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The Northern Territory Police Force has confirmed it is currently trialling three Kia Tasmans and has given the new ute a favourable review.
The Kia Tasman has gained police stripes in the Northern Territory, potentially an Australian first, in a trial to assess the new ute's capabilities.
The NT Police Force has confirmed it is currently trialling three Kia Tasman utes – a rear-wheel-drive S dual-cab and two four-wheel-drive S dual-cabs – for its general duties and transport divisions.
Across the Northern Territory, the police force currently uses Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger dual-cab diesel vehicles in a similar capacity.
An NT Police Force spokesperson said Kia's new ute was initially "evaluated on a closed road circuit using the 4x2 Tasman S" before the three-car trial commenced in "local urban areas of the Northern Territory".
"The vehicle demonstrated strong overall performance, with handling and body roll comparable to other diesel dual-cab models," the spokesperson said.
"It achieved a top speed of 165km/h with consistent acceleration and smooth gear changes, particularly in sequential mode. Interior space was noted as generous.
"Overall, the Tasman delivered a solid performance aligned with expectations."
Modifications applied to the Tasman for police use include a high-visibility chequered band and police badging, a roof-mounted red-and-blue beacon light bar, and a bull-bar on the four-wheel-drive examples.
In December 2025, Kia Australia general manager of product planning Roland Rivero told Drive the brand anticipates growth in Tasman fleet sales this year, particularly for the 'S-series' grades, S, SX and SX+.
"[Private and retail customers are] predominantly selling in that X-Line, X-Pro category, but where we see work that needs to be done is in the fleet space," Rivero said.
"We're working through that; various fleet evaluation vehicles are on loan at the moment with numerous fleets, and we're working towards establishing those relationships and turning them into units sold in 2026.
"We anticipate that there will be some growth, particularly in the fleet side of it, particularly on the S-series in 2026."
For 2026, Kia Australia has wound back its annual sales goal of 20,000 for the Tasman as it works to build awareness of its first ute in a "fragmented" and "growing" ute market.
The initial order of 13 vehicles in 2024 replaced a mix of Kia Stingers, Volkswagen Passats and previous-generation Subaru WRXs.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
