2026 BYD Shark 6 review
In a feat that would make even the formidable shark from Jaws smile a malevolent grin, the BYD Shark 6 has taken a massive bite out of the Australian ute market.
Seemingly out of nowhere, BYD’s plug-in hybrid ute has found such a strong foothold with buyers that even class leaders like the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux are beginning to look nervously over their shoulders and swim for the shore. And now, BYD has expanded the Shark range with new variants that broaden its appeal even further. This is our first chance to drive them.
How much does BYD Shark 6 model cost?
The new BYD Shark 6 PHEV starts at $55,900 for the Dynamic Cab Chassis, with the mid-range Premium at $57,900 and the new Performance model, which comes with a larger engine, at $62,900. All prices are before on-road costs.
What is the BYD Shark 6 like inside?
Simultaneous softness and solidity, this is the strange and seemingly incompatible demand we make on the interiors of a big, gruff off-road ute – or what is increasingly described in Australia as a family car – like the newly updated BYD Shark 6.
A ute like this BYD must be capable of being all things at all times – or more likely a family hauler on weekdays and a rugged adventure machine at weekends – but it must also feel a bit classy and expensive inside, because you’re spending between $55,900 and $62,990 on one.
Sure enough, the Shark 6 has both hard and hard-wearing surfaces inside and softer, plush-touching ones to provide exactly the mix of luxury and toughness buyers are looking for.
The new, range-topping Performance version has done away with the more chunky central gear lever – creating more storage space in the centre console – by turning the shifter into a Mercedes-style stalk on the right of the steering wheel and, at first, this can cause a driver to go into neutral when they mean to indicate, but it’s one of those things you get used to. The extra storage is handy, and the Performance also has a more premium, sporty-feeling leather steering wheel.
The only real downside to the interior is the operating system for the touchscreen. It’s not terrible, but it’s also not what you’d call intuitive – try to set up your phone for the first time and what should be simple will leave you scratching your head, or banging the dash in frustration, for several minutes.
On the plus side, the seats, front and rear, are comfortable. We spent more than six hours in the Shark 6 over two days and never complained of numb bum or sore back.
What equipment does the BYD Shark 6 come with?
Base model buyers have to put up with a slightly smaller, 12.8-inch touchscreen but score standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED headlights and tail-lights, keyless entry, a wireless phone charger, dual-zone climate control, Vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability (very handy for charging your tools on site) and Mud/Sand/Snow Drive modes for off-roading.
The practical, tradie-friendly Dynamic Cab Chassis can also be partnered with an approved tray from Ironman 4x4, which features eight integrated tie-down points and two handy lockable storage boxes, one of which houses the V2L outlet. It’s 1679mm long, 1809mm wide and 259mm high, costs $5000 (plus around $1000 for fitting) and looks and feels sturdy.
Step up to the Shark 6 Premium and you’ll enjoy the 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen, heated and ventilated front seats, a genuine leather steering wheel, 18-inch alloy wheels and privacy glass.
Later this year, the Premium will score the Shark’s clever new Crawl Mode, which improves the vehicle’s ability to climb every mountain, no matter how slippery, and is, of course, already standard on the Performance model that tops the range, which also adds a “Mountain” mode to the off-load menu and the ability to receive OTA software updates. The more notable upgrades for the Performance are the bigger engine and improved tow rating, see below.
How safe is the BYD Shark 6?
The 2026 BYD Shark 6 comes with the maximum 5-star ANCAP safety rating and is the first plug-in hybrid ute to achieve such a score, thanks to its full suite of ADAS technology, and seven airbags, all of which come standard across the entire range.
— Stephen Corby
What powers the BYD Shark 6?
No matter which variant you choose, the Shark 6 is a plug-in hybrid, or PHEV, and remains a groundbreaking offering in the ute class, and one that can offer impressive fuel economy, depending on how religiously you recharge it, which makes it look increasingly attractive as diesel and petrol prices remain volatile.
Both the Dynamic and the Premium come with what BYD likes to call DMO, or Dual Motor Offroad (it does sound more impressive than PHEV), which means a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that combines with a 29.6kWh BYD Blade battery and dual electric motors (one on each axle, providing all-wheel drive) for a total output of 321kW and 650Nm.
You can drive this version of the Shark for 100km in weirdly wonderful silent EV mode, while the combined range is 800km. Claimed fuel economy is just 2L/100km on the official NEDC rating.
The official braked towing is rated at 2500kg, with a 250kg towball download, and a 5750kg GCM.
Despite the Dynamic Cab Chassis being the theoretical workhorse of the range, if you want to tow more, you’ll have to step up to the Performance, which adds a bigger 2.0-litre engine to the same PHEV set-up, and is thus able to two up to 3500kg braked (350kg towball download and 6650kg GCM).
That’s thanks to the Performance having more power and torque from the bigger petrol engine, up to 350kW and 700Nm. It’s also a smidge faster, with a zero to 100km/h time of 5.5 seconds, compared to 5.7 for the lesser two models.
The downside is, it only has the same battery and motors, and is hauling more engine, so you’ll only get 80km of pure EV range, 640km of combined range, and yet still a quite incredible fuel economy rating of just 1.3L/100km.
Considering the price difference is not great, the Performance looks, and drives, like the pick of the bunch, unless you need the Cab Chassis setup for work. The Dynamic variant has a maximum base payload of 900kg, by the way, which applies before a tray or service body is fitted, so really more like 800kg.
What is the BYD Shark 6 like to drive?
This is a refresh rather than an all-new BYD 6 Shark, so a lot of what we already knew about this hip-pocket friendly fuel-miser family off-road PHEV ute still applied – it’s a surprisingly good thing to drive, and the silent-running option really turns it into something special.
The criticism of the original Shark 6 was that it is a little lacking at the rough and ready end of the off-roading scale, and BYD is determined to counter that with the addition (at least in the Performance variant, for now) of the new Crawl Mode.
The old Shark could struggle up steep inclines and on really challenging surfaces, but Crawl Mode – operated through the screen and operational only up to 12km/h, so it really is crawling – kicks the petrol engine into action and uses cleverly calibrated software to apply torque to the wheel where it’s needed.
We put it through its paces on some properly steep and slippery climbs and found that it makes climbing steep things almost ridiculously easy. You just maintain constant pressure on the throttle, point it at the sky, occasionally grimace a bit in fear, and the Shark works it out for you.
It’s a bit like Hill Descent Assist, but in reverse, and while it would sometimes pause and think its way through a situation, we never stumped it.
Mountains aside, we also did some reasonably hairy mud plugging and general off-roading and what I noticed and appreciated most was just how nice it can be to crawl and creep gently through deep bushland in silent EV-only mode. Put down the windows and you can actually commune with nature, a bit, as the sounds of birds chirping reach your ears, instead of the more typical clattering and coughing of a diesel engine.
The other criticism the new 2.0-litre engine Performance version tackles is a lack of towing toughness, with the new variant now rated for a full 3500kg load. We were encouraged to tow both a good-sized caravan and a trailer with a digger on the back, each around 2.7 tonnes and, around a closed circuit, to accelerate hard with the load on the rear, and then to try emergency braking from 80km/h, as well as swerving between cones.
While this was all mildly terrifying, the Shark 6 stood up to each test and felt barely strained at all with those loads on the back (although fuel economy obviously rose and silent running was less of an option as it was all power sources on deck for maximum torque).
We also had a go at driving the Cab Chassis version with and without a load and, with 400kg on the back, it really is a much improved and impressive ute than without any weight on board.
Controversially, BYD has chosen a double wishbone suspension setup, front and rear, instead of the more typical ute option of leaf springs. Some will say this means it’s not tough, I would say it means it rides far better and is less likely to leap and chatter around. The Shark 6 is, quite simply, more car like in terms of ride than its rivals, and, let’s face it, the road, rather than the outback, is where most will be driven, most of the time.
It’s also worth mentioning how impressive it is on the sealed stuff in general, with genuinely good steering, a commendable lack of body roll and, thanks to those electric motors, some proper overtaking punch when you need it.
The NRMA’s take on the BYD Shark 6
It’s no sports car, obviously, and no Ford Ranger Raptor, either, but you really do have to park your presumptions about what a Chinese car company is capable of delivering, because the BYD Shark 6, particularly with the new 2.0-litre engine on board, is a properly impressive ute. And the PHEV, or Dual Motor Offroad, setup really takes it to another level, and value equation.
Pros
- Off-roading in silent EV mode surprisingly pleasant, and capable
- Tows a caravan with ease
- Fuel economy hugely tempting
Cons
- Operating system for screen not great, and possibly annoying
- You need to be anally retentive to achieve claimed fuel figures
- Losing 20km of EV-only range by choosing the Performance model
