New KGM Musso EV 2025 review: the most convincing electric pick-up to date

Verdict

If not for its mediocre payload, the KGM Musso EV is the most convincing electric pick-up to date. It’s quiet, comfortable and decent enough to drive, comes well equipped and will even do 200-plus miles on a charge. If KGM can get the price right – and better still, sort out its load-carrying capacity – it could be onto a winner. Indeed, we’d go as far as to say there’s an additional half-star there for the taking.

The pick-up truck segment is arguably the one area of the market most resistant to electrification. Our friends on the other side of the Atlantic get a lot more choice, but Brits in search of an electric truck are restricted to the underwhelming Maxus T90, or the eye-wateringly expensive Isuzu D-Max EV.

But before the end of the year, KGM (formerly SsangYong) will launch its electric Musso – a new and unrelated sister model to the capable, but slightly agricultural diesel truck of the same name. With an estimated starting price of £45,000 and a WLTP-rated range of 235 miles, it’s in with a fighting chance even before it’s turned a wheel.

To see what’s in store, we had an early taste of the Musso EV in a production-spec model on UK roads – and first impressions are very good indeed. It’s spacious, drives well and should be capable of 200-plus miles on a charge.

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KGM is a bit-part player in the UK new-car market, however, and that’s unlikely to change with the introduction of this pick-up – no matter how good it is. As with the Actyon and Torres SUVs, there are absolutely no badges or branding on the nose of this truck, and were it not for the ‘KGM’ lettering on the tailgate, you’d probably assume it had spawned from one of the myriad Chinese makers currently making inroads on the European market.

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But it’s not a bad looking vehicle, with chunky styling, plenty of cladding and neat details such as decorative grab handles on the bonnet and steps at the rear. It’s a similar story inside, where the Musso EV feels suitably premium for a car of its kind; you’ll find scratchy plastics if you go searching, but there’s Nappa leather on the electrically-operated heated and ventilated seats, and copper-coloured trim beneath the twin-screen infotainment displays.

That kit list extends far beyond what you might ordinarily expect to be included on a pick-up truck such as this, too. In addition to those lavishly equipped front seats, there are heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel, as well as dual-zone climate control and Vehicle to Load (V2L) tech that can charge laptops or power tools. Outside, you get 17-inch alloy wheels, side steps, full-LED headlights, plus a host of driver-assistance features.

Yet those driver assistance features plague what is an otherwise agreeable driving experience. On a relatively wide piece of open A-road, you’ll find the steering wheel tugging left and right as the Musso EV unwittingly repels itself from the white line – bouncing around without rhyme or reason. It’s incredibly disconcerting, although thankfully this form of lane-keep assist can be turned off quickly via a button on the wheel. As far as we could tell, the over-sensitive attention monitor and loud speed-limit warnings can only be deactivated via the central screen.

Do so, and the Musso EV transforms into a quiet, comfortable and relatively sprightly truck. The two electric motors and 339Nm of instant torque mean it picks up keenly (0-62mph takes eight seconds), while the deep tyre sidewalls mean there’s little road noise to disturb the sound of silence. Only once you approach the national speed limit does wind noise start to become an issue, but if you plan to use the vehicle mostly around town or on rural roads, it should be fine.

We tried the Musso EV unladen – more on payload in a moment – which meant at times there was a tendency for the rear end to bounce about a bit over undulations. Yet the sophisticated feel to the chassis means the truck rarely feels unwieldy, with the cushioned damping preventing any sharp shocks from entering the cabin.

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So the Musso EV stands up pretty well when it comes to the equipment it offers and the way it drives, plus there’s a generous amount of room in the rear for adults to get comfortable – revelling in those heated outer seats, big, square windows and fold-down central armrest. But while the interior feels spacious, the load bed is an area in desperate need of improvement.

You see, while it looks a reasonable shape and size, its payload is restricted to just 500kg. That’s because KGM has foregone the sturdier leaf spring rear-suspension arrangement found on nearly every other pick-up truck sold in the UK in favour of a multi-link layout – hence the Musso EV’s agreeable ride comfort. Almost every petrol or diesel pick-up – as well as the Maxus and Isuzu EVs – can carry a tonne or more, leaving the KGM lagging on what should be its strongest selling point. The maker claims it can tow an 1,800kg trailer, which again, is down on its closest competitors.

Still, if those numbers are sufficient for your intended use case, then the Musso EV isn’t without appeal. Since double-cab pickups are now subject to emissions-based Benefit-in-Kind costs, rather than a flat commercial vehicle rate, the zero emissions of the Musso EV mean it will offer significant savings over the diesel version. Plus there is the potential of far lower fuel costs if you can top up using an off-peak electricity tariff.

We ended our drive with 48 per cent battery and 110 miles remaining, suggesting 200 miles should be easily achievable in daily use – or more if you’re using the truck mainly around town. A peak charge speed of 120kW far surpasses what the Maxus or Isuzu is capable of, and will see you back on the road (with an 80 per cent charge) in just over half an hour.

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