Zeekr 7X wins Best Medium SUV Under $60K

Pay more, get less. That’s the narrative around cars these days isn’t it? Not here. If you’re looking for a Medium SUV under $60K, we’d say you’ve never had it so good.

The class of ‘26 is absolutely stacked with talent, and in order to differentiate themselves, they’re packing in more gear, more capability and more smarts than ever before. 

Don’t believe us? Take a look at the contenders for class honours at Drive Car of the Year 2026. 

The Hyundai Tucson and the Subaru Forester hybrids represent the more conservative end of the spectrum. In the guises tested, both deliver all-wheel drive, and a stack of attributes that buyers know and trust.

Go for the GWM Haval H6 Ultra PHEV and you’re getting a plug-in hybrid that can cover 100km on petrol alone and rocket to 100km in a claimed 4.8 seconds. It also presents a pricing challenge to the rest of this bunch that’s hard to face down.

The Tesla Model Y needs little in the way of introduction. We tested it in base RWD form here, being the only version in the range to dip under the $60K price barrier. Despite being the entry-level car, it still comes equipped with a formidable blend of talents.

The Zeekr 7X was the newbie of the bunch and it was one of those rare cars where you could spot the judges getting out and looking back at it, not quite comprehending what they’d just driven. Here’s why it won.

Drive's pick: Zeekr 7X RWD from $57,900 plus on-road costs.

There’s a maturity about the Zeekr 7X that is a little bewildering at first.

Given that Zeekr’s track record in Australia only extends back to October 2024, it’s come a long way quickly. The smaller X SUV was first launched, followed by the 009 people mover. But it’s the 7X that could really achieve market cut-through for the company.

A well-proportioned and lavishly-equipped electric SUV, the 7X is brought to you by Zeekr, a firm within the Geely corporation. 

Yes, the same Geely that owns Volvo and Polestar, and there are certainly elements of that restrained Scandi-cool about the materials choices and interior design philosophy of the 7X. It never feels as if it’s trying too hard, and that’s refreshing for a relatively new EV brand.

Expectation only goes so far. Once that novelty has worn off, what are you left with? A heck of a lot, in reality.

The version we had on test was the entry-level RWD variant, priced at $57,900 before on-road costs. It features 800V electrical architecture and packs a 75kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery. The ‘Golden Brick’ battery chemistry makes the 7X RWD the quickest-charging EV on the market. 

The 7X will charge at a huge 450kW, far faster than the typical 350kW DC ‘fast’ chargers we get in Australia. On a 500kW DC charger, which will be in Australia soon, the Zeekr 7X can add almost a kilometre of range per second at peak speeds. 

It’s a sizeable hunk too. The 7X’s 2900mm wheelbase is more typical of an SUV from the class above. It’s 50mm longer than a Toyota Kluger and on a par with Hyundai’s vast Palisade. That means rear seat passengers have ample room to stretch out.

Zeekr hasn’t skimped on standard equipment on this entry-level car either. There are 19-inch alloys, a 10-speaker stereo, a panoramic glass roof, LED lights all round, tri-zone climate control, autonomous parking, power-reclining rear seats and even a 3.3kW vehicle-to-load three-pin plug.

Back that up with a five-star ANCAP score, a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and sensible capped-price servicing and the 7X emerges as a safe bet for owners wondering about this relatively new brand.

The 7X feels well-controlled on road, with a decent measure of compliance to its suspension while still retaining good body control. The steering is well-judged too, and the single rear-mounted motor is enough to propel this 2245kg (kerb) vehicle to 100km/h in a spry 5.69 seconds.

Quicker, more comfortable, and richer inside, the 7X RWD had the edge on the Model Y RWD in this particular class. Look at the bigger picture between these two individual models and it’s not quite so cut and dried. Tesla has some compelling attractions.

If you’ve got $60K to spend on a family SUV in 2026, you’re in a really good place. A decade ago, the very best SUV you could buy for that sum was a mid-range 2.5-litre Mazda CX-9 that would drink 11.5L/100km if you were feather-footed.

The Zeekr 7X shows how far we’ve come, and so quickly. It’s a vehicle that asks so little yet delivers so much, and that’s why it’s the Best Medium SUV Under $60K at Drive Car of the Year 2026.

Andy brings almost 30 years automotive writing experience to his role at Drive. When he wasn’t showing people which way the Nürburgring went, he freelanced for outlets such as Car, Autocar, and The Times. After contributing to Top Gear Australia, Andy subsequently moved Down Under, serving as editor at MOTOR and Wheels. As Drive’s Road Test Editor, he’s at the heart of our vehicle testing, but also loves to spin a long-form yarn.

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