Chery Stockman vs BYD Shark 6

The Shark 6 has a number you can act on: $57,900 drive-away for the Premium (with a cheaper Dynamic cab-chassis below it and a hotter Performance above). The Stockman has no price yet, with Chery only confirming it will be priced competitively against the Shark 6. Until that lands, the BYD is the one you can actually order and budget for.

On running costs both claim a headline 2.0L/100km, which only holds if you charge regularly. The Stockman's diesel range-extender should be the cheaper, longer-legged option when you tow or head bush with a flat battery; the Shark 6's petrol system is the cheaper bet around town. Both back themselves with long warranties, the Stockman at 7 years unlimited kilometres and the Shark 6 at 6 years/150,000km.

Here the Shark 6 has a clear, present advantage: it carries a 5-star ANCAP rating from 2025, with the full suite of active-safety features. The Stockman is untested by ANCAP because it has not launched, so its rating is genuinely unknown until local testing happens. Chery says the Stockman's driver-assist (ADAS) systems are being tuned locally for Australian roads, which is encouraging, but a tuning promise is not a star rating.

For now, if a confirmed safety result matters to you today, the Shark 6 is the known quantity. We will update the Stockman the moment ANCAP publishes a result.

The Stockman leans into rugged-luxury: suede on the dash, door cards and roof lining, leather seats front and rear, heated and ventilated front seats, wireless charging, dual-zone climate and a premium sound system. Off-road it is the more hardcore of the two, with triple diff locks (front, centre and rear), crawl control, a tight-turn assist, all-terrain tyres as standard and a double-wishbone front / leaf-spring rear setup built for load and dirt.

The Shark 6 is more lifestyle-focused: a big rotating touchscreen, vehicle-to-load power for running tools and appliances, and a comfortable, car-like on-road feel. Its AWD system is capable on dirt and in the wet, but it lacks the Stockman's low-range gearing and locking diffs, so it is less suited to serious low-speed rock and mud work.

This is a battle of two plug-in philosophies. The Chery Stockman uses a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel as the heart of a Super Hybrid system, paired with an electric motor for a combined 350kW and 800Nm. Chery claims it is the first diesel plug-in hybrid in a ute anywhere, and the logic is built for Australia: diesel torque and range for towing and the outback, electric drive for the daily commute, with up to 100km of electric-only running (NEDC) before the diesel even fires.

The BYD Shark 6 takes the petrol route. A 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine works mostly as a generator alongside dual electric motors for a combined 321kW and 650Nm, sent to all four wheels. It is properly quick for a ute, with a claimed 5.7-second 0-100km/h that the diesel Stockman is unlikely to match. But the Shark 6 is tuned more for performance and refinement than heavy-duty work.

Both quote a remarkable 2.0L/100km combined, which assumes you keep the battery topped up. Tow a heavy trailer with a flat battery and the diesel Stockman should hold its economy and range better than the petrol Shark 6, which is the entire point of Chery choosing diesel.