Australia’s five cheapest heavy-duty tow vehicles

The cost of living is soaring and everyone wants a bargain, right? Well, if you own a caravan or camper trailer and you’re in the market for a new dual-cab 4x4 ute --- one of the most popular options for serious towing -- you’ll be happy to know there’s never been more choice, especially at the bottom end of the market.

While many would like to ease into one of the most popular examples, that’s a $50K minimum spend these days (the Toyota HiLux starts from $50,420 and the Ford Ranger at $51,130, both plus on-road costs).

So, with plenty of new (and not so new) budget players in the four-door 4x4 ute market, there are significant savings to be made. In fact, you can walk away with $20,000 or more left in your pocket by opting for a less-popular model.

The question on everyone’s lips of course is are they any good? Here’s our verdict on the five cheapest new twin-cab 4x4 utes currently available in Australia. And for the sake of this exercise, we’re leaving out the loss-leading cab-chassis models that require extra cash for the tray or other after-market body. This is a ute-only zone.

Related: The best tow vehicles you can buy in Australia right now

On face value, the GWM Cannon Ute – now in a newly minted entry-level grade – is tremendous value and the most feature-laden ute here. It is stacked high with all the right safety gear (and a current five-star ANCAP rating) as well as the latest tech and convenience features. It also looks the part and offers plenty of room inside.

Where it falls down is how some of the gear actually works. For example, the lane-keeping assist is over-sensitive and the infotainment system is sometimes difficult and clunky to operate.

Its quiet and smooth 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is laggy and falls short of the power available from many competitors, and the 4WD system lacks sophistication.

But there’s a lot of ute for your money here, at $40,490 drive-away.

How much does the GWM Ute Premium Cannon cost?
Price: $40,490 drive-away
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 120kW/400Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.1L/100km
Max payload/towing: 995kg/3200kg
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2021)

Find more GWM Cannon models for sale on carsales.com.au

The LDV T60 Max was first seen in Australia in 2017 and has had a couple of refreshes since then, the most recent coming earlier this year. For 2025 the T60 gets a nip and tuck, added equipment, improved active safety and stronger towing capability. 

While it’s a good-looking truck, the T60 Max is one that lacks the polish, tech and safety kit of the market leaders. The 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel has considerable lag off the line, followed by strong mid-range urge, and a considerable thirst.

With the Pro variant’s heavy-duty suspension, there is none of the smooth, compliant ride you’ll find in the current Ford Ranger. The ride is very firm. And while the Borg-Warner four-wheel drive system is sophisticated on paper, its clunky operation off-road as the system releases (to avoid binding) doesn’t shout refinement.

And the T60’s five-star ANCAP safety rating dates from 2017 and the Chinese-built ute lacks key safety aids such as blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert, although the upgrade has brought to the package autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning/lane keep assist and a high-resolution reversing camera. Furthermore, the seven-year warranty adds to the T60’s appeal.

How much does a LDV T60 Max Pro cost?
Price: $41,042 drive-away
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder biturbo-diesel
Output: 160kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
Max payload/towing: 1040kg/3500kg
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)

Find more LDV T60 models for sales on carsales.com.au

The current SsangYong Musso has been with us since 2018. However, it had a refresh in 2021, bringing a new nose, and has been updated again as recently as August 2025, adding some active safety gear, comfort and convenience features as well as a light cosmetic refresh. Mechanicals stayed much the same.

The Korean-made Musso is the surprise player at the cheap end of the dual-cab 4x4 ute segment. It makes sense as a city dweller in its standard (short) guise with a 1.3m-long tray, which also comes with independent multi-link coil rear suspension.

Ride quality, powertrain refinement and overall presentation are all very good. Added to that is the long warranty – seven years/unlimited kilometre, even for commercial use – plus a 3500kg towing capacity (although a sub-800kg payload isn’t class-leading).

The Musso does not quite offer the performance, technology or refinement of better utes. What might make it even harder to get over the line as a family vehicle is that there is no crash safety rating for the Musso.

How much does a KGM Musso ELX cost?
Price: $42,500 drive-away
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 133kW/400Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
Max payload/towing: 783kg/3500kg
Safety rating: Not tested

Find more KGM Musso models for sales on carsales.com.au

The JAC brand is not a familiar name to Aussies, but the company’s light trucks have been on sale locally for more than a decade, and the T9 is the first foray into the light commercial vehicle sector of the market.

In keeping with other Chinese utes, the JAC T9 represents good value, but it’s by no means perfect. In some ways the T9 is very good indeed, offering the sophistication of a ZF eight-speed automatic and a five-star ANCAP safety rating. There’s good overall interior presentation as well, and plenty of comfort and convenience equipment.

But the ride quality is compromised on road – with our reviewers using terms like ‘stiff’ and ‘abrupt’ to describe the ride – and the suspension tuning is not helpful for off-road articulation and traction. Add to that some lagginess from the turbocharged diesel and also-ran performance and fuel efficiency, and the T9 is left with price alone to commend it to buyers.

How much does a JAC T9 Oasis manual cost?
Price: $42,662 drive-away
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 120kW/410Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
Max payload/towing: 1045kg/3200kg
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2024)

Find more JAC T9 models for sales on carsales.com.au

There’s word of a replacement for the current D23 Navara in the works, and that new model may not match the current Navara for affordability, with Nissan’s local management looking to squeeze more profit from the successor.

But for the moment it’s the D23 generation of Nissan Navara that takes the fight up to the Chinese and Korean brands in the low-priced end of the ute market.

And the Navara is surprisingly well equipped for active safety, given its price. It’s very much a known quantity for off-road work too, and it will not only tow 3500kg, it also boasts a pretty impressive payload of 1126kg. Nissan only comes within striking distance of the cheaper utes from China by offering the Navara with a manual transmission, which might appeal to some buyers.

So, what is the downside to the Navara? It’s no longer rated five stars for safety by ANCAP, and the engine is a middle-ranking contender – closer in performance and refinement to some of its low-cost rivals than the more sophisticated peers in the sector.

How much does a Nissan Navara SL manual cost?
Price: $48,228 plus on-road costs
Available: Now
Engine: 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 140kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 7.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
Max payload/towing: 1126kg/3500kg
Safety rating: Not tested

Find more Nissan Navara models for sales on carsales.com.au