3 days ago
11
Here is every new or updated model eligible for the Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Dual-Cab Ute Under $100K category.
Drive Car of the Year 2025
Now in its 20th year, the annual Drive Car of the Year awards program continues to be the Australian new car buyer’s most-trusted advisor.
At Drive, we test drive more than 200 new cars every year, evaluating each against its innate promise to sort the best from the rest. We divide the 400-plus new passenger cars, SUVs, 4WDs and utes into 19 price-banded categories focused on the end-user. Then we analyse the strengths and weaknesses of every car to find the cream of the automotive crop.
Drive Car of the Year 2025 is a go!
Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Dual-Cab Ute Under $100K
If medium SUVs are the cars that Australians need, dual-cab utes are the cars that they want. The tough-truck aesthetic has been all the rage over the past decade and the trend continues strong in 2025.
Cars such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux continually top local sales charts, only occasionally beaten by Toyota's RAV4 medium SUV. In 2023, the Ford Ranger was the country's best-selling vehicle outright.
So it's no secret that Aussies love the blend of the highly practical, carry-all, do-everything dual-cab ute. Gone are the days when these utilitarian vehicles were filled with just the bare necessities – they're now as leather-laden and tech-forward as you'll find in high-end SUVs.
Those comforts extend to a refined unladen ride comfort, smoother powertrains, and as much tech and safety as you’ll find in passenger cars. For lots of buyers, these vehicles just do everything they’ll ever want or need all rolled into the one vehicle.
Combine this sumptuous comfort with unflinching off-road abilities, and it's not hard to see why we love the dual-cab ute Down Under.
Not to mention, many owners will be able to take advantage of the tax benefits provided by a car than car do work and play in equal measures.
In all, for a dual-cab ute to feature at the pointy end of our Best Dual-Cab Ute Under $100K award it needs to offer uncompromising off-road ability, a sturdy powertrain, and impressive technology to keep occupants occupied on the open road.
As well, buyers of cars in this category are willing to spend a bit more money, so premium cabin materials and copious features become more important.
The Ford Ranger has won this category the last two times it's been run as part of Drive Car of the Year. It has impressed judges for its blend of technology, high level of safety, and excellent dynamic ability. It's invited back to defend its crown in 2025 and it'll be a tough one to dethrone.
Its competitors range from Chinese offerings such as the GWM Cannon Alpha, to conventional alternatives such as the updated Mitsubishi Triton and Isuzu D-Max. The Mitsubishi Triton has come in for a major product overhaul which included new technology, a new engine, and vastly updated interior.
Meanwhile, the Isuzu D-Max has undergone incremental product tweaks that add up to a substantially better model than was introduced to Australia in 2020.
One of the country's favourite offerings, the Toyota HiLux, has been updated with new mild-hybrid powertrains, which is enough to cement another entry for this ageing nameplate. Alongside the HiLux, the recently overhauled LandCruiser 70 Series and its four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic also slot into the segment.
It’s going to be a close call this year, whichever way you look at it.
Which cars are eligible for this category?
Drive’s rules require that, for a car to be eligible, it must:
Unfortunately, there were some cars that couldn't make it for this year's running. The new plug-in hybrid BYD Shark 6 seems like an alluring vehicle, but it simply launched too late in 2024 for Drive judges to effectively test.
That said, we look forward to welcoming the BYD Shark 6 back for next-year's running.
As well, the price bands of some model ranges extend beyond our $100,000 barrier. In this case, only the variants with retail prices less than $50,000 are considered worthy of the Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Dual-Cab Ute Under $100K category.
| Contenders | Not here in time |
| – Cars that are all-new or significantly updated since they last contested Drive Car of the Year. – New categories are open to all cars that fit category requirements. – Last year’s winner is an automatic inclusion. | – These cars meet category requirements, but are not due to arrive in time for Drive Car of the Year 2025 judging. |
| BYD Shark 6 Ford Ranger (defending) GWM Canon Alpha Isuzu D-Max Mitsubishi Triton Toyota Hilux MHEV Toyota LandCruiser | None |
The winner of the Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Dual-Cab Ute Under $100K will be announced in February 2025.
Before then, we will announce the finalists, all of which deliver on the buyer’s expectations for cost-effective urban motoring. One thing is certain: this category promises to be one of the toughest confronting our experienced judges.
Read more:
Tom started out in the automotive industry by exploiting his photographic skills but quickly learned journalists got the better end of the deal. With tenures at CarAdvice, Wheels Media, and now Drive, Tom's breadth of experience and industry knowledge informs a strong opinion on all things automotive. At Drive, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.
