There may be a slew of electric utes in markets like the US, but there’s just one here. Soon, there will be two.
The KGM Musso EV was previously confirmed for a local introduction during the first quarter (January to March) of 2026, and it has now gained Australian Government approval.
Unlike the electric LDV eT60 and its upcoming eTerron 9 successor – as well as every other ute sold in Australia, including KGM’s standard Musso – the Musso EV uses car-like unibody architecture.
Documents indicate the Korean ute, which is related to the mid-size Torres crossover SUV, will be offered here with either a single-motor front-wheel drive or a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup, both using an 80.6kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
Range numbers aren’t detailed in these documents, but KGM in Korea claims 419km of WLTP range for the front-wheel drive model with 11kW AC and 300kW DC charging capability; the all-wheel drive model is claimed to achieve 379km.
In front-wheel drive trim, which uses a 152.2kW electric motor, the approval paperwork shows the Musso EV will have a braked towing capacity of 1800kg and a payload of 905kg. This matches figures on KGM’s Korean-market site.
The dual-motor Musso EV, according to the documents, makes 304.4kW and carries the same braked towing capacity but a slightly reduced payload of 805kg.
Across the broader ute market, braked towing capacities of 3000-3500kg are common.
The Musso EV also trails other utes — literally — in ground clearance, with just 181mm.
However, the Musso EV’s payload numbers — derived by subtracting the tare mass listed in the documents from gross vehicle mass — are comparable to plug-in hybrid utes such as the Ford Ranger (808kg-973kg), BYD Shark 6 (790kg) and GWM Cannon Alpha (685kg).
The Musso EV measures 5160mm long, 1920mm wide and 1750mm tall on a 3150mm wheelbase. That makes it 190mm shorter than a Ford Ranger PHEV on a wheelbase that is 120mm shorter.
It’s unclear how it will be priced, but given its smaller footprint, unibody build, multi-link rear suspension and relatively modest towing capability, it may be marketed as a more car-like option compared with other utes – in the UK, for instance, KGM describes it as a “mid-size pickup for urban drivers”.
That contrasts with the LDV eT60, which is little more than an electrified version of the body-on-frame T60 ute.
Despite its robust ladder-frame construction, the ageing LDV manages just a 1000kg braked towing capacity and only 130kW of power.
The Musso EV might face a more serious rival in the forthcoming LDV eTerron 9, which has been confirmed for our market but without a locked-in local arrival date.
This electric ute, related to the diesel LDV Terron 9 and MG U9, is offered overseas with either a 200kW single-motor rear-wheel drive or a 325kW dual-motor four-wheel drive layout, and provides WLTP range up to 430km and a braked towing capacity of 3500kg.
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