex-Opel) Astra or newer Chinese small cars with below-par safety and/or driving dynamics, like a pre-2024, previous-generation MG 3.Unfortunately, with spiking fuel prices, hybrids are completely out of the question under $15,000 unless it’s a 15-year-old-plus Toyota or Honda with moon-shot mileages and/or ex-ride-share taxis.Finding a cheap used SUV alternativeSo, it is logical to conclude that, while the number of new small car options is declining, there must be more small SUV choices, right?Not for budget buyers in the sub-$15,000 bracket, sadly.Quality, second-hand smaller SUVs and crossovers are also pricing themselves out of reach for lower-income groups and younger drivers seeking inexpensive yet reliable vehicles.Consider the case of a seven-year-old Mazda CX-3 or Suzuki Vitara 1.6 with reasonably-low mileage (under 100,000km).These current-shape models have been chosen as two of the better and more-reputable small SUVs on offer, due to their uncomplicated non-turbo engines and robust torque-converter automatics, instead of the usually problematic continuously variable transmission (CVT) or dual-clutch transmission (DCT) found in most alternatives.A 2019 CX-3 auto that cost $23,790 new (which is about $30,000 adjusted for inflation today) currently retails for between $20,000 and $25,000 depending on condition. Again, depreciation-defying.Likewise, a 2019 Vitara 1.6L 2WD that cost $24,490 new (about $32,500 in 2026 money) is still commanding between $19,000 and $25,000 today if well-maintained. We’re talking about seven-year-old models here.Little wonder consumers are forced into newer brands from China with long warranties and shiny touchscreens but unproven long-term reliability, resale and access to genuine spare parts/labour.The bottom line is that a generation of consumers seeking a cheap and economical used small car will be left wanting.At 18, Baby Boomers had their decade-old Datsun 1600s and Volkswagen Beetles; Gen X its Ford Lasers and Holden Geminis; and Millennials their Hyundai Excels and Mazda 323s to rely upon.What will next-gen used-car buyers be able to afford?

It was a day long expected, but it still hit with a bang.A Chinese car maker has out-sold almost every other car brand in Australia.BYD sold the third most vehicles in March, behind only the mighty Toyota and a surging Kia. That means a Chinese brand out-sold big names including Ford, Mazda, Hyundai and Mitsubishi.But BYD wasn’t the only Chinese brand in the top 10 either. In the first three months of 2026, BYD, GWM, Chery and MG are all firmly locked into the best-selling brands. Whatever your feelings on the influx of Chinese brands in recent years, it is clear Australian customers are buying them and they have cemented a place not only in the market, but at its upper echelons.The real question though, is can BYD sustain this success? Was March just a flash in the pan or was it the start of a genuine shake-up of the established order at the top of the sales charts?The initial sentiment around the Chinese industry was that it was flooding the market with cheap, small cars, and there was certainly a lot of truth to that. The MG3 and MG ZS were both big-sellers with small price tags, so it wasn’t surprising to see MG make an impact so early. But if you look at how BYD has found sales volume in Australia, especially since taking direct control of the local operation from original importers EV Direct, it is a very different story.BYD’s two biggest sellers in March were the Sealion 7 (1970 sales) and the Shark 6 (1314), neither could be accurately described as ‘cheap and cheerful’ small cars. Are they price competitive? Definitely, but neither is dramatically cheaper than their direct rivals, certainly not in the case of the Sealion 7.The Sealion 7 is hardly a budget-busting small car, it’s a mid-size, all-electric SUV that is priced from $54,990 (plus on-road costs). That’s competitive against its competitors, but not significantly enough to justify its sales volume alone. In other words, the Sealion 7 is one of the most popular mid-size SUVs in the country (electric or otherwise) because buyers are attracted to it for more than simply the price.The same goes for the Shark 6, which has managed to succeed seemingly in spite of its seemingly unorthodox take on a modern dual-cab. BYD made a brave choice to enter Australia’s ute market with a petrol-powered plug-in hybrid offering, but it may have been precisely the right ute at the right time.Buyers are seemingly happy to try something different and between the tax breaks and the rising cost of diesel, it’s not unsurprising that the Shark 6 has been a sales hit. So much so that it is firmly ensconced as the fourth most-popular 4x4 ute on a regular basis, behind only the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.But does this mean BYD’s March success is sustainable? Well, certainly there are no indications that the Sealion 7 or Shark 6 will suffer a sales collapse (but stranger things have happened). While there is likely to be some ebb and flow in the sales charts this year and BYD may slip up and down the order, there are a number of indicators that the brand could sustain a top five, or even a top three, sales position long-term.And it could be thanks to the initial expectations of the Chinese market - cheap, small cars. BYD has only launched the new Atto 1 and Atto 2 hatchbacks in the final months of 2025, so they are still finding a market in Australia.But with the high cost of petrol leading to a spike in electric vehicle interest, the thought of a city-friendly small car that never requires a visit to the service station could become a popular choice for Australian drivers.Add to that the addition of the Sealion 5 and Sealion 8, which naturally sandwich the Sealions 6 and 7, as well as the talk of an expanding Shark 6 line-up and there is every chance BYD will have management at the likes of Ford, Mazda, Kia and even Toyota starting to feel concerned about the long-term outlook.

A tsunami of electric cars is headed our way.General Manager BYD Asia Pacific Mr Liu Xueliang said 30,000 BYD and Denza vehicles are on the way to our shores in May and June to feed rampaging sales.That’s more than half the vehicles BYD sold in 2025 and almost double what they have sold in the first three months of this year.The Chinese brand is looking to capitalise on the ongoing fuel crisis caused by the Iran war, which is driving Aussies in increasing numbers to buy an EV or plug-in hybrid — two vehicles types BYD has in big numbers.Liu said it was important that the company meets the growing demand and is able to get customers as soon as they place an order.If BYD manages to move those vehicles in the next few months it would have beat its sales for 2025, and it would be the second biggest selling brand in Australia and nipping at the heels of the previously-thought-untouchable Toyota.Mr Liu also said the company is aware fuel rationing might be happening in the future. It would be prioritising getting vehicles to essential workers such as doctors, firefighters and others in the coming months.BYD now has the model range to host those kind of sales figures with the brand launching seven new models in the past six months.These include the BYD Atto 1 and Atto 2 small electric cars alongside the plug-in hybrid Sealion 5 compact SUV, Sealion 8 seven-seat SUV, Seal 6 mid-size sedan and wagon and Denza B5 and B8 4WDs.Early signs of Aussies clambering for BYD and Denzas in 2026 was evident in the March sales figures.The Chinese automaker sold 7217 vehicles in the past month as Australians scrambled to get their hands on plug-in hybrids and electric cars as fuel prices soared.That is a mammoth one month total which beat Ford (7149), Mazda (7156) and Hyundai (6979). Only Toyota (16,574) and Kia (7320) did better than BYD.BYD sales increased by 50 per cent compared to March last year and are up 100 per cent for the year.For the full year, BYD's sales were already up 156 per cent by the end of 2025.

BYD has confirmed two new versions of the top-selling Shark 6 dual-cab ute for Australia that will be available to order soon.The new, flagship BYD Shark 6 Performance is priced from $62,900 before on-road costs, which is $5000 more than the existing Premium trim.There’s also a new, entry-level Shark 6 Dynamic cab-chassis trim which is priced from $55,900 before on-road costs.It’s worth noting that this does not include a tray. BYD has been working with Ironman 4x4 to develop a heavy-duty alloy tray as an option, but pricing for this hasn’t been confirmed yet.A full pricing table is at the bottom of this story.The main change with the new Shark 6 Performance is it receives a larger and more powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine.With the dual electric motors, one on each axle, it produces total system outputs of 350kW and 700Nm, which is 29kW and 50Nm more than the 1.5-litre turbo Shark 6 variants.BYD claims the Shark 6 Performance can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.5 seconds, which is 0.2 seconds faster than the Shark 6 Premium.It also has a braked towing capacity of 3500kg, which is 1000kg more than the Shark 6 Dynamic cab-chassis and Premium.Payload capacities for the Shark 6 Dynamic cab-chassis and Performance haven’t been confirmed yet, however, the existing Premium offers 790kg.A new ‘Crawl’ drive mode debuts in the Shark 6 Performance, which the company claims to improve the off-road capability over the existing “Mountain” drive mode. Essentially a low-speed cruise control, it operates at up to 20km/h and continuously adjusts torque to keep the wheels moving without slipping.While the ‘Crawl’ drive mode will initially be offered in the Performance trim, it’ll come to the Premium and Dynamic cab-chassis vehicles via an over-the-air software update later this year.It’s worth noting that no Shark 6 variant offers any form of locking differential. To date this has been reserved for the more premium, yet related Denza B5 and B8 SUVs.Full specifications haven’t been confirmed just yet but the Dynamic cab-chassis receives a smaller 12.8-inch central touchscreen multimedia system. The Premium and Performance have a 15.6-inch touchscreen instead.At this stage BYD has only released imagery of the new Shark 6 Dynamic cab-chassis. It’s unclear if the Performance will have any visual changes.

Plug-in hybrids are here to stay. That’s the opinion of Skoda Australia director Lucie Kuhn, who believes that while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) may be a so-called ‘bridging technology’ towards fully-electric cars, the ‘bridge’ could last at least a decade.PHEV sales have risen sharply in recent years, making a comeback after many brands that previously offered the technology abandoned it in favour of a focus on fully-electric vehicles (EVs). But PHEVs, which use an internal combustion engine to support an electric powertrain, have been given a second chance thanks to longer electric-only driving range and a push from Chinese brands, such as BYD and Chery, that have made them more affordable.Under Kuhn’s leadership, Skoda Australia has introduced the Kodiaq PHEV with plans for the Superb PHEV wagon to follow soon. She believes this is the right time to introduce PHEV options, primarily because of the slow uptake of EVs in Australia.“Yes, I think so, and we actually had this observation also from Europe, where time has shown that the transformation hasn’t proceeded as fast as we all expected. And it's actually the same situation we observe here also in Australia,” Kuhn said.“Especially in a country with some relatively high geographical distances, I think we still will have a relatively big portion of customers still not being fully ready to go on their fully electric journey and rather go for some interim solution, a kind of solution that provides them a confidence that they can drive the car on a daily basis, on an electric mode, and when they go a little bit more further for some holidays or longer trips, then they can simply switch on the combustion engine and keep going.”Skoda has managed to, unintentionally, coincide the launch of the Kodiaq PHEV perfectly with a sudden spike in fuel prices, further enhancing the appeal of the large SUV that can drive up to 110km on battery and return a claimed fuel economy of just 1.9L/100km.But Kuhn still believes there is a barrier for buyers to overcome with EVs, and the introduction of more PHEVs will help bridge the gap between pure internal combustion engine options and the electric future. Exactly how long the bridge will be is unclear, but Kuhn is confident it won’t be a short-term solution. Instead she said it could last a decade or longer, assuming the Federal Government remains supportive of the technology.“ I think it's first a mental barrier, to overcome this and change this way of thinking and go fully electric. But it might also be driven legally. So the legislation is also something what will decide finally if the PHEV will be a long term technology,” Kuhn said.“Right now we consider it as a bridging technology, but we are speaking a long bridge, like 10 years at least. This is how long it will be minimally. But of course if at some point the government says I don't know, like Europe said, from 2035, no more combustion engines at all, or actually nothing that produces some pollution, then of course it's logically the end of the PHEV technology as well. But currently we don't have this, let's say, kind of global statement, it's currently only in Europe, but also Europe might reconsider, this kind of decision and maybe even bring it a little bit more forward there. The time will show, but the bridge in Australia is really long, at least 10 years.”Currently PHEV models generate credits for car makers under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard and will continue to do so for another five years. Whether the government chooses to extend that stance will ultimately determine the viability of PHEVs in the Australian market.