$59,990 plus ORC for a 360kW plug-in hybrid ute that tows 3.5 tonnes. The JAC T9 PHEV undercuts the BYD Shark 6 by about $10k, so Kiwi EV adventures spent a couple of days hunting for the catch. He got 90km of EV range around Auckland and saw 53kW on a ChargeNet charger.
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We drive New Zealand’s cheapest plug-in hybrid ute, the JAC T9 PHEV, on the other side of the world.
The electrified ute space race continues to get hotter and hotter.
Ford’s plug-in hybrid Ranger is here, and is known to have seen a big upswing in sales this year. The BYD Shark 6 continues to charge along, with the new Performance having just landed. And Toyota’s pure electric Hilux is finally here, along with supersized electrified options from GWM and Foton.
Against such a packed field, it might be tempting to cast the new JAC T9 PHEV as a fringe outsider. And given that the standard T9 diesel is still a market minnow, I wouldn’t blame you. But, the T9 PHEV has several key tricks up its sleeve that could twist a few arms.
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Having already made headway in the NZ ute market with the T9, JAC Motors is upping the ante by adding a PHEV powertrain to their range. And to prove this isn’t just greenwashing, they invited us to some challenging off-road terrain in Chengdu, China, to see if it was up to the brief of combining practicality with modern electric innovation.
When it comes to looks, the T9 PHEV maintains the broad-shouldered, chunky aesthetic that has made the conventional T9 easily recognisable on New Zealand roads. JAC has kept the proportions that show off the ute’s genuine work-focused heritage, and rejected the temptation to make it look like something designed merely to visually impress.
The T9 Goes Electric, and Gets Seriously Dirty
There are plenty of places to test a new ute. A smooth tarmac road, a motorway, or even a gravel track (if the manufacturer is feeling adventurous). But when JAC decided to let us loose in its new T9 PHEV, it chose something rather more entertaining, the forests around Chengdu, on a custom off-road course covered in wet, slippery red clay.
The JAC T9 PHEV has officially made its New Zealand debut at Fieldays, with the Chinese brand revealing full specifications and pricing for its electrified dual-cab ute.
Priced from $59,990 plus on-road costs as part of a limited-time launch offer, the T9 PHEV enters the market as the cheapest plug-in hybrid ute currently on sale in New Zealand, undercutting rivals such as the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV.
The standard T9 diesel ute, which shares the same platform as the PHEV, is priced from $49,990.
JAC says the new model is not only the most affordable PHEV ute available locally, but also New Zealand’s most powerful hybrid ute, producing a combined 360kW of power and 674Nm of torque from a turbocharged petrol engine and dual electric motors.
Those figures slightly edge the 350kW of power produced by the Shark 6 Performance, but the JAC PHEV falls short of the BYD ute’s 700Nm torque figure. Meanwhile the Cannon Alpha PHEV produces a claimed combined output of 350kW and 700Nm.
The 2026 JAC T9 PHEV has arrived in New Zealand, bringing plug-in hybrid power to the ute segment at an impressive price point. In this first look and impression video, I take you through the exterior, interior, key features, practicality, and my initial thoughts on how this new PHEV ute could shake up the NZ market.
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Jac New Zealand launched the T9 ute in diesel form back in January 2025. It’s now been joined by the T9 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). The electrified model was previewed as a prototype at Fieldays last year, and the final production version was launched at the same event this month, on June 10-13.
The orange prototype is also back on show as it happens, although the body has parted company with the chassis to show the complicated inner workings of the electric drive. “It’s had a little facelift,” says Jac NZ general manager Andrew Craw.
Speaking of the complicated bits: the T9 PHEV matches a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with two electric motors, driving through a dedicated hybrid transmsision (DHT) – which makes it more of a “super hybrid” type of powertrain than a conventional PHEV.
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We’re talking 360kW of power, up to 1,005km of combined hybrid range, 100km of pure EV range, and the ability to tow 3,500kg of braked load. For context, that’s the kind of performance envelope that makes this New Zealand’s most powerful hybrid ute. Oh, and it scored five stars with ANCAP, making it our safest hybrid ute too. Not bad for a vehicle that still comes with a built-in pie warmer. Yes, that’s still a thing, and honestly, we’re here for it.
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SUSPENSION fine tuning is being undertaken for a JAC that now sets price-leadership among plug-in hybrid utes – and more accurate efficiency figures are also promised.
Those factors aren’t expected to inhibit Kiwi interest in a model the Chinese commercial vehicle specialist today launched, six weeks ahead of planned start to sale.
The battery-enabled version of the T9 ute that debuted at New Zealand’s largest agricultural show, Fieldays, today is expected to be a star performer as fossil fuel price fluctuations cause ute faithful to think again about continued dedication to diesel.
The model’s $59,990 price is the lowest yet being asked for this technology in New Zealand in this format.
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