BYD Shark Review & Prices

The BYD Shark is a bit of an oddity in pickup truck terms, because it may be a rugged, imposing-looking thing with impressive off-road credentials, but it’s also very well equipped and has a powerful plug-in hybrid engine with loads of electric range. It can’t tow or carry as much as its alternatives, though, nor is it as nice to drive as most SUVs.

Choosing the Shark over the established pick-up options is a bit like going glamping in the depths of the Peak District. Sure, you get the same basic experience as the more hardcore alternatives, but there are more creature comforts to go with it. You’ll pay a premium for the privilege, too.

The Shark has some pretty serious options to cross-shop it against, if you don’t mind what engine you have under the bonnet - such as the diesel Mitsubishi L200, Volkswagen Amarok and Isuzu D-Max. The Toyota Hilux Electric is a zero-emission alternative, while the Shark’s closest counterpart is the brilliant Ford Ranger PHEV.

On which note, BYD has clearly taken a leaf out of Ford’s styling department with the Shark. There are some pretty brazen styling cues taken from both the Ranger and the US-native F-150 Lightning models, which may be derivative, but makes the big BYD a square-jawed and imposing thing nonetheless.

The Shark’s interior is only available in black, and as with the boxy exterior looks nothing at all like the rest of BYD’s model range. The dashboard is totally dominated by the 15.6-inch infotainment display, set into an assortment of well-assembled and fairly premium plastics - though the coarse-grain leatherette could be softer to the touch.

The Shark’s software is a faff to navigate, and we experienced a few glitches during our drive, but some key settings have at least been given easy-to-use physical controls on the centre console, so it’s not all bad.

Cabin space is where the Shark excels, with highly adjustable seats and large enough door bins up front for a Thermos or big bottle. Back seat space is particularly impressive, with a comfortable degree of recline on the seat backs, room for three and a high roofline which accommodates tall passengers.

The load bed is a handy size, though the 790kg payload is down on the Ford and the Toyota Hilux diesel, but up on the Hilux EV. You get a handy step built into the BYD’s tailgate, as well as load bed lighting and six anchor points.

It’s a mixed bag from behind the wheel, because the Shark’s smooth hybrid engine is at odds with its agricultural traits. You can even travel up to 55 miles on a charge.

It’s mighty powerful, and the dual electric motors do a great job propelling the BYD’s heft. That means near-silent town driving, while excellent visibility makes it easy to manoeuvre - though the stiff suspension shimmies you around on rough roads.

You’ll find yourself adjusting the steering quite a lot on a twisty country lane, while the adjustable regenerative braking is more noticeable at higher speeds. Surprisingly for such a boxy thing, the Shark is pretty quiet on the motorway where the suspension also settles down.

It’s also pretty handy off-road, making light work of a muddy, slippery countryside test route, with some river crossing thrown in the mix, too.

Verdict

The BYD Shark occupies a similar space to the Ford Ranger PHEV, straddling the line between road-focused family SUV and rugged off-roader. On one hand it’s the best of both worlds, but on the other it’s pretty compromised both as a workhorse in terms of capacity and, while also not being very comfortable around town - unlike the Ranger.

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The BYD Shark costs a pretty substantial £47,000, placing it just below the Ford Ranger PHEV on price while being far better equipped…though it can’t tow as much, carry as much, and unlike the Ford, you can’t claim back the VAT for business use. Factoring in the tax benefit, the Ranger can cost as low as £39,500.

Still, £47,000 is a fixed price for the Shark, as there’s a single trim level with plenty of standard kit such as heated and ventilated front seats (no heated steering wheel though), 360-degree cameras with parking sensors front and rear, up to 55 miles of electric-only range and a mighty 436hp from its PHEV powertrain.

It’s mighty powerful and smooth, but the Shark isn’t very refined on pockmarked roads

There’s only one Shark variant on sale in the UK, powered by a 1.5-litre, plug-in hybrid petrol engine and dual motors, producing a plentiful 436hp through all four wheels. There are some quirks to this setup, such as the fact that the front and rear wheels are totally independent of one another, with no chunky gearbox getting in the way of the 32.2kWh battery inside the robust ladder frame.

It can fast-charge at 55kW on DC power for a 30-80% top up in 21 minutes, while an 11kWh AC charger will take it from 15 to 100% in 3 hours and 12 minutes.

While a separate chassis to the body is pretty old-school (and more durable for sustained off-road use), the Shark is fitted with a more modern and sophisticated suspension setup than most alternatives, similar to what you’ll find on some rather posh sports cars and luxury limos.

Sadly, this doesn’t translate into a soothing drive experience around town, because the Shark is plagued by the same shimmy through the cabin as with most pick-up trucks, and it thuds over sudden speed bumps as if it were equipped with their more simple suspension.

On the other hand, potholes are dealt with fairly well and with so much grunt from the electric motors, the Shark is quick away from junctions and quiet when pottering about - aside from a smidge of whirr from the electric gubbins. All-round visibility is excellent, while 360-degree cameras help when parking the 5.5-metre long behemoth.

It could do with some more braking consistency, however. While the Shark’s brake pedal is pretty well-judged, the regenerative braking takes a couple of seconds to kick in once you lift your foot off the accelerator, which is disconcerting.

When the petrol engine kicks in - such as when you floor it on a country lane - there’s a noticeable drone in the background, but this settles down when you reach a constant speed. Body lean through bends is well contained for such a tall, heavy car, and the suspension is better at dealing with bumps at higher speeds too. Expect some background roar from the knobbly all-terrain tyres, however.

Once you get onto the motorway you’ll be surprised, not just at the quick acceleration, but at how quiet the Shark is - even with its big, wind-catching mirrors and upright front end, wind noise is kept to a minimum. Put the brake regen into ‘high’ and you’ll feel more of a difference at high speeds than you will in town.

The Shark is pretty handy off-road too, with all-terrain tyres as standard and permanent four-wheel drive from its dual motors. There are numerous driving modes for a range of environments, and the big BYD made light work of the slippery, boggy test route we subjected it to thanks to 230mm of ground clearance and 31.0-degree approach, 17.0-degree breakover and 19.5-inch breakaway angles.

Some thoughtful load space features are spoiled by the low towing capacity and payload limit

Purely on specification, the BYD Shark’s load bay is pretty clever and features some standard kit that’ll make your life easier on a daily basis. For starters, the single trim level comes with a lined bed that features built-in lighting on a neatly-integrated button, as well as a pair of 6.0kW, three-pin sockets beneath a flip-up lid. Don’t forget your kettle.

The tailgate itself is a soft-open item with a built-in, fold-out step which makes it far easier to climb in the back - though some side steps as per the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux wouldn’t go amiss.

BYD has put some effort into Shark accessories from the jump, with a multitude of bed caps, tonneau covers, cross bars, mats and even a roof tent available from the truck’s launch.

Internal and external measurements

Exterior dimensions

Length: 5,457mm

Width including door mirrors: 2,155mm

Width not including door mirrors: 1,971mm

Height: 1,925mm

Load bed dimensions

Maximum load length: 1,520mm

Maximum load height: 517mm

Maximum load width: 1,200mm

Towing capacity

Even with its ultra-powerful PHEV engine, the Shark has a max towing capacity of 2,500kg - putting it a whole tonne down on the 3,500kg-ready Ford Raptor PHEV.

Diesel alternatives in the Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi L200 and KGM Musso can all tow the same 3,500kg, as can the all-electric Isuzu D-Max EV. Only the Toyota Hilux Electric can’t keep up, with its 1,600kg towing weight.

Payload

Again, the Ford Ranger PHEV has the Shark bested here, as the BYD can only carry a 790kg payload in its bed. The plug-in Ranger can manage 1,000kg.

Well-built with some nice materials, but the software is a little glitchy at times and annoying to navigate

Forget the usual uber-curvy, alien-looking interiors of the BYD Seal, Sealion 7 and Dolphin G. The Shark is here with a far more upright, grown-up and down-to-earth cabin. That’s if you can look past the Picadilly Circus-rivalling 15.6-inch infotainment display and its fiddly menus.

In material terms, the Shark is a mixed bag. It feels tremendously well screwed-together; the chunky grab handles on the centre console, dashboard plastics and upper door cards are all rattle and squeak-free to the touch.

The steering wheel material feels rather hard, though, and the coarse-grain leatherette on the door tops and armrests appear to have had a past life on an old saddle. Hard-wearing trim is good, but this stuff is almost as hard as the plastics on the horn cover and lower dashboard.

At least the bright orange stitching breaks up the otherwise all-black colour scheme, which makes the cab feel smaller than it is - because there’s actually loads of room inside. At least visibility is excellent thanks to the tall windows.

You’ll find highly adjustable seats up front, as well as a deep but narrow cubby under the armrest, a pair of phone pads with a single wireless charger, door pockets big enough for large water bottles and a sunglasses holder in the roof.

The back seats are very impressive, with a pleasantly reclined backrest angle, wide base and flat floor making it easy for three to stay comfortable. There’s even a flip-down armrest with two cup holders and a pair of USB-C charging ports - which mean the little ones strapped into the pair of ISOFIX rear anchor points can keep their iPads charged up on long drives.

Thanks to its 32.2kWh battery, the BYD Shark has a generous 55 miles of electric-only range in official tests. That’s handy around town, and BYD claims 29.4mpg on an empty battery - which never really happens, as the hybrid system always keeps a tiny bit of juice in there.

We saw MPG drop down to just over 25mpg with a highly-depleted battery on our mix of motorway, town and Leicestershire countryside test route. With the car in hybrid mode on some twisty lanes and the frequent acceleration that goes with them, we averaged 34.0mpg - down on the claimed 80mpg.

The biggest Achilles heel to the Shark is its pricing, because the sub-tonne payload capacity means it doesn’t qualify for a VAT exemption in the way a Ford Ranger PHEV does. On the other hand, with almost double the Ranger’s electric-only range, the Shark falls into a lower Benefit-in-Kind rate for company car drivers.

BYD Shark Euro NCAP score (2025): 5/5

Adult occupant: 82%
Child occupant: 86%
Vulnerable road users: 74%
Safety assist: 87%

The BYD Shark was tested by safety experts Euro NCAP in 2025 as a car - which is stricter and more comprehensive than for commercial vehicles. Nonetheless, the Shark scored an excellent five-star rating.

It comes as standard with a range of safety assistance technology, from a driver attention monitor to adaptive cruise control, active lane assist, hill descent control for off-roading, blind spot monitoring and emergency lane keep assist.

*the basic three-year warranty is extended by a year with each approved service

BYD offers a competitive six-year, 93,750-mile warranty on the Shark - as it does with the rest of its model range. This is twice the duration of Ford’s warranty, though still behind Toyota with its class-leading ten-year coverage, so long as you keep regular servicing up at a Toyota-approved garage.

BYD came 16th out of 30 brands in the 2026 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, which is a middle-table result and unimpressive - until you note it was second-to-last in 2025. That’s a huge improvement, and hopefully a sign that BYD is getting its act together.