12 things we love about the BYD Shark 6

BYD’s Shark 6 is here – and there’s blood in the water of Australia’s dual-cab ute market. This new, 321kW plug-in hybrid competitor is taking bites out of sales of established dual-cab utes. In February 2025, the BYD Shark 6 was Australia’s third-best-selling dual-cab ute. 

With plenty of power and the potential to slash the daily running costs of a tradie’s business, or swallow up an entirely family in SUV-like space and comfort, the Shark 6 is winning buyers from Brisbane to Broome – and everywhere in between. 

Engineered and tested in Australia, spend a bit of time in one and it’s not hard to see why it’s winning favour with local buyers. In this article, we give you the 12 things we love most about BYD’s new Shark 6 plug-in hybrid dual-cab ute. 

The Shark 6’s electric-only range of up to 100km (NEDC), onboard 29.58kWh Blade battery and AC and DC recharging capability has the potential to save you some serious coin compared to a diesel dual-cab ute. 

Say you’re a tradie and you do 75km each day. With a home 7kW charger, you can recharge your Shark 6 each night and quickly offset the cost of the charger’s installation. An EV electricity plan with a midnight to 6 am rate of 8c/kWh, and using the Shark 6’s scheduled recharging feature, could give you 100km of range for approximately $2.50. 

To travel the same distance in an equivalent turbo-diesel four-cylinder ute at 7.9L/100km (combined) could cost you $10 or more at $1.75/litre. 

Do 75km a day for 200 business days and the Shark 6 will cost you approximately $500 in electricity. The diesel dual-cab ute? Something more like $2000. Over five years, the Shark 6, in this situation, could have saved you up to $7500 in diesel fuel alone, minus the initial couple of grand to install to 7kW wallbox. 

Charge the Shark 6 at work during the day, with the boss’s agreement, or use solar, and you’re laughing. And as a plug-in hybrid, so long as you can put 91RON unleaded in the tank, you can head bush up to 800km – with no worrying about where to plug it in. 

With its 5457mm length, 1971mm width and 3260mm wheelbase, there’s space on board – everywhere. A wide and large centre console separates the front passengers, while there’s plenty of leg room in the rear – and a proper back seat. The Shark 6 could comfortably swallow five adults. Out back, meanwhile, the long and deep tray can accept up to 1200 litres of whatever you want to throw at it, or in it.

We love the Shark 6’s switchgear that looks pinched from a supercar, the modern Thaumas Black upholstery with orange stitching on the seats and steering wheel, and the orange anodised trim around the air-vents – as well as the lovely, large 15.6-inch rotating infotainment display. Cleverly, the centre console is also designed such that you can easily sit a laptop, flush, over the transmission selector – a nice touch for those whose Shark 6 will double as an office. 

Despite its size, the Shark 6 feels smaller than it is – in the best possible way. The steering is light and the turning circle of 11.0 metres is surprisingly tight for a ute. The high-resolution, 360-degree top-down camera makes slotting into parking spots a breeze. And once you’re used to the instant, buttery-smooth punch of electric motors, it would be very difficult to go back to a turbo-diesel engine and conventional transmission.

In the first few weeks of owning a Shark 6, your phone’s camera roll may fill with images of it. The proportions are spot-on for a ute, from the short front overhang to the long wheelbase and long rear overhang. We love the squared-off wheel arches, blacked-out glasshouse pillars and full-width LED exterior lighting, front and rear. There’s just something about how this ute looks. BYD has done a great job of the design. 

If you’re not prepared, the Shark 6’s power will initially shock you. With 321kW and 650Nm instantly available from its dual permanent magnet synchronous electric motors, this dual-cab ute can sprint from zero to 100km/h in just 5.7 seconds. But it feels even faster. The torque arrives instantly and there’s seamless all-wheel-drive traction. Somewhat addictive? Definitely. 

The Shark 6’s electric motors mean its powertrain is quiet, smooth and refined, while the ride quality is very refined. Most dual-cab utes employ a solid rear-axle and leaf springs – not ideal for comfort. The Shark uses double-wishbone independent rear suspension with coil springs. That gives it a lovely, long-travel ride quality like a family SUV, rather than one of a light commercial vehicle. On a long trip, the Shark 6 has terrific touring ability – helped in no small part by its superb ADAS adaptive cruise control. 

With the BYD app you can lock and unlock your Shark 6 from anywhere (provided both yourself and the vehicle have mobile reception), flash the headlights, check the charge status, tyre pressures – even pre-heat or pre-cool the interior before you get in. This can be scheduled in the BYD app using ‘shore’ power (when the car is still connected to a charger), maximising the battery charge for range. 

Even though it’s a relatively new vehicle in the Australian market, BYD offers an extensive range of quality optional accessories to help you make your Shark 6 one-of-a-kind. They include two bull bar options, a 42-inch roof-mounted light bar, nine-inch driving lights, sport rims, factory-fitted all-terrain tyres, roof racks, cargo covers and canopies. Ceramic window tint is available ,as well as four colours: from Great White to Tidal Black, Deep Sea Blue and Outback Orange. 

The Shark 6 can get you to the campsite with its 230mm ground clearance, 700mm maximum wading depth, all-wheel-drive and four terrain modes – but then it has the power, literally, to run your setup when you arrive. Vehicle-to-load functionality means there is one 230-volt, 10-amp household wall socket for the back seat, and three in the tray. These allow you to use the Shark 6’s onboard battery pack as a giant portable powerbank, running lights, hair dryers, toasters, kettles, coffee machines to TVs – whatever creature comforts you weren’t willing to leave at home. A battery “save” function means you can charge the Shark 6 and instruct it to maintain battery capacity until you reach where you’re going. 

While other modern voice control systems are laggy, sound like you’re talking to a robot from about 2005, and can’t even understand the most basic instructions, the Shark 6 rapidly responds to “hey, BYD” and quickly executes myriad functions. For something like setting the driver’s seat heater, it is so effective. Easy and quick enough that you’ll prefer to use your voice rather than the central touchscreen – letting you keep your eyes on the road. 

The list of standard equipment for the $57,900 price is very impressive. You get LED headlights and tail-lights, 18-inch wheels, head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a 50-watt wireless phone charger, eight-way electric driver’s seat (four-way passenger), genuine leather steering wheel, synthetic leather-feel upholstery, 12-speaker Dynaudio premium stereo, DAB+ digital radio… and that’s barely scratching the surface. 

You get the latest in modern automotive safety that netted the Shark 6 a five-star ANCAP safety rating. There are more than 30 active safety features alone. 

The plug-in hybrid powertrain, 15.6-inch central screen, all-wheel-drive, 2.5-tonne braked towing capacity (enough for most people) complete what is a substantial amount of high-tech ute for your hard-earned dollar. 

Now’s the time to get into your Shark 6 and appreciate these 12 things for yourself. BYD is offering ABN holders a 1.99 per cent finance rate on new Shark 6 purchases with a $0 deposit and 36-month term. But hurry, offer ends June 30.