BYD Shark 6 vs Toyota HiLux

The Shark 6 Premium is $57,900 against $65,990 for the HiLux SR5 4x4 V-Active, an $8,090 saving for the BYD. The HiLux range does open at $33,990, but that buys a WorkMate, not the SR5 compared here. The bigger story is running costs. If you can charge at home and keep daily trips inside the Shark's ~100km of electric range, a lot of your driving runs on cheap electricity, and you only burn petrol on longer hauls and while towing. Its official 2.0L/100km combined figure assumes a charged battery, so treat it as a best case, not an everyday number.

The HiLux is a conventional diesel at a claimed 7.2L/100km, helped by its new 48V V-Active mild-hybrid system, so figure on roughly $2,050 a year in fuel over 15,000km. The Shark can undercut that significantly for a home-charging commuter, but a Shark that's never plugged in will use far more than 2.0L/100km.

Warranty is line-ball, BYD's 6-year/150,000km against Toyota's 5-year/unlimited-kilometre cover, though Toyota's unlimited-km term suits high-distance drivers. And then there's resale: the HiLux has among the strongest residuals of any vehicle in Australia, a real cushion against its higher purchase price.

The BYD Shark 6 holds a current 5-star ANCAP rating (2024), with the full active-safety suite, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise, standard.

The latest HiLux is so new that its ANCAP rating was still pending in our data at the time of writing, so confirm the current rating before you buy. Toyota's safety hardware is comprehensive and well-proven, but if a confirmed 5-star rating today is essential, the Shark 6 currently has it locked in. Both seat five with ISOFIX points and both are heavy vehicles that carry a mass advantage in a crash, the Shark 6 especially so at 2,710kg.

The Shark 6 leans car-like and tech-rich, with a big rotating touchscreen, a plush cabin and the smooth, quiet refinement that comes from electric drive around town. It feels more like a premium SUV inside than a traditional work ute, which suits buyers using it as a dual-purpose family and lifestyle vehicle.

The HiLux is the known quantity: a hard-wearing, work-focused cabin, Toyota's proven switchgear and the deepest accessory and aftermarket ecosystem in the country, canopies, bull bars, drawer systems and trays for every trade. If you're kitting out a genuine work truck, nothing matches the HiLux support network.

On capability, both clear about 225–230mm of ground clearance and both have genuine 4WD hardware. The HiLux's lighter 2,180kg kerb weight (versus the Shark's 2,710kg) helps it on soft sand and tight tracks, while the Shark's instant electric torque makes low-speed crawling effortless.

On paper it's no contest. The Shark 6's plug-in hybrid system makes a combined 321kW and 650Nm, more than double the HiLux's 150kW and 500Nm, and rips to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds against the HiLux's 10.2. With instant electric torque, the Shark feels genuinely fast in a way no diesel ute can match, loaded or not.

But towing is where the HiLux strikes back, and it's the decisive blow for many buyers. The HiLux tows the full 3,500kg braked; the much heavier Shark 6 is capped at 2,500kg. That 1,000kg difference rules the Shark out for big caravans and heavy trailers. If your idea of a ute includes hauling a 3-tonne van to the coast, the HiLux is the one that's legal and comfortable doing it.

So the engines tell two different stories: the Shark 6 wins on outright performance and running costs for a charge-at-home commuter, while the HiLux wins on towing capacity and the relaxed, proven diesel torque that tradies and tourers rely on.