2022 LDV eT60 electric ute review

The first zero-emissions ute has arrived Down Under and it comes from a brand you might not expect. We put it to the test to see if it’s up to the job. Read the verdict.

The LDV eT60 arrives in Australia with big expectations.

It’s the first electric ute on sale in Australia, providing a plug-in alternative to the 200,000 utes that predominantly burn diesel.

But the eT60 – an electric adaptation of the value-focused T60 diesel – arrives with a price tag taller than its expectations.

Chinese brand LDV has launched the eT60 the first electric ute in Australia.

It’s a whopping $92,990 drive-away, double the price of a regular eT60.

There’s more bad news, too. The eT60 misses out on the cruise control, soft-release tailgate, leather steering wheel and spare wheel available on diesel T60s. It’s also light-on for safety, doing without auto emergency braking, blind-spot warning and driver assistance features.

It also has a shorter warranty than the diesel T60 – just five years and 160,000km. The battery is covered by a separate eight-year, 160,000km warranty guaranteeing at least 70 per cent of the original capacity.

Servicing is cheap, though, averaging about $170 a year (it requires a check-up every two years or 30,000km).

The eT60 has a short driving range.

The eT60 employs a simple formula on paper: remove the engine and gearbox, line the floor with batteries and add an electric motor.

Delve deeper and compromises appear, though.

The single electric motor has been awkwardly attached to the rear axle, adding bulk at the back. There’s also only a single motor driving only the rear wheels.

That lack of four-wheel drive will instantly rule out a chunk of ute buyers, as will its 1000kg towing limit. LDV acknowledges it’s an urban workhorse, not a recreational ute.

An 88.55kWh lithium-ion battery provides a claimed 330km of range, again ruling it out for any big (on-road) adventures. Energy use equates to a claimed 26.9kWh per 100km, which works out to about $8 of electricity per 100km – less than half the amount diesel ute buyers would be shelling out at the moment.

It is cheap to run, though.

Charging can be done at up to 11kW using a home wallbox, something that should take a little over eight hours. A regular power point would take up to 45 hours.

Faster DC public charging can be done at up to 80kW, for a 20-80 per cent charge in about 45 minutes.

Performance-wise, the eT60 makes a modest 130kW and 310Nm, the latter helping with clean acceleration up to about 70km/h. Beyond that it’s a lot more leisurely, in part due to the portly 2300kg body. Consistent uphill climbs have it struggling to hit triple figures. It doesn’t help that the motor cuts its output to about 85kW at freeway speeds.

The cabin has some old school features.

The suspension jiggles and jolts over even minor bumps. To be fair, we only drove it unladen and some weight in the rear (it has a payload of one tonne) could quell things. LDV Australia is also planning a local tuning program to better adapt it to our roads.

The steering feels vague with some deadness off-centre. Prominent wind noise tops off a sub-par driving experience.

Inside, the dual-cab five-seater is trademark T60 ute. Some red stitching livens the greyness, but there’s no escaping the built-to-a-price plastics. The instrument cluster has old school analog dials and a monochrome display for the speedo and trip computer.

There’s no way to adjust the regenerative braking (it’s mild) and the manual park brake lever is the only thing stopping it from rolling away when parked (there’s no Park mode for the transmission selector).

The 10.25-inch touchscreen looks fine but the reverse camera clarity is average and it can be fussy to navigate.

All of which adds up to a ute that will only appeal to the EV faithful, or environmentally conscious fleet buyers. It’s expensive and short on equipment, with sub-par performance and a shortish driving range. It’s also not great at doing the things a lot of Australians expect from their utes, such as adventuring and towing.

Its prime appeal is that it produces no CO2 emissions from the tailpipe and has low servicing costs.

VERDICT 2/5

Australia’s first electric ute lives up to its promise of not producing any tailpipe emissions but it comes with a hefty price tag and a sub-par driving experience.

LDV eT60

Price: $92,990 drive-away

Warranty/servicing: 5 yrs/160,000km, about $950 for 6 yrs/90,000km

Safety: Not rated, 6 airbags

Power: Single electric motor, 130kW/310Nm

Range: 330km

Spare: Repair kit

Tow capacity: 1000kg

Originally published as 2022 LDV eT60 electric ute review