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Suzuki Australia is launching two electrified Vitara models in 2026. But while they share the same name, they’re completely different vehicles.
A newer variant of the long-running fourth-generation small SUV that has been around a decade, and now features 48V mild-hybrid tech and improved equipment levels, the Vitara HybriD enters as an upgrade to the Vara’s older version.
Meanwhile, the 2026 Suzuki e Vitara you see here is an all-new dedicated electric vehicle (EV) built by the Japanese brand’s Maruti Suzuki affiliate in India and exported around the globe. Toyota is even getting in on the action, developing its own badge-engineered version named the Urban Cruiser , which is already on sale overseas.
The e Vitara is going to be Suzuki’s first EV in Australia due to its sale here around June or July of 2026, and all signs suggest that it will land at the more achievable end of the Australian Electr market (probably a new rival for the growing number of cheap Chinese electric crossovers).
The price of Australia won’t be announced for a bit but Japanese-market positioning points to the e Vitara being better value than initially thought, given that it begins in Suzuki’s home market for $35,000.
Suzuki Australia arranged for us to attend a short pre-launch drive in Sydney with the Vitara Hybrid ahead of its official Australian market arrival later this year and returned home MY26 Jimny range.
Our friends in the UK, who drove the e Vitara in November, said it’s a “solid” first effort, but they were somewhat uninspired given the price positioning in Europe against rival vehicles. So, what did we think about the pre-production version for Australia?
How much does the Suzuki e Vitara cost?
We don’t know how much it’ll cost here just yet, though Suzuki Australia hinted at it being “competitive”.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
| — | — |
| 2026 Suzuki e Vitara Motion | $TBC |
| 2026 Suzuki e Vitara Ultra AllGrip | $TBC |
But we can’t talk about it today because we’re very, really early in the launch phase of that car.’ Michael Pachota, general manager for Suzuki Australia, said ‘It is just an amazing thing to say when you are starting your own car and I think they have been doing this right now. But when you get pricing out, you’ll know it will be competitive. ” , ‘I’m sure it is worth reading.
Suzuki e Vitara, made by Indians, is already on sale in overseas markets such as Japan and Europe; it also ships abroad under the new Toyota Urban Cruiser which has been sold for its second-hand.
Despite the UK starting price of £26,249 (A$48,255) which is closer to something like the larger Kia EV3, with its much longer driving range, the cost of the new e Vitara’s model could be more accurate and promising sign of how well-positioned Down Under by the Japanese brand.
In Japan, the entry-level variant with a smaller 49kWh battery starts at 3,993,000 yen (including the Japanese consumption tax) and converts to A$35,210. Suzuki’s home market is 4,928,000 yen (or A$43,455) for the flagship AWD model with an increased battery of 61kWh; while this version is listed in Suzuki’s 42,000 Yen-advanced Awr.
Other key competitors for Suzuki’s first electric vehicle in Australia could include the Chery E5 (from $38,990 drive-away), Leapmotor B10 (from $38,990 drive-away), MG S5 EV (from $40,990 drive-away), and Jaecoo J5 (from $36,990 drive-away).
A few compact EVs at this end of the market to be available with dual-motor all wheel drive are lower-spec e Vitara Ultra, which none of its Chinese competitors offer at that time.
To see how the Suzuki e Vitara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
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What is the Suzuki e Vitara like on the inside?
The e Vitara is much more luxurious when it presents its cabin presentation, where the ageing Vitera is feeling slightly cheap and dated inside.
On the centre console you’ll notice some Toyota links, which looks like it was from a bZ4X or Subaru Solterra; and the dual 10-inch driver and infotainment displays are much more modern than other Suzuki systems.
There’s a good mix of soft-touch surfaces and interesting details such as the brown trim accents and piano-black plastic on the centre console – which has shiny showroom appeal but will easily scratch and smudge.
Also, in a new EV it’s good to see an array of physical switchgear for the climate controls and drive modes. pressed, the buttons are nice and solid as is typical Suzuki fare; they have a good tone (likely soft) action when press-up to feel of solid quality.
A head of the e-shifter has two cupholders and a shelf for your phone, which in the Ultra includes i.e. wireless phone charging pad (in addition to its own device) with an antenna on top; it is also pictured above “Ahead of this fuck” or “It’s just like that.” During driving, the base model has just an mildly rubberised platform to prevent your phone flying around when you are driving with it.
a conjoined 10 . a 25-inch digital instrument cluster and 10-inches digital instruments cluster. A 1-inch central media system is standardised across both variants and features an interface that has been introduced in the Suzuki stable, unlike other models.
While I was in a short car trip, it didn’t really give me the details and test them for general usability; but there were multiple views on the digital instrument cluster that looks relatively upmarket (and the infotainment system provides wireless smartphone mirroring).
However, luckily for Suzuki, there are still physical toggles of the climate control system in the dashboard (i.e. you don’t have to dive through the touchscreen and adjust the temperature if you want to change it).
The software and interface is clean, attractive and works fine – in our very limited experience while not as quick to load or animate as some of the displays that are displayed in Chinese-branded rivals.
The e Vitara is very compact, with good rear passenger accommodation for such a small car and its relatively long wheelbase of 2700mm.
As a city runabout or grocery-getter it will make sense when you have smaller kids or regular passengers of average height, and I’m 6’1′′ tall.
Similarly, at my height (though I have about two inches!) headroom is tight and there are unfortunately no back air vents behind centre console like in some rivals.
The boot, which is a 244-310 litres (244–310) liters depending on the rear seat position behind the sliding and reclining rear bench seat seat of ‘s side, all versions have tyre repair kit instead of removing.
Pictured – Overseas models
| Dimensions | Suzuki e Vitara |
| — | — |
| Length | 4275mm |
| Width | 1800mm |
| Height | 1635mm |
| Wheelbase | 2700mm |
| Cargo capacity | 244-310L – 2nd row up |
To see how the Suzuki e Vitara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
What’s under the bonnet?
The e Vitara will offer two powertrain variants for most of Australia, while Suzuki Queensland will offer a total of three – read more on that here.
| Specifications | e Vitara Motion | e Vitara Ultra AllGrip |
| — | — | — |
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electric | Dual-motor electric |
| Battery | 49kWh LFP | 61kWh LFP |
| Power | 106kW | 135kW |
| Torque | 193Nm | 307Nm |
| Drive type | FWD | AWD |
| Weight – kerb | 1700kg | 1860kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 9.6 seconds | 7.4 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 14.9kWh/100km | 16.6kWh/100km |
| Claimed range – WLTP | 344km | 395km |
| Max AC charge rate | 11kW | 11kW |
| Max DC charge rate | – | – |
| Charge time 10-80% – DC | 45 mins | 45 mins |
The 61kWh battery will also be an Ultra FWD version of Suzuki Queensland (which distributes cars in the Sunshine State and the Northern Rivers region of NSW) although there are only two versions available for most of Australia.
WLTP testing The QLD-market’s e Vitara Ultra FWD (a claimed 426km of range), powered by the 106kW/193Nm motor and larger LFP battery, is an example of what has been described as ‘the most effective way to achieve this goal.
Suzuki Australia said ‘I’m open to adding this variant further down the track pending demand, but no firm plans at this stage of time.
To see how the Suzuki e Vitara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
How does the Suzuki e Vitara drive?
When we say “quick drive”, we really mean it was a quick drive.
During the same event, we drove the Vitara Hybrid for the preview drive of the e Vitera and there were two variants of (mild) ‘HybriD’ to drive on-road but only one version of that ve Vita was available with just two cars in which some eight journalists could report.
As a result, I only had 15 minutes behind the wheel of the e Vitara Motion on public roads ahead of some soft-roading, acceleration and slalom tests in the AllGrip model. Why are my first impressions relatively light-on?
The little electric Suzuki is a solid, smooth and relatively refined model of the Toyota-like style that matches the DNA shared by the e Vitara’s with the Japanese Urban Cruiser sold overseas.
With the Vitara Hybrid, the evitera is more refined in terms of road and powertrain noise insulation than driven back-to-back with the Varahr (as it has been described as), tends to be less solid on general road-holding and dynamics.
Neither is it meant to be a firecracker nor an revelation in this space, but at this stage of the market there’s – price pending.’ It’re competent and confident in how it drives; that means what its drive does ‘It’d rather be more than just as good or bad for me?
A. ride is generally quite soft (although sometimes it’s very hard to control the steering, which can be slightly slow and vaguely felt). That’s not the case with that, as many rival models have a driving character and it is unlikely for the target buyer to be all that fussed by that once again.
It’s hard to measure efficiency and range from such a short drive but with an indication 90 per cent charge on hottest day when the air-con running, the e Vitara had already dropped below 300km of indicated driving range.
It was a max regen mode that still requires brake pedal inputs in most situations, even if you want to slow the car down to ‘one-pedal’ driving mode. That is old-gen, again it’s a phrase that just doesn’t feel like an old one.
It’s interesting to get a better idea about the real-world efficiency when we are getting it through the childcareman.xyz garage, as Suzuki says that there is 345km on the WLTP cycle for the FWD 49kWh drivetrain.
During the spirit of a ‘quick’ drive, we also did some short light-duty off-roading in the e Vitara AllGrip over some gravel trails and dirt mounds.
While it’s not going to be chasing a Jimny up rocky slope, the e Vitara’S AllGrip-e dual-motor 4WD system is good fortraction as we have damp and slippery sections after rain – with its decent 180mm ground clearance means that it should be fine for basic camping trails and unsealed roads.
After that we did some acceleration against the Vitara Hybrid, and a couple of runs through slalom course to feel for its handling and body control when being pulled over.
Suzuki 7 0-100km/h acceleration time for ? This speeds up to 60 or 80km/h before tapering off towards triple figures, and it feels faster than 4 seconds. In all honesty, for this type of car it’s as fast as you need to be.
It took longer than the 80. Vitara Hybrid (9kW) – and its performance in the slalom was good. The lean is a little playful, as with other Suzuki cars; you can feel its weight laterally by quick changes of direction at speed.
at less than 1. This is a very loud and heavy-weight (according to EU/UK specs) e Vitara AllGrip, which has been described as being lardy relative to its featherweight Vitera Hybrid stablemate (1275kg in Allgrip guise), that feels at the bend even though it’s good enough.
That’s about as much as I can say, because we didn’t have any highway stretches on which to test any of its driver assistance features such as adaptive cruise control – although it’ll be worth noting all variants are fully equipped.
But I liked the standard surround camera system, though its quality is a little less than that of live feeds found in most Chinese rivalries.
To see how the Suzuki e Vitara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
What do you get?
Suzuki Australia will provide the e Vitara in ‘Motion’ and ‘Ultra’ trim levels, while Suzuki Queensland will sell the Ultra in both FWD and AWD versions with the longer-range 61kWh battery pack.
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2026 Suzuki e Vitara Motion equipment highlights:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Auto LED headlights
- Auto high-beam
- Rain-sensing wipers
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- Fabric upholstery
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Single-zone climate control
- 12-colour ambient lighting
The e Vitara Ultra adds:
- LED fog lights
- Adaptive high-beam
- Glass roof with shade
- Premium fabric and leather upholstery
- Power-adjustable driver’s seat
- Heated front seats
- Wireless phone charging
- Infinity sound system
To see how the Suzuki e Vitara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
Is the Suzuki e Vitara safe?
Despite the fact that it is not yet an ANCAP rating, the e Vitara’s model will likely be similar to its European sister model which scored four stars in independent crash testing.
Standard safety equipment across the range includes:
- 7 airbags
- Adaptive cruise control
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Lane-keep assist
- Multi-collision braking
- Parking sensors – front, rear
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Surround-view camera
To see how the Suzuki e Vitara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
How much does the Suzuki e Vitara cost to run?
While full details are still to be confirmed, the e Vitara will receive Suzuki Australia’s five-year unlimited km new vehicle warranty but battery coverage is still TBC provided as the brand’S first EV in Australia.
| Servicing and Warranty | Suzuki e Vitara |
| — | — |
| Warranty | 5 years, unlimited kilometres |
| Roadside assistance | 5 years |
| Service intervals | TBC |
| Capped-price servicing | TBC |
To see how the Suzuki e Vitara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Suzuki e Vitara
But given that price positioning is the key to the puzzle that’s missing here, it seems a little early to know whether the e Vitara will be reviving its strong rival for the Chinese entrants in the cheap EV market.
Suzuki can land the base model with an affordable price tag starting with a ‘3’, so it could be argued for itself as cheap and achievable electric SUV that is within s throw of stone’s Throw of BYD’.
However, if the e Vitara is priced more in line with its positioning in the UK, the Japanese brand will have shot itself in the foot before it touches down. Hyundai Inster 2.0, anyone?
Considering our short first local drive, first impressions are solid; however, we ultimately decide to be on Suzuki’S success in bringing the world’s first electric vehicle here with a high price tag (in mind that most competitors at this stage of the market aren’t all that inspiring either).
Watch this space.
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