If you’ve been holding off on a new EV because you’re waiting for more of a workhorse, it could be worth waiting for the Isuzu D-Max EV 1 to get here. Initially shown as the D-Max EV prototype at the Bangkok International Motor Show last year, the production version has hit assembly lines in Thailand with a first launch expected later this year.

The only catch is that the South African market won’t see it until 2026, with official confirmation still pending on its actual arrival. The current production run for the new Isuzu EV bakkie is limited to left-hand drive models intended for Europe. The right-hand drive version, which we’d want here at home, enters production at the end of 2025, with shipments “expected to start in 2026 in the UK and will be rolled out to other countries and areas based on market needs.”

Isuzu, bless you

Why is it worth waiting for the D-Max EV 1? The Japanese brand reckons that its first 1-ton EV bakkie will “match the performance of existing diesel models”, thanks in part to a dual-motor four-wheel-drive system that should have it clawing its way up steep grades even when fully loaded.

Isuzu hasn’t provided speed or acceleration figures for the D-Max EV 1, but there are range estimates. Drivers can expect between 263km and 361km on a single charge of the D-Max EV 1’s 66.9kWh battery. It’ll achieve this while generating 140kW of power and 325Nm of torque, plenty for transporting people or equipment from place to place.

It’s worth noting that the Isuzu D-Max EV 1 will have a reduced payload capacity compared to its diesel equivalent. Those batteries have to go somewhere, after all, and under the bakkie’s bed is a sensible call. It’s also worth noting that pricing for the D-Max EV 1 is still a little murky, but we can expect them to cost a little more than the fossil fuel variant. Around R2 million for the double-cab version of the EV probably wouldn’t be out of the question.