2026 Suzuki eVitara review: Australian first drive

Suzuki is one of the last major Japanese brands to launch an electric vehicle, opting for mild-hybrid technology to keep emissions down in its range of small vehicles in the interim.

However, the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is making it incredibly difficult for any high-volume, low-cost brand to survive in Australia.

While the Vitara is now wildly different from the car it was when it was released in 1988, it’s one of the most historic nameplates still alive in the small SUV segment. It has seen everything from four-cylinders, V6s, petrol or diesel, mild-hybrids, full-hybrid (overseas models), and now, finally, a full-electric powertrain.

That said, the nameplate is all the eVitara shares with the historic model, as it’s not considered a new generation. Rather, it is an all-new model to be sold alongside the petrol-powered Vitara.

Whereas other brands will offer cars as an electric and a petrol-powered option, or offer several different powertrain options within the same chassis, the eVitara utilises its own construction with an entirely different external style, entirely different interior, and even different dimensions.

It certainly looks like an interesting proposition, but the car has entered into a fierce market of Chinese players and historic brands that have a wealth of experience in the electric segment.

So, has it got enough to keep up with the big players?

Suzuki Australia has not released pricing for the eVitara as of yet, but we do know that the model will be offered in two trim levels: an entry-level Motion and top-spec Ultra.

Core differences between the two will be a larger battery, an additional motor for the rear axle to make the vehicle all-wheel drive, and more power.

Getting more into the nitty-gritty, the Motion is a front-wheel-drive full electric car with power figures of 106kW/193Nm, sporting a 49kWh battery with a claimed WLTP range of 344km.

The Ultra sees the battery pack upgraded to 61kWh, ups the power to 135kW/307Nm while powering all four wheels, and has a WLTP claim of 395km.

Suzuki does not quote a DC maximum charge rate in its specifications, but claims both batteries can charge 10 to 80 per cent in around 45 minutes, which would mean that the Motion has a max rate of around 50kW, and 70kW for the Ultra's larger battery.

Paying extra for the top spec will get you LED fog lights, a glass roof, additional drive modes, an Infinity premium audio system, a wireless charging pad, a synthetic interior, heated front-row seats, an electrically adjustable driver's seat, adaptive high beams, and hill descent control.

Everything else is the same across the board: you get a 10.25-inch full-colour instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic climate control, a 360-degree camera, and a full safety suite with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring.

Pricing is yet to be announced for the model, but using the pricing structure in the UK, we are expecting the model to land between $43,000 and $53,000 drive-away and will be available for purchase in June 2026.

Opening the door to the eVitara offers a much nicer experience than the petrol-powered counterpart. It's hard not to use it as an example, but for a projected price increase of under $10,000 for the electric model, it's an impressive increase in just overall fit and finish.

Whereas Suzuki has historically dressed its cars in hard plastic across the dash, door panels, and centre console, the eVitara has added trims for a soft-touch feel and even ambient interior lighting.

The centre console has the same design structure that a lot of Chinese vehicles are following now, which is a design that was initially borrowed from German cars. A nice tall divider between passenger and driver, applying all the buttons you need within easy reach, rather than needing to bend down to tap anything.

A storage section underneath the centre console provides a good hidey-hole for all of the charging ports, which consist of a USB-A connection port, USB-C charging slot, and 12-volt socket.

While piano black looks great for a car interior, it gets grubby quite quickly, especially on a hot day. Suzuki has applied it to the window switch panel and that aforementioned centre console. Around half a second after shutting the door, my arms had already smudged both of these panels.

Both models utilise cloth for the centre of the seat. I almost miss having a fabric interior with the growing trend of packing fake leather into nearly every car. It just feels more homely and comfortable when compared to an obvious faux material.

Climate buttons, drive modes, and audio adjusters are all clearly marked and laid out to negate the need to search through the menu, while the gear selector is a funky yet satisfying dial in the middle.

The screen works well when it comes to connecting and staying connected to Apple CarPlay, but it suffers from the same lag as other Suzuki models. This would get frustrating quickly when changing a song while driving, or navigating information screens.

The full-colour instrument cluster looks great, but it’s really strange when you look at it long enough to realise it’s not in line with the centre infotainment. It’s a wider display that sits much lower than the top of the centre screen, despite being connected by the one plastic surround.

Moving to the second row, you have enough space to seat two adults with mild comfort, although I wouldn’t expect anything hugely comfortable for extended periods considering this is a small SUV. Both the front and rear rows have their head room eaten into by the glass roof found in the Ultra model.

The second row slides forward and back to improve comfort for long-legged passengers. Adjusting back eats into an already small boot, however. Boot size starts at 244 litres with the seats all the way back and 310L with them forward in the front-wheel drive, while the all-wheel drive sees 238L and 306L respectively.

Even with the seats adjusted all the way forward, it’s very small and comparable in size to hatchbacks such as the MG 3 and Hyundai i20 N. Suzuki has contained all the running gear under the bonnet, so there is no additional front storage space.

The Vitara has always been this easy and approachable car to drive. It’s small but has a touch more ground clearance and height over a hatchback, which seems to be what makes a car confidence-inspiring to drive for new licence holders in 2026.

Not only this, but even though the Vitara has always been a bit lacklustre when its equipment is compared to other cars in the same segment, it has always clawed its way back in the way that it drives.

The eVitara is no different: light, nimble and simple are the best three adjectives for it. Made even better by the fact that the electric motor makes this car a lot more lively than the petrol-powered one it shares its name with.

The steering is seriously light, to the point where I could probably steer it with my pinky, yet it still provides enough feedback so it doesn’t feel like you’re steering with a joystick.

Despite weighing 1860kg (1700kg for the front-wheel drive), the suspension feels floaty and comfortable. It’s something that Chinese brands haven’t really figured out yet, instead being crashy and harsh over bumps.

At first, I thought maybe the road was just paved nicely, but seeking out potholes and harsh roads provided the same floaty feeling that seems to glide the wheels over whatever you throw at it.

The reason why Chinese brands haven’t seemed to figure this out yet, is that the handling of those vehicles tends to be a little more pointed than what I discovered in the eVitara. Yes, it floats over bumps, but it also floats through turns with a fair bit of movement and body roll.

If you want to get really technical, on a closed-course slalom it tends to push all its weight onto the front outside wheel, then lift the rear wheels, losing the rear end a little bit when switching sides. Obviously, I'm pushing the car much harder than a customer would, in this environment Suzuki designed for the launch, but a swerve test is important for dodging debris and wildlife.

With that being said, the computers and driver assistance do a good job of keeping the car in line. Still, the overall suspension experience isn’t overly inspiring, but for someone commuting around the city or even doing intercity travel, it does a really good job of maintaining comfort.

When entering the SUV market, one of the things to consider is the turning circle, especially for those coming from a hatchback. The eVitara has a tiny 10.4m width. In layman's terms, it can do a U-turn on a dime, which makes the whole experience a whole lot less daunting.

In terms of the driver assistance systems, if you’re coming from a Korean or Chinese car, you’d know how overbearing speed warnings and other driver monitoring systems can be. Still, the Suzuki doesn’t seem to unduly interrupt if you make a small mistake, or if it thinks you're speeding – just a polite reminder.

The lane assist, combined with the adaptive cruise control, does a good job of keeping you in the lane. It didn’t get confused or jerk too hard into the centre of the lane.

Suzuki said it wanted to keep the off-road capabilities of the standard Vitara despite a new form of propulsion, so we did get a chance to drive the new eVitara on some off-road sections, mainly small clay mounds and some off-camber mud tracks.

The Vitara has always been marketed as this dual-sport vehicle. Not exactly an off-roader like the Jimny, but it has the ability to tackle dirt tracks and the odd poor-access road to a campsite.

It does a good job of handling these light off-road moments, despite rainfall having turned the clay into a slip-and-slide. The all-wheel-drive Ultra has an electrically-simulated differential locker that clamps the brakes on wheels losing traction, sending power to the other side of the axle.

Obviously, you’re not going to be taking this thing to a 4WD park, but if you’re on a beach or similar loose surface, it will perform better than a vehicle that has not been programmed with a similar system. It’s enough to get you out of trouble if you happen to take the wrong line through the soft stuff.

A concern I have with the electric version is the battery location. When tackling some steeper off-road sections, you can hear the undercarriage scrape up against the ground right where the battery is.

I’m sure Suzuki has considered undercarriage protection, but a punctured battery is a scary prospect as it can cause thermal runaway.

The eVitara is an awesome first attempt at an electric car from Suzuki. It makes sense and the range is decent for a car of this size – it’s just seemingly let down by its DC charge rate, which will really eat into your travel time.

It's entering a market of Chinese vehicles that will likely undercut this car. Even if Suzuki priced it the same as a petrol Vitara, it would still be beaten by brands such as Leapmotor and BYD.

The interior packaging is excellent when compared to other cars in the Suzuki range, but it's beaten in materials and infotainment by other, more established EVs in this segment.

Still, the short time I spent in the car provided a comfortable and basic drive, meaning you don’t need to be some sort of EV expert to jump behind the wheel.

We will need to wait until pricing comes out and we can do range/charging tests before I can give an opinion on whether or not you should buy this car, and there are positives and negatives to its Australian-market introduction.

For the time being, it's capable of traditional Suzuki strengths (off-road ability, practical interior), but it might just fall down on its EV proposition.

Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.

Read more about Zane Dobie