The BYD Shark 6 is the best new vehicle of the year: DRIVEN Car Guide 2025 NZ Car of the Year – Driven Car Guide
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BYD Shark 6 redefines what Kiwis can expect from their utes.
The BYD Shark 6 is the Overall Winner in the DRIVEN Car Guide 2025 New Zealand Car of the Year awards.
Yes, you’re remembering correctly: this is the second win in a row for BYD, with the Sealion 6 picking up our big prize in 2024. While it’s rare for the same brand to score a double, it also makes perfect sense in this case.
There’s much to admire about the Sealion 6 SUV, but in 2024 we especially praised its dual-motor intelligent (DM-i) “super hybrid” system that paired a large plug-in battery with a backup petrol engine, meaning it could serve as a zero-emissions EV all week, but still banish range anxiety with 1000km-plus (depending on model) from a full tank in hybrid mode.
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The Shark 6 uses similar technology to redefine the enormously popular ute segment in New Zealand. Its dual motor off-road (DMO) powertrain combines a plug-in battery with a 1.5-litre petrol engine and AWD.
Think of the Shark 6 as an EV first: you can DC fast-charge the battery at public stations if required, allowing you to make the most of its 80-100km EV range. It’s almost always running in electric-drive, the petrol engine acting mainly as a backup generator. All-in, the Shark 6 can travel 800km on a full charge/tank.
You can just drive and let the vehicle work out how best to run, but BYD also allows you manage the power by setting the desired state of charge from 25-75%.
The electricity is not just there to drive the wheels. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality allows the Shark 6 to provide six individual power outlets (three in the tray, two in the cabin and another via an adaptor from the external charge port). Even if the battery is near-depleted, you can still run the petrol engine as a generator, lock up the vehicle and make full use of the Shark 6 as a power station for work or play. It’s incredibly versatile.
It’s also a very satisfying vehicle to drive. It’s one of the most powerful utes on the market, with a combined output of 321kW (for context, a Ford Ranger Raptor V6 has 292kW), yet what’s most impressive is the smooth performance and assured on-road handling.
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The Shark 6 doesn’t claim to be the most capable 4×4 vehicle, or the best at towing: it doesn’t quite have the ground clearance of a traditional ute and the more car-like rear suspension (partly what gives it such good handling) limits axle articulation.
But it’s still a great all-rounder, the EV drivetrain doing clever things with the traction control off-tarmac, and the vehicle offering a useful 2.5-tonne tow rating. It does what most people need a vehicle like this to do, with a staggeringly low emissions profile. It’s the no-guilt ute.
A Car of the Year is supposed to push the boundaries and give consumers something genuinely new to think about. BYD Shark 6: mission accomplished. The fact it’s achieved with a fully loaded Premium model, at a $69,990 price that makes some rival models look ludicrously expensive, makes this a no-brainer.
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