2026 KGM Musso EV FWD review

Dual-cab utes are expected to do more than any other type of vehicle: tow heavy loads, carry a tonne, cover long distances and tackle off-road challenges, without excessively compromising space, features and comfort for families in day-to-day life.

That’s why it has proved so difficult to produce a compelling electric ute that does everything expected of a dual-cab, without a six-figure price to boot.

The KGM Musso EV is one of the first electric utes sold in Australia. Rather than attempt to challenge a diesel Toyota HiLux on driving range, off-road capability or towing capacity, it uses a car-derived platform to promise SUV comfort with the practicality of a ute tub.

It is an appealing proposition, with a sharp price, spacious cabin and respectable feature list, but as this review will explain, it falls short on technology, safety, driving refinement and the experience of owning and living with an electric car.

The Musso EV line-up opens with the variant on test here: the FWD (front-wheel drive) priced from $60,000 drive-away nationwide for private buyers.

A Black Edge package is available for $2000 extra, which adds black exterior styling and suede interior accents, while the all-wheel-drive variant adds power but matches the base FWD’s equipment for $64,000 drive-away.

The list of rival electric utes is very, very short.

The Toyota HiLux BEV has a ladder-frame chassis but a much shorter range for $74,990 to $82,990 plus on-roads, while the Deepal E07 is an SUV that turns into a ute at $64,900 plus on-roads with rear-wheel drive, or $73,900 plus on-roads with AWD.

Add about $5000 to each of those prices to get the approximate drive-away figure.

If a plug-in hybrid ute is more of interest, there’s the BYD Shark 6 currently available for $57,900 drive-away, as well as conventional electric SUVs: the related front-drive KGM Torres EVX at $58,000 drive-away, or a Tesla Model Y at about $61,700 to $65,800 drive-away, depending on state.

The Musso EV is only available as an electric vehicle and, on paper, not a very efficient one at that.

The 420km claimed driving range in European WLTP lab testing is modest, but the quoted energy efficiency of 23 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres – 50 per cent higher than a Tesla Model Y RWD – is seriously thirsty for a vehicle with the same frontal area as a regular family SUV.

In reality, it’s no hypermiler, but it is not that inefficient. Over a week of testing, I saw indicated consumption of 21.6kWh/100km, beating the claim – even though it included highway and some more spirited driving to test the car’s performance and handling.

Around town, I saw consumption in the 18 to 19kWh/100km bracket – equivalent to a 420km to 440km real-world range – while more intensive motoring pushed it into the 22 to 23kWh/100km region, or about 350km to 365km of range.

Run the Musso off home electricity at 15 cents per kWh, and that 420km range costs $12 – where, at the time of writing in March 2026, an 80-litre tank of diesel for a Ford Ranger costs $250 to cover 800km. That’s a great deal more expensive.

The 80.6kWh battery is supplied by BYD and uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, so it is designed to be charged to 100 per cent more often than other types of packs, without accelerating battery cell wear.

The compromise is DC ‘fast’ charging that’s quite slow by modern standards. KGM Australia claims a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 36 minutes on a “300kW charger”, or 46 minutes on a “100kW charger”.

Given those times are quite close, it indicates the car’s peak charging power is not 300kW – as our testing indicated, briefly spiking to 128kW, although it was impressively consistent in sucking in energy close to its best.

I timed the Musso EV from 10 to 80 per cent in 38 minutes and 20 seconds from the instrument display inside the car.

That compares to 23 minutes and 40 seconds for a Tesla Model Y RWD, 35 minutes and 35 seconds in a BYD Sealion 7 Performance – which should, in theory, perform similarly to the KGM – and just under 20 minutes for a Deepal E07, all based on Drive testing.

AC charging at up to 10.5kW is offered, for a claimed empty-to-full recharge in 10 hours and 20 minutes, per the spec sheet.

It’s worth noting that during my DC charging test, I noted a difference between the battery percentage readout in the car and on the charger, the latter only hitting 80 per cent after 39 minutes and 20 seconds.

The delta appeared to increase as the charging power (the kilowatt reading) dropped, not just as time passed.

It is normal for the charging power to read lower in the car than on the charger, as a kilowatt or two is lost through the cable and keeping the car’s electrics running, but I have never seen the car and charger disagree on the current percentage in the dozens of electric cars I’ve put through similar testing.

The figures in the graph above are sourced from inside the car, but the difference between them and the charger when it hits each interval should be no more than a few kilowatts.

The Musso EV is covered by KGM’s seven-year/unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty, plus a market-leading 10-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty on the high-voltage battery pack.

Service intervals are set every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first, and are priced at $796 across three years/60,000km, and $1547 over five years/100,000km.

These are fair prices in the electric-car market.

However, there are a number of service item replacements not included in these prices: brake fluid every two years, reducer oil every 40,000km, and every five years or 200,000km,  whichever comes first: front suspension ball joints, and battery and charging system coolant.

A year of comprehensive insurance coverage is quoted at $2637, based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

For context, the same parameters return $2583 for a Tesla Model Y RWD.

The KGM Musso EV and its Torres SUV sibling are yet to be safety-tested by ANCAP, so there’s no independent indication of how they would perform in a crash.

On paper, there’s a solid list of advanced crash-avoidance technology, plus eight airbags for occupants front and rear.

In the real world, the calibration of the safety features is in need of further refinement.

Lane-keep assist should be the first cab off the rank. It does not rip the wheel out of your hands when it intervenes, but it feels the need to chime in when the car gets even remotely close to a white line, well before it touches it, let alone crosses it.

It means that on tight roads, the system is almost constantly intervening, and it is virtually impossible for a human driver to position the car in such a way that they can steer without interruption.

Fortunately, turning off lane-keep assist is as easy as holding down the lane button on the steering wheel for a few seconds. Unfortunately, it must be done every time the car is restarted.

Lane-centring assist is not as assertive in holding the centre of the lane as we’d like, while adaptive cruise control keeps a lengthy distance to the car in front, even on its closest setting.

There’s no annoying overspeed chime from the traffic sign recognition to turn off each time the car is started, nor a driver monitoring camera that watches your eyes for moments of inattention.

The Musso EV is smaller than most diesel utes on the outside – about 60mm shorter nose to tail, and 110mm lower than a Toyota HiLux SR5 – but there’s more space between the front and rear wheels than a HiLux, albeit less than a Ford Ranger or Kia Tasman.

It gives it the look of a family SUV from the front, but a tub length not miles off conventional dual-cab utes, and a familiar size to customers moving over from a diesel workhorse.

It is a funky design, with a futuristic front LED light bar, chunky bumpers (with red inserts intended to look like functional tow hooks), and details like the ‘sailplane’ sports bar and the rhino emblems on the rear doors.

Standard are 17-inch wheels wrapped in Kumho road tyres, which join the low ride height (181mm ground clearance) to lend the Musso EV off-road angles similar to a family SUV – not a proper four-wheel-drive.

The Musso EV feels more like an SUV inside than a traditional ute, and has design similarities with fellow Korean brands Hyundai and Kia, particularly in the screens and ‘floating’ centre console – even if they are unrelated companies.

The front seats are not the last word in comfort or support, but they are pleasant enough on long drives, and it’s great to have eight-way power adjustment as standard – plus two-way lumbar – including control of underthigh support.

The synthetic leather-look upholstery does not breathe as well on hot days as I’d like, but at least they’re ventilated, as well as heated.

Leather-like material covers the steering wheel, but it is quite large for a car of this type, and its hexagonal shape takes some getting used to, particularly for drivers who usually place their hands at nine and three – right on the corners of the rim.

The ‘satellite’ buttons on the wheel are good to have, one for the auto brake hold, and the other a customisable shortcut that can be mapped to the 360-degree camera, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto or, as we configured it, the air-conditioning controls.

It’s handy as, other than on the steering wheel, there are little to no physical buttons inside the Musso. The passenger’s only way to control the volume is by swiping down from the top of the touchscreen, and all of the car’s climate controls run through there.

The next section will detail why it is especially frustrating in this car, compared to the likes of Teslas and BYDs, which also run most vehicle functions through the display.

Soft-touch materials are used at key spots high up in the cabin, but build quality is not exceptional, with some squeaking and flexing from the various plastic parts when pressed, and not everyone will love the bronze-look dashboard trim.

One source of annoyance is the gear selector. It requires either a double pull, or a pull and hold, to shift from reverse to drive and vice versa, so we found ourselves accidentally flicking it into neutral with a single pull on multiple occasions. It’s something owners will get used to, but the design can be improved nonetheless.

There’s ample storage, from the wide open area under the cupholders to well-sized door pockets, glovebox and under-armrest space, but the slot ahead of the gear selector isn’t large enough to fit anything more than coins or a parking ticket.

Amenities include a wireless phone charger in a tray ahead of the armrest, plus ambient lighting, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, and keyless entry/start.

Space in the rear is respectable for a family vehicle, with my 186cm (6ft 1in) tall frame able to fit behind my driving position with ample – though not outstanding – head room and knee room, and a near-flat floor. It’s more generous than many conventional utes.

The seat bases slide forward to allow the backrest to recline, though it comes at the cost of leg room, so it can only be used by shorter occupants. This is a feature only the Kia Tasman offers in this class, much like the Musso’s heated outboard rear seats.

Two USB-C ports, air vents, and dual map pockets feature for rear passengers, plus a fold-down armrest with cupholders, outboard ISOFIX anchors, and behind the seatbacks, three top-tether points and a small storage area for the tyre repair kit (there’s no spare).

The tub is not as large as conventional utes, and there’s no power outlet to charge devices from the car’s battery, but it’s a decent size with plenty of tie-down points, a light, and lift assistance on the tailgate.

The Ranger-style steps on the corners of the rear bumper assist with accessing the load area.

The KGM Musso EV is fitted as standard with two large 12.3-inch screens, a touch infotainment display for multimedia and navigation, and a widescreen instrument cluster.

The graphics on the centre touchscreen are basic but legible, which is fine, but it is slow to respond to inputs, and unpredictable in how long it takes to boot, sometimes starting up in five seconds, and other times hanging on a KGM logo screen for 20 seconds before accepting input.

In an era of Teslas and BYDs with snappy screens – and even Toyotas and Hyundais with reasonably responsive media systems – the KGM feels behind the times.

KGM has not flipped the display for right-hand drive, so the row of shortcuts is on the left side of the screen, the menus take time to learn before they feel intuitive, and it’s prone to sun glare, without much pixel brightness to back it up.

Users can swipe down from the top of the display for a shortcut page – with drive modes, parking cameras, battery pre-heating, and customisable buttons for vehicle settings, media functions, and more – while swiping from the right side opens the air-conditioning controls.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, but only via a wired connection, not wireless, and the six-speaker sound system is mediocre.

The digital instrument cluster has a little more flair in its graphics, and can be switched between safety systems, trip data, tyre pressures, and music/navigation info, but is no standout in the electric-vehicle market.

KGM does not offer its cars with a smartphone companion app for preconditioning the cabin, tracking the vehicle’s location, or controlling the locks, lights and windows.

We won’t beat around the bush here: it’s not superb, especially if you’ve driven an electric car from a brand like Tesla, BYD or Kia.

The Musso EV is based on a ‘monocoque’ family SUV, rather than a heavy-duty ladder frame like a Toyota HiLux or Ford Ranger, so it has an on-paper advantage in comfort and roadholding – but it doesn’t always translate to reality.

The KGM is a heavy vehicle, so performance from its 152kW front electric motor is sufficient, rather than particularly perky for an electric car. On the move, the lack of gears means it delivers power in a linear and consistent manner.

It is let down by frustrating tuning of the accelerator response. There is a literal second or so of lag between pressing the pedal and the vehicle starting to move, which doesn’t sound like much on paper, but feels like an eternity from behind the wheel.

And it is not just from a standstill. Tap the pedal while the car is moving, and there is the same lag, as the car does nothing for a moment before dishing out even the slightest bit of power.

It is at its worst with the auto brake hold switched on, the regenerative braking in its strongest setting, and in Eco mode, when response is dulled. Turning these features down, as well as activating Sport mode, improves the situation very slightly.

It ranges from irritating on quiet roads to genuinely frustrating in slow traffic. It is near-impossible to pull out of a stopped lane into a flowing one adjacent, as by the time the car delivers power, the gap has disappeared and the Musso's wheels are now pointed at another car.

Attempt to pull out across traffic in an intersection – only to find the car gives you no power, and by the time it responds, the oncoming car is much closer than planned – and we can see this being dangerous.

This calibration would be a deal-breaker for me, and sapped most of the pleasure out of driving this vehicle. KGM needs to return to the drawing board on this, as there is no excuse for an electrical connection between the pedal and the motor having this much lag.

Once the power kicks in, drivers will find a lack of traction from the Kumho tyres, which either spins the wheels – forcing the car’s electronics to clamp down aggressively and suck most of the power away, with little delicacy – or sees the steering wheel tug in your hands.

The rubber also contributes to handling that doesn’t set any benchmarks, even compared to high-riding off-road utes on lifted suspension and taller tyres. Body roll is well contained, but it requires a slow approach to winding roads to keep the Musso in the lane.

The suspension is also not as supple as we'd hoped for a vehicle aimed at road use.

Over speed humps, it is reasonably compliant, but it is prone to bobbling, jittering and generally struggling to cushion occupants from potholes and rough tarmac with no load in the tub.

At higher speeds, that busy feel is swapped for a soft nature that lacks composure and confidence over undulations and crests. Even a ladder-frame, off-road-ready Ford Ranger ute manages to be more comfortable and take corners better.

We didn’t test the Musso with a load on this occasion, but KGM says it has a 905kg payload in FWD form – on par with many 4WD diesel utes – and it claims self-levelling rear suspension will shrug off the sagging effect typical of putting that much weight in the tub.

The steering is light in its standard mode, but it has an artificial, video game-like feel that doesn’t tell you much about what’s happening on the road below, with a ‘magnetic’ sensation that’s particularly unusual around the centre point.

There are three regenerative braking modes, from a coasting setting to quite aggressive deceleration, though there’s no way to bring the car to a full stop without touching the brake pedal. It’s great to have paddles to control them from the steering wheel.  

The way the regenerative braking of the electric motor blends with the ‘friction’ brakes behind the wheels is also more noticeable than in other electric cars.

Tyre roar is prominent at higher speeds, as is plenty of wind buffeting, likely not helped by the grab handles on the bonnet.

Drivers sit lower in the car than in a traditional ute, and only when you come to park the long body – or complete a three-point turn – does it feel like anything other than a regular SUV.

On first impression, the KGM Musso EV is an appealing take on a ute that speaks to how family buyers use dual-cabs most of the time.

It has funky looks, a spacious cabin, a roomy tub, plenty of features for the asking price, and the promise of the ride and handling of an SUV.

However, the execution of the idea falls far short of the mark.

The safety systems are not well tuned, the technology is too slow and laggy to compete in today’s market, and it is not comfortable or composed enough to drive for a vehicle without off-road and towing abilities to compensate.

The poor tuning of the electric motor – and the lag in acceleration off the mark – adds unnecessary frustration to the driving experience which, in the right scenario, could get owners into serious trouble.

It would be a deal-breaker for me, but your mileage will vary, so ensure you take the Musso EV for a test drive before signing on the dotted line.

Combine that with a modest range and slow DC charging, and the Musso EV makes the most sense as a suburban runabout with a big cargo area for trips to Bunnings, powered by off-peak home electricity – and hopefully cheap enough to buy to ignore its flaws – rather than exploring the great outdoors.

In that case, you’re better off with one of the dozens of fantastic electric family SUVs on the market – and ticking the home delivery option when the Ikea furniture doesn’t fit in the boot.

The search for the first genuinely good factory-backed electric ute to be sold in Australia continues.

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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