If you take a look at the monthly new car sales data in Australia, one trend never changes. Dual-cab utes sit firmly at the top of the pile. Aussies buy them by the thousands for trade sites, weekend camping, and daily family school runs. Yet, when you look at the electric vehicle transition happening across passenger cars and mid-size SUVs, dual-cab utes have been largely left out of the conversation.

Until recently, the few electric utes that trickled into the local market were compromised. They were either rear-wheel drive commercial conversions aimed purely at inner-city fleets, had tiny battery packs with laughable real-world range, or arrived as exorbitantly priced concepts that regular buyers could never justify parking in their driveway.

That stalemate is starting to break. MG pulled the covers off its upcoming electric workhorse, the MG U9 EV, on the showroom floor at the Everything Electric expo in Sydney this weekend. MG has also fired up the local online configurator, giving us our first concrete look at exact pricing, drive-away figures, and equipment packages for the Australian market.

Australia is set to be the first market in the world to receive the vehicle when deliveries kick off before the end of the year. It enters the ring with an official list price of A$78,990 before on-road costs. Once you factor in registration and state duties, the configurator shows a drive-away figure of A$83,226.95 for Victorian private buyers. That is roughly a A$25,000 jump over its internal combustion sibling, putting it right in the crosshairs of top-tier turbo-diesel dual-cabs and upcoming plug-in hybrid rivals.

Punchy dual-motor performance and proper towing credentials

One of the biggest concerns ute buyers voice about going electric is whether an EV can handle traditional ute duties. On paper, the U9 EV does not hold back on mechanical muscle.

MG has fitted the ute with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system delivering combined outputs of 325kW of power and 700Nm of instant torque. In the real world, that means the heavy dual-cab can sprint from a standstill to 100km/h in just 5.8 seconds. That puts its acceleration squarely alongside performance petrol models like the Ford Ranger Raptor, which is wild to think about for a practical work vehicle.

More importantly for Aussie drivers, the towing capacity matches the gold standard of the segment. The U9 EV is officially rated for 3,500kg braked towing, alongside standard 750kg unbraked capacity. If you regularly tow a boat, a horse float, a heavy tool trailer, or a family caravan, matching the standard 3.5-tonne benchmark is critical.

Where prospective owners will need to run their own calculations is payload. The U9 EV is rated to carry up to 685kg in the back. That is plenty of capacity for swags, camp fridges, toolboxes, and everyday equipment, but tradespeople who consistently carry heavy timber, tile pallets, or sand near the one-tonne legal limit alongside a loaded trailer will need to keep an eye on gross vehicle and combination weights.

Battery capacity, highway cruising, and charging times

Underneath the passenger floor sits a 102.2kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack. On the official European WLTP testing cycle, MG quotes an electric driving range of up to 430km.

Anyone who drives electric vehicles on Australian highways knows that high-speed regional travel demands a realistic mindset. Sitting on 110km/h down the Hume Highway with the cabin air conditioning blowing in the middle of summer will likely bring unladen highway range closer to 340km or 370km between plugs. Hitching up a three-tonne caravan will chew through that pack even faster, so road-tripping holidaymakers will want to plan their fast-charging stops along regional routes.

When it comes time to replenish the pack, the U9 EV includes an 11kW onboard AC charger, perfect for overnight home wallbox charging on standard or three-phase connections. If you plug into public DC fast-charging stations, peak DC charging speed maxes out at 115kW. MG claims a 20 to 80 percent charge will take roughly 42 minutes on a compatible DC high-power station. While a peak charging rate pushing past 150kW would have been welcome to shave extra minutes off highway stops, the 102kWh LFP pack will interface reliably with standard 150kW and 350kW public chargers dotted across our major highway networks.

Lockable storage and mobile worksite power

Because the U9 EV is built without a bulky diesel engine under the bonnet, MG took advantage of the empty front cavity. Pop open the bonnet and you get a massive 236-litre front boot (frunk). That is actually larger than the rear boot on several compact hatchbacks. For ute owners, having a weather-sealed, lockable space up front to throw dirty recovery gear, wet clothes, power tool bags, or grocery bags without exposing them to the weather or cluttering the rear seat is a massive practical win.

In the cargo bed, the tub is wide enough to accommodate a standard Australian pallet between the wheel arches. The tailgate also features power opening and closing, which takes the muscle out of loading and unloading gear when your hands are full after a long workday.

Another huge benefit of driving an electric ute is Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology. Through an adapter plugged into the external CCS2 charge port, the U9 EV can output up to 6.6kW of continuous 240V power. You can easily run drop saws, welders, air compressors, industrial site floodlights, or high-draw campsite cooking gear directly from the battery pack without ever lugging around a smelly petrol generator.

Inside the cabin, you also get dedicated 2.2kW power sockets to top up laptop batteries, cordless tool packs, camera equipment, or drone gear while on the move.

Air suspension and cabin comforts

Rather than sticking with conventional leaf springs that create a notoriously harsh, jittery ride when unladen, MG has equipped the U9 EV with four-wheel electronic air suspension straight out of the box.

The air suspension system automatically alters ride height depending on what you are doing. At cruising speeds on the highway, it drops down closer to the tarmac to reduce aerodynamic drag and preserve battery range. When you point the nose down a rocky trail or need extra clearance over ruts, the suspension raises up to give you better ground clearance and steeper approach angles. Daily commuting without a heavy load in the back should feel far more composed and comfortable than traditional leaf-sprung workhorses.

Inside the cabin, the layout reflects modern SUV comfort rather than a bare-bones fleet truck. The dashboard features twin 12.3-inch digital displays running navigation, vehicle telemetry, and infotainment, backed by wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. You get a wireless smartphone charging pad, an eight-speaker JBL audio system, and black leather upholstery throughout. The driver seat is also treated to power adjustment, heating, ventilation, and massage functions.

The vehicle comes with a full complement of active safety tech, including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, and multiple exterior surround cameras to support a target five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The early verdict

At an entry price of A$78,990 plus on-road costs (roughly A$83,226 drive-away in Victoria), the MG U9 EV is certainly not cheap entry-level motoring. However, when you stack its dual-motor outputs, 102.2kWh battery capacity, standard air suspension, and full 3,500kg towing capability against high-end diesel utes that routinely push past A$80,000, the package looks well targeted.

For tradies running their own businesses, outdoor enthusiasts who spend weekends exploring regional Australia, and drivers with rooftop solar at home looking to ditch diesel bowsers, the U9 EV represents a significant and practical step forward for electric work vehicles down under.

For more information, head to MG Motor Australia.