2026 Kia Tasman: Driveaway Prices Slashed By Up to $13,000 as Kia Hits the Panic Button

Image credit: Kia Australia

Kia has blinked. Twelve months after the Tasman rolled into Australian showrooms as the brand's first ute, Kia Australia has just lopped up to $13,000 off the driveaway price across the dual cab pickup range, with the flagship X-Pro now landing at $64,990 driveaway. That is roughly $15,000 under a similarly equipped Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 in most states, and the first time a fresh-from-the-factory full-spec Tasman has cost less than the diesel HiLux SR5 driveaway. The catch: the campaign expires 30 June 2026, so this is an EOFY rescue mission, not a permanent reset.

The story behind the numbers is the part Kia wants you to skip. By the end of April the Tasman had moved 1,658 units, against an internal annual target north of 20,000. That is roughly a quarter of plan, in a segment where the Ranger and HiLux clear that volume in a fortnight. So Kia has done the obvious thing: pinned the entry S 4x2 at its existing $42,990 driveaway, then thrown the kitchen sink at the upper grades where the metal is sitting. If you have been circling a tradie-spec Tasman, the maths just rewrote itself.

The New Driveaway Ladder

Kia Australia is now publishing national driveaway pricing rather than the launch list pricing plus state on-roads. That makes it cleaner to read but harder to compare against rivals who still quote MLP. Here is the full ladder at the time of writing.

The entry S 4x2 keeping its $42,990 sticker is deliberate. That price gives Kia the headline it wanted at launch and aligns with the fleet rate card. The interesting tier is the SX+ at $54,990 driveaway, which is loaded enough for private buyers and now lines up almost dollar-for-dollar with a base diesel HiLux SR. Above that, the X-Line and X-Pro have moved from premium-priced curiosities into the heart of the market.

Powertrain and Specification

Nothing under the bonnet has changed with the price cut. Every Tasman dual cab pickup runs the same Hyundai-Kia 2.2-litre R-family bi-turbo diesel four-cylinder, paired with an 8-speed torque converter automatic. Four-wheel drive is part-time on SX and SX+, and a two-speed transfer case with a 4A automatic mode is standard from X-Line up.

The standout numbers are the 800mm wading depth and 252mm ground clearance on the X-Pro, both genuine class-leading figures. Approach (32.2 degrees) and departure (26.2 degrees) angles edge out the Ranger Wildtrak by a hair and put real space between the Tasman and the soft-roader-leaning HiLux SR5. X-Trek Mode is the under-rated party trick: it lets the truck crawl below 10km/h on rough terrain without throttle input, so the driver can just point the wheels.

What Each Grade Brings

Standard on every Tasman is a 12.3-inch driver display, 12.3-inch centre touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED headlights, eight airbags and Kia's full ADAS suite (highway driving assist, blind-spot view monitor, lane-keep assist, parking collision avoidance). It is a properly modern ute cabin, and the equipment-per-dollar story improves dramatically at the new prices.

The SX adds 17-inch alloys and a full-size spare. SX+ at $54,990 driveaway adds the heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate, leather-look seats, wireless phone charging and the 10-speaker Harman Kardon system that was previously reserved for the top grades. X-Line layers on 18-inch alloys, the two-speed transfer case with 4A, off-road drive modes, the surround-view monitor and electrically adjustable front seats. X-Pro is the off-road flagship: 17-inch wheels with all-terrain rubber, locking rear differential, X-Trek Mode, ground-view monitor, integrated side steps and the unique X-Trail-style raised suspension that nets the 252mm clearance.

Safety

The Tasman dual cab pickup carries a 5-star ANCAP rating earned under the 2023-2025 protocol, with 85 percent for adult occupant protection, 85 percent for child occupant protection, 74 percent for vulnerable road user protection and 80 percent for safety assist. The result puts it on the same shelf as the Ranger and HiLux. Cab-chassis bodies, the upcoming single cab and 4x2 single-cab variants have not been separately tested yet. Standard safety equipment across all dual cab grades includes eight airbags (including a front centre airbag), AEB with vulnerable road user and junction detection, lane-keep and lane-follow assist, blind-spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic avoidance, intelligent speed limit assist, driver attention warning and tyre pressure monitoring.

How It Compares

Here is how the post-cut Tasman stacks against the rivals it was actually priced against, on a like-for-like dual cab 4x4 pickup basis.

Two takeaways. First, the X-Pro at $64,990 driveaway now slots cleanly between the HiLux SR5 (smaller, less capable off-road) and the Ranger Wildtrak V6 (more torque, more presence, more money). The Tasman is the only one of the three with a 7-year warranty and the only one with X-Trek-style low-speed off-road cruise as standard. Second, the BYD Shark 6 is still the price floor, but its 2,500kg braked tow rating quietly knocks it out of contention for anyone serious about hauling a tandem-axle camper or a horse float. Use our Shark 6 vs Ranger comparator as the starting point and build a three-way with the Tasman in our main directory.

Warranty and Servicing

Kia keeps the 7-year unlimited-kilometre warranty that has become the brand's signature, along with 7 years of capped-price servicing and up to 7 years of roadside assistance when servicing is completed at a Kia dealer. Service intervals are 12 months or 15,000km. Across a 7-year hold that is genuinely longer cover than a Ranger, HiLux or D-Max, and worth modelling into the total cost of ownership. Our warranty comparison guide has the full breakdown by brand.

The CarSorted Angle

On CarSorted's Kia Tasman directory entry the X-Pro's 154kW / 441Nm and 7.4 to 8.1 L/100km combined claim cost-model out to about $4,600 a year in diesel at $2.00/L and 15,000km of mixed running, before tyres and consumables. The Ranger Wildtrak V6 with its 7.6 L/100km claim sits in the same ballpark on fuel but kicks off roughly $20,000 dearer driveaway in NSW and Victoria once on-roads are added to the $73,440 list. Over a five-year private hold, the Tasman X-Pro's 7-year warranty also leaves three years more cover than the Ford or Toyota when you trade out, which matters for resale conversations as the second-hand market starts to price warranty transfer in.

For a tighter cross-shop, set up an X-Pro versus HiLux SR5 versus D-Max X-Terrain three-way through our CarSorted compare tool. The Tasman wins on warranty, infotainment screen size and off-road clearance. The HiLux wins on dealer footprint and resale. The D-Max wins on torque and the 6-year/150,000km warranty being a half-step better than Ford's. The new driveaway pricing is the lever that makes that conversation worth having before 30 June.

What This Means for Buyers

If you have been holding off on a top-spec dual cab because the Tasman X-Pro looked $5,000 too dear at launch, the gap just closed and then some. $64,990 driveaway for a flagship 4x4 with a locking rear diff, 252mm of clearance, 800mm wading depth, a class-leading screen pair and a 7-year warranty is a sharp number. It is not the cheapest mid-spec ute on the market, but it is the cheapest one in this corner of the showroom with that warranty length and that off-road hardware as standard.

If you are a tradie or a small fleet buyer eyeing the SX+ at $54,990 driveaway, the value case is now stronger again. You pick up dual-zone climate, wireless phone charging, leather-look seats and the Harman Kardon stereo for less than the entry SR diesel HiLux landed price, with the same towing and a longer warranty. That is the variant Kia probably wants you to leave the showroom in: enough kit to feel like an upgrade over the work fleet, low enough money to justify the swap from a five-year-old Ranger.

If outright cost of ownership is the brief, look hard at the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV and the BYD Shark 6 in our comparison tool. They will undercut the Tasman X-Pro on energy and FBT cost on a novated lease for any driver who can plug in at home. The Tasman is the diesel-flavoured pick: simpler if you tow long distances, comfortable in remote driving, no charging anxiety. Pick the powertrain that matches your week, then use the EOFY pricing to drive the deal.

One last note. Kia has said the SX is being deleted from the lineup later this year as it consolidates the range, so SX stock will likely thin out fast under the promotional pricing. If that grade is on your shortlist, do not wait until 29 June to call the dealer.

Best Dual Cab Utes 2026 | Compare Shark 6 vs Ranger | Kia Tasman directory