It's official: new Isuzu D-Max EV revealed

The new Isuzu D-Max EV has been revealed, featuring a fully electric 4×4 powertrain with peak power of 140 kW and a claimed single-charge WLTP range of 263 km…

Meet the new Isuzu D-Max EV, the first fully electric version of the Japanese firm’s popular bakkie. Revealed at the 2025 Commercial Vehicle Show in the United Kingdom, the battery-powered pick-up has officially entered production in Thailand.

According to Isuzu, the first left-hand-drive units will reach “major” markets in Europe in the 3rd quarter of 2025. Production of right-hand-drive units is scheduled to start towards the end of this year, with sales likely to commence in the UK in 2026 before being “rolled out to other countries and areas based on market needs”.

For now at least, it seems unlikely the D-Max EV will be offered in South Africa. As a reminder, the diesel-powered D-Max for the local market in produced at Isuzu’s Struandale plant in the Eastern Cape, while this box-fresh EV version comes from the Samut Prakan factory in Thailand.

The new Isuzu D-Max EV is based on a “re-engineered” version of the standard RG-series bakkie’s platform and features a 66.9 kWh lithium-ion battery pack allowing a WLTP range of 263 km (or up to 361 km of city driving). Europe will receive both extended- and double-cab body styles.

Isuzu says the D-Max EV is capable of accepting DC fast-charging speeds of up to 50 kW, moving the battery capacity from 20 to 80% in approximately an hour. Use a standard 11 kW AC charger, meanwhile, and it would theoretically take 10 hours to reach a full charge from zero.

Dual electric motors produce a total power output of 140 kW (43 kW fore and 97 kW aft) along with peak torque of 325 Nm (108 Nm up front and 217 Nm at the rear). The 4×4 EV bakkie has a claimed 0-100 kph time of 10.1 seconds and a top speed of “over 130 kph”.

Wading depth is listed as “up to 600 mm”, while ground clearance comes in at 210 mm. The off-road approach and departure angles are 30.5° and 24.2°, respectively (besting the D-Max 3.0TD V-Cross 4×4). Interestingly, the D-Max EV ditches traditional leaf springs at the rear, instead switching to “an all-new De-Dion rear suspension” set-up.

Still, payload capacity comes in at 1 100 kg and braked towing capacity at 3 500 kg, while the kerb weight is listed as 2 350 kg. That makes the D-Max EV some 280 kg heavier than the D-Max 3.0TD V-Cross 4×4.

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