2025 BYD Shark 6 review: Can the first PHEV ute take the workhorse fight to the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux?
The BYD Shark 6 does ute very differently.
You get that as soon as you take off.
Instead of a grumbly diesel engine and some initial laziness as a turbo spins up the Shark 6 eases away near silently – and with the sort of low speed pull that electric motors do so well.
That’s because it is electric motors doing all the work to shift the dual-cab ute.
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The Shark 6 – which was initially simply called Shark but has adopted “6” to allow for more Shark utes in the BYD family – has two motors, one front, one rear.
There’s also a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo engine, but for the most part it acts as a generator to create electricity and extend the range of the 29.58kWh battery. Above about 70km/h the engine can also drive the wheels directly.
So instead of being limited to about 80km of range – it can be recharged from a home wallbox in about 4.5 hours – the Shark 6 can travel up to 800km utilising its 60-litre fuel tank.
Crucially, once the battery has been depleted and the Shark 6 is running in hybrid mode it’s claimed to use about 7.9 litres of premium unleaded per 100km.
That’s close to the combined claimed average fuel use of the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux, although around town those two diesel utes will use more.
2025 BYD Shark 6 PHEV ute: Price and equipment
Clearly the Shark 6 will be tempting for those wanting to lower their ute running costs – and businesses keen to lower their environmental footprint.
The Shark 6 looks set to become the first plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) ute to hit the market when first deliveries kick off in December. There are more coming, including the Ford Ranger PHEV and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV.
It’ll initially be offered as a Shark 6 Premium. Pricing is yet to be set but is expected to kick off at around $60,000, meaning it’ll be priced against fairly basic versions of the top selling utes.
Yet it’ll come with a high level of standard gear, including heated, ventilated and electrically adjustable front seats, a head-up display, smart key entry with the ability to use your phone as the key, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 15.6-inch central infotainment screen incorporating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The faux leather trim does a good job of looking like the real thing and red highlights and stitching in the cabin livens up the quality dark materials that make for an upmarket ute cabin.
2025 BYD Shark 6 PHEV ute: What we think
While compelling EV utes are on the way, for now a PHEV allows owners to do their everyday driving solely on electricity but with the back-up of petrol for longer journeys and maximum thrust.
That’s something the Shark 6 isn’t lacking.
Between the two motors and one engine there’s a full 321kW and 650Nm. That’s plenty more than the big players – think Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger – albeit tempered by its overall mass.
The Shark 6 weighs 2710kg, hundreds more than rival utes.
Still, it should leave those big players in the rear vision mirror when taking off from a standstill.
Through corners, too, the Shark 6 plays with the pointy end of town in terms of ute dynamics.
While there’s a ladder frame architecture incorporating a battery pack between the chassis rails it also has independent double wishbone suspension front and rear as well as coil springs.
That’s a big departure from the leaf spring, live axle rear-end commonplace on utes.
To be fair, our drive was brief and limited to the apron of an airfield, almost entirely devoid of bumps – and the corners were made up.
But it was enough to learn that the Shark 6 is well behaved when called on to change directions quickly.
Sure, it leans on its front wheels when you step up the pace, but 18-inch Continental tyres help keep things in check and there’s respectable body control.
Crucially, it underwent extensive testing and development in Australia using both BYD and independent Australian engineers.
Elsewhere, the BYD Shark 6 has plenty to lIke.
The bold look of the exterior flows through to the cabin where there’s loads of space. In the back seat there’s good head and legroom and enough space under the front seats for big feet.
There is one area the Shark 6 lags its heavy hitting rivals: what it can carry.
The payload is 790kg, which is towards the lower end for a highly specified ute.
And its towing capacity is 2500kg, a full tonne behind most utes.
2025 BYD Shark 6 PHEV ute: Verdict
Still, if BYD can keep the price of the Shark 6 below $60,000 – pricing is set to be announced on October 29 – it could providing an interesting eco-focussed alternative to the big sellers.
The one thing the BYD Shark 6 doesn’t have is a reputation, nor decades of owners to spruik its credentials. That can only come with time.
But being able to use it as an EV for everyday running around while having petrol as a back-up for longer trips will no doubt appeal to some.
And those early adopters look set to be buying a ute that has plenty to offer.
BYD Shark 6 price and equipment
Price: From about $60,000
Basics: PHEV, 5 seats, 4 doors, Ute, AWD
Range: About 80km (EV only), about 800km (electric and petrol)
Battery capacity: 29.58kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km
Energy consumption: TBA (EV consumption), 7.9L/100km fuel use in hybrid mode
Motors: 1 front and 1 rear; 321kW/650Nm (combined outputs)
AC charging: 7kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 55kW, CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: 5.7 seconds
