Ute Buyers Guide
Home > Ute
The good ol' Aussie utility may be long gone, but the term “ute” lives on with the pick-up. Due to its off-road versatility and improvements in refinement, utes have found a wider audience who use it as 4x4 adventure tourers and family runabouts. Plus, they’re popular with tradies thanks to the rear tray.
The ute owes its immense popularity to the variety of body styles and drivetrains it can be specified with. With the two-seat Single Cab, two-seat cabin with added rear cargo space Extra Cab, and the five-seat four-door Double Cab configurations, plus the option of two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, there is a ute to suit nearly every purpose.
By starting price
Ute Comparisons
-
4x4 Comparisons
2023 Ford Ranger vs Toyota HiLux comparison review: Off-road & on-road
Australia's favourite 4X4s go head-to-head
-
4x4 Comparisons
2023 Ford Ranger vs 2022 Toyota HiLux: Specs compared
The 2023 Ford Ranger is shaping up to be one of the hottest 4x4 releases of the year, so how does the current generation Toyota Hilux stack up to the new kid on the block?
-
4x4 Comparisons
Nissan Navara ST vs Mitsubishi Triton GSR
Navara ST and its smaller Triton GSR rival go toe-to-toe in a battle of the mid-size dual-cab 4x4 ute segment
-
Comparisons
2021 Dual-cab ute megatest: Performance and braking comparison
We test the acceleration and braking performance of 11 dual-cab 4x4 utes available in Australia from Mitsubishi, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Isuzu, Jeep, Mazda, Ssangyong and GWM
-
2021 Dual-cab ute megatest: Results and summary
-
2021 Dual-cab ute megatest: Off-road comparison
-
Budget utes compared: GWM Ute Cannon-L vs Ssangyong Musso XLV Ultimate
-
Australia's top-selling utes compared: Ranger vs D-Max vs Triton vs Navara vs HiLux
Ute Reviews
-
Reviews
2023 Isuzu D-Max review: First drive of updated ute
We head to Double Island Point and the hills around Noosa to experience the recently freshened up 2023 Isuzu D-Max
-
Reviews
Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior: Long-term review
A manual Navara PRO-4X Warrior joins our fleet
-
Reviews
VIDEO: 2023 Volkswagen Amarok review
The original Amarok was something of a pioneer. We drive the Ranger-twinned successor to find out if it stands up to VW’s claim of being the dual-cab ute segment’s most premium offering.
-
Reviews
2022 Isuzu D-Max LS-U review
The Isuzu D-Max LS-U is a dual-cab ute without any unnecessary frills, and that’s a good thing
-
2023 LDV eT60 review: Electric ute driven
-
2023 LDV T60 Max review
-
2022 LDV T60 review: Max Luxe 4x4
-
2023 Ford Ranger XLS review
Ute News
-
News
Electric Volkswagen Amarok could preference payload over towing capacity
The F-150 Lightning may be all about towing capacity, but an electric Amarok could be about maximum load carrying
-
News
2023 VW Amarok: Australian News and Everything You Need to Know
Here's all the latest news on the incoming new 2023 Volkswagen Amarok, and our first-drive review!
-
News
Isuzu wait times in 2022: How long are Isuzu’s delivery delays?
Your model-by-model guide to estimated wait times on a new Isuzu in 2022
-
News
Volkswagen Amarok: “Premium ute” set to cost $80,000+ in flagship form
Prices set to rise as German brand Volkswagen positions its second-generation Amarok as the dual-cab ute segment's most heavily specified and premium offering
-
VW: Electric Volkswagen Amarok SUV needed to justify any battery ute
-
Electric VW Amarok ute confirmed for second half of decade
-
Dreamax the D-MAX wins 2022 Custom 4x4 of the Year award
-
Walkinshaw-fettled next-gen Volkswagen Amaroks not likely until late 2024
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Ute FAQs
SINGLE CAB
Also called a Single-Cab-Chassis, the Single-cab is the quintessential tradie's ute that comprises two doors, two seats, and a tray out back for carrying tools and equipment. Single-cab utes typically come in two styles; a box-backed workman’s ute with an alloy flat or panel-sided tray suited for big lock-boxes and load carrying, or car-based iterations such as the iconic Ford and Holden utes, which have since ceased production.
DUAL CAB
As the name suggests, the dual-cabin ute has four doors and at least four seats, though most have five these days. It is also called a Double Cab. Because of the extra passenger row, the rear cargo area is shorter than other ute styles, and you'll see it's more car-like in the sense that bodywork surrounds the tray and the chassis isn't exposed. Payload and tow capacities are quite high as well (although typically less than Single-cabs), with some claiming to haul up to 3.5 tonnes.
EXTRA CAB
Also called a Super-cab, Space-cab or King-cab, this body style splits the difference between single and Dual-cab utes. Think of it as a one-and-a-half cab, and the extra room behind the first row of seats can be used as either seating or storage. Many Extra-cabs feature ‘suicide doors’, smaller entry doors that are hinged at the rear and open the cabin right out, and allowing goods and people in and out without needing to shift the front seats like your typical two-door, two-row car.