Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid Utes in Australia: Every One You Can Buy (2026)

As of October 2026 you can buy four plug-in hybrid utes in Australia, the BYD Shark 6 (from $55,900 before on-roads), JAC Hunter (from $49,988), GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV (from $57,490 drive-away) and Ford Ranger PHEV (from $59,000 drive-away), plus two 48-volt mild hybrids that have no plug and no electric range, the Toyota HiLux V-Active and the Foton Tunland. “Hybrid ute” covers both, and they are very different things: a plug-in hybrid does school runs and site work on battery and keeps a petrol engine for the long haul; a mild hybrid is a diesel with a small motor that trims fuel use. This page sets out what each one costs and does, and what a plug-in hybrid gives up against the electric utes it is usually compared with.

Which plug-in hybrid utes can you buy in Australia?

Four, all dual-cab 4x4s with a turbocharged petrol engine, a battery you charge from a wall, and a plug on the side.

Sources: CarExpert’s 2026 Shark 6 price and specs (April 2026) and its electrified ute roundup (May 2026) for the Shark 6, Cannon Alpha and Ranger drive-away figures; CarExpert’s JAC Hunter launch pricing (July 2026); the Ranger PHEV XL pricing reported by 4X4 Australia and Torquecafe for the MY26 XL; GWM’s Cannon Alpha page for towing. Prices move with promotions, and Ford in particular has run drive-away deals and fuel-card offers on run-out stock through 2026, so treat every figure as a starting point and check the maker’s configurator.

Three things the table hides. The Shark 6 Performance gets the 3,500 kg rating and a bigger 2.0-litre engine, but a shorter electric range; the volume-selling Premium tows 2,500 kg. The Ranger PHEV’s battery is a third the size of the others’, which is why its electric range is a third, but it carries Ford’s 6.9 kW Pro Power Onboard outlets, the most capable vehicle-to-load system of the four. And the JAC Hunter, from a brand most buyers had not heard of a year ago, is the cheapest ute with a plug in the country: 360 kW and 1,010 Nm combined, 915 kg of payload and 3,500 kg of towing, for under $50,000 before on-roads.

Which utes are mild hybrids, and do they count?

Two utes wear a hybrid badge without a plug. The Toyota HiLux 48V V-Active pairs the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel (150 kW and 500 Nm in the automatic) with a 48-volt motor-generator that smooths the stop-start system and adds a small assist; Toyota fits it to SR grades and above with the automatic, from $57,990 before on-roads for the SR 4x4 cab-chassis, according to CarExpert’s 2026 HiLux pricing. Fuel use is quoted at 7.1 to 7.6 L/100 km. The Foton Tunland runs a 48-volt system across its whole range, from $39,990 plus on-roads for the V7-C 4x2 to $49,990 for the V9-S 4x4, with a 2.0-litre diesel making 120 kW and 450 Nm, per the NRMA’s launch pricing report.

Do they count as hybrids? Technically, and that is all. Neither can move on electricity alone, neither charges from a wall, neither has V2L, and the fuel saving is a few per cent rather than the 80 to 90 per cent a plug-in hybrid owner sees on short trips. If you are searching for a hybrid ute because you want to cut fuel bills or run a worksite off the tray, these are not what you mean. If you want a diesel ute with marginally better economy and a smoother stop-start, they are fine.

How far does a plug-in hybrid ute go on electricity?

Less than the brochure. Every figure in the table is NEDC, the older and more generous test; the Shark 6 Performance’s 80 km is the only WLTP number among them. Australian reviewers routinely report 60 to 80 per cent of the claim in mixed driving, and much less at highway speed with a load. Plan on 70 to 90 km from a charged Cannon Alpha, 60 to 80 km from a Shark 6 or Hunter, and 35 to 40 km from a Ranger PHEV. That still covers most commutes, which is the point: charged overnight on an EV electricity plan, the petrol engine stays off all week.

Charging is the same as a small EV. All four take a Type 2 AC plug at home; our home charger guide covers the wallbox choice, though a 7 kW unit fills any of these batteries in a few hours and the Ranger’s in under two. On the road, the Shark 6, Cannon Alpha and Hunter accept DC fast charging through a CCS2 plug at 50 to 55 kW, which is slow by EV standards but enough for a top-up while you grab lunch. The Ranger PHEV cannot DC fast charge at all. Whether a DC stop is worth paying for at public charging rates is another question; with a petrol engine on board, most owners do not bother.

Can a plug-in hybrid ute tow?

Yes, and this is the main reason people buy one instead of an electric ute. The Cannon Alpha PHEV, Ranger PHEV and Hunter are all rated to 3,500 kg braked, the same as their diesel versions, and the Shark 6 Performance matches them. Our EV towing guide explains why towing roughly halves an electric ute’s range; a plug-in hybrid has the same physics on its battery but a petrol engine that refuels in five minutes, so a long tow is a petrol trip with electric help at the start.

Two caveats from the physics. A 2.5-tonne ute with a 30 kWh battery that goes flat 40 km into a tow will run the rest of the way on a turbocharged petrol four, and fuel use climbs well past the brochure figure; budget for petrol economy in the mid-teens L/100 km with a van on. And check gross combination mass, not just the tow rating: with the battery’s weight in the ute, several of these cannot carry a full payload and a 3,500 kg trailer at the same time. The maker’s spec sheet has the number; the dealer’s brochure usually does not.

Do hybrid utes qualify for the FBT exemption or any rebate?

No. Plug-in hybrids were dropped from the electric car FBT exemption on 1 April 2025, so a Shark 6 or Ranger PHEV on a new novated lease is taxed like a diesel; only battery electric and hydrogen cars still qualify, and our guide to when the FBT exemption ends covers the phase-down planned for those from 2027. State EV rebates have all closed, and most of them excluded plug-in hybrids anyway. Nor are plug-in hybrids in scope for the NSW road user charge at the full rate: NSW’s legislated charge bills them at 80 per cent of the electric rate from 2027.

What a plug-in hybrid ute does get is cheap running. On overnight power at around 8 cents a kilowatt-hour, 100 km of electric driving in a Cannon Alpha costs about $3; the same distance on petrol in the same ute costs five or six times that. For a tradie doing 60 km a day, that is a few thousand dollars a year, which is the honest financial case for one of these over a diesel.

Should you buy a plug-in hybrid ute or an electric ute?

Buy the plug-in hybrid if you tow heavy, tour remote Australia, or cannot charge at home or at the depot. Buy the electric ute if the ute comes home every night, the driving is suburban or back-to-base, and the FBT exemption or lower servicing matters to you; the KGM Musso EV at $60,000 drive-away and the Toyota HiLux BEV both sit in the same price band as the utes on this page. Our EV vs hybrid guide runs the general trade-offs, and the electric utes coming to Australia page tracks what might change the answer in 2027.

Which hybrid utes are coming next?

• Nissan Navara Pro PHEV, 2027. Confirmed for Australia: a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol plug-in hybrid co-developed with Dongfeng, about 300 kW and 800 Nm, 3,500 kg towing and a one-tonne payload target, with Australia and New Zealand the first right-hand-drive markets, per CarExpert. No price yet.
• Geely Riddara RD6. Sold as a battery EV in New Zealand, but Zecar reports Australia will get a plug-in hybrid version instead, with a 1.5-litre petrol engine and a battery of around 19 kWh. Geely Australia has not announced a date.
• Kia Tasman hybrid. Kia has said the Tasman will go hybrid, with a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol plug-in system discussed, but the electric version is off the table for now, as EV Central reported. No timing.
• Mitsubishi Triton. Mitsubishi says it is developing hybrid systems for the Triton and Pajero, with a conventional hybrid ahead of a plug-in and nothing dated.
• MG U9 PHEV. Mooted for 2027 alongside the diesel U9 now in showrooms and the U9 EV due by the end of 2026; nothing confirmed.

We check this page when a maker changes a price or confirms a model. Everything above was verified against the linked sources on 20 October 2026.