Ludicrous Feed | EV Adoption in Australia Dec 28, 2025

Ludicrous Feed 2025 Wrapped: Full Walkthrough of Electric Car Reviews

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What we'll do is run through all the cars we've reviewed for 2025, and also some of the road trips,

some of the expo's, and also some of the media trips and events we've been to in Australia and overseas as well.

Let's start with the very beginning. In January 2025 of this year, we had a look at the D-PAL SO7.

We took that on a road trip to Canberra. Great car. They had a price drop this year, they fixed the 8S as well,

so good work to D-PAL and Inch Cape. And also the next car was the X-Ping G6. We drove that to Melbourne.

I can't believe these cars only came out this year, or late last year. It's been a huge last 12 months.

It seems like a long time, but it's actually, yeah, it's been like just over 12 months, isn't it, since these cars were launched.

It's not till I did this order that I realised, oh my goodness, so much has happened this year.

So X-Ping G6, we took that to Melbourne, which obviously Joy enjoyed so much that we have a media car long-term on loan,

in our garage at the moment.

And in that time, between January and, I think it was about August, I can't remember exactly when,

but they fixed the issue with being able to charge at a supercharger,

because that was my one sort of like, you know, Goldilocks grife with the car,

because it had everything, but it couldn't charge at a supercharger. And then that was magically fixed.

Again, I can't believe that was only this year. That's all in the space of 12 months. Crazy.

Yes, you're right. It's compatible with pretty much all V3V4 superchargers now. Just amazing.

Makes it a great retro vehicle. Smart hashtag one was the next one we reviewed on the channel.

That has not sold as many as I thought it might have. It's a nice little sort of SUV, small SUV,

but again, it is on the expensive side. We'll go through the different categories, by the way,

and the pricing for each of these. Each of the top cars of each category in the next part of the video.

Well, I think the cars that we have reviewed. Yeah. Yeah.

So stay tuned to the end of the video. We'll do that, but we'll go through the video,

go through the cars we reviewed. And our personal opinion of the top car.

Of course, we'll do a summary of that. It's always subjective.

Yeah. And then the next block is the trip that I took to China with DPAL and Inchcape,

DPAL S05, which is the smaller version of SO7. Hopefully that will come to Australia soon as well.

That will fit in that sort of small to mid-sized SUV segment.

DPAL EO7, which is the multi-truck. Got a chance to test drive that in Chongqing in China.

But then again, we did the media drivers that as well later on in the year.

So that was not a bad looking vehicle. And it's got, I guess, a unique look to it.

So for those who want a covered load at the back, but looks mostly like an SUV.

That's not a bad car. I've seen ads for it at Chatswood Westfield too.

Oh, have you? Yeah. As in on the, you know, the LED kind of like.

The massive dangling board. No, no, not the big one. The smaller one.

Yeah. Throughout the center. Yeah. Got it.

Leap motor C10. That again is quite a good value vehicle.

That fits in that large mid-sized SUV.

Hopefully we'll see more from Leap motor in 2026 with the B10 arriving hopefully soon as well.

So we're a few of those when we were in Melbourne.

Yep. Yep. I remember that. Yep.

So reviewed the BEV version and the range extender version as well this year.

So again, a lot has happened this year.

Avatar 12, that's on the back of that Chongqing trip to China with DPAL.

That hopefully fingers crossed, not confirmed, but hopefully come to Australia too.

It's a very zippy sporting looking sedan.

I was going to say I did not remember that car. So that was just something you did.

That's something I did in China.

Polestar 3, Polestar 4, early this year.

I still like the Polestar 4. That's still one of my favorite vehicles.

The price has dropped a lot. You can get a decent long range, rural drive,

Polestar 4 with some of the trimmings for 700K now.

So even some $90,000 if you look carefully on car sales.

So that's quite. Still pricey though, isn't it? Yeah.

But it is a nice car. Still one of my favorites to drive.

Now we did also review some of the PHEVs as well.

Havel H6 GT, we went to the GWM Havel launch and also got a chance to review that car.

One of five PHEVs, is it? No, one of, no correct,

one of five PHEV or range extended vehicles this year, the Havel H6.

Nice contender to the Sea Lion 6 and also the Leapmotor C10 RE EV as well

and the Geely Star Ray EMI which we also reviewed.

Zika 7X, this is the Zika X, the little baby brother version of that car.

That's not a bad vehicle either, drives very well.

Potentially a bit overpriced now that 7X has come out.

Zika X is about 50 grand, 7X is under 60 grand MSRP.

So hopefully we'll see a price drop for the X in 2026.

Geely EX5, now this is a nice car, this is a nice mid to small SUV, 4.6 meters.

Good offering from Geely.

I feel like this was one of the big moments of 2025 when this car came out.

Yeah, I think there was a big rush of orders as well after launch

because at the time the price starting with a four for a mid-size SUV was just unheard of.

Yeah, that's a very good offering, good little package there.

So we've got a chance to go to China with Geely to see the Shanghai Auto Show

and also the HQ in Hangzhou and the Geely brand is solid.

Hopefully we'll see more offerings as well from them next year.

BYD Shark 6 obviously needs no introduction, very well launched in Australia in the last 12 months.

Pretty good selling yield as well for PHEV.

Yeah, I see heaps of them in our area because obviously where we live there are a lot of tradies

but it's good that a lot of tradies have thought, you know what, I can have a sort of a hybrid kind of vehicle.

That's right, it doesn't look too bad either.

It's good trady, recreational kind of vehicle.

So yeah, hopefully we'll see more offerings as well in that youth segment for the EV and PHEV segment.

Of course, Tesla Model Y launched the Juniper or the new Model Y this year.

We managed to review the Rural Drive and also the all-drive versions

and the performance version later in 2025 as well.

Tesla were nice enough to let us compare the Rural Drive and the all-drive version side-by-side on the same day,

which is quite a nice treat for us actually.

So that review was well received from you guys, so thank you very much.

BYD C-Line 7, this was the second or third...

Well, I guess you can count the GEX-5 as a road trip to Canberra.

Some people may not consider Canberra a road trip from Sydney.

It's kind of like down the road here in Australia, given our distances.

C-Line 7, we did a decent road trip to Melbourne and back.

Sorry, Melbourne and back, which is a decent distance.

So we've got a good chance to know what the C-Line 7 is all about.

And again, very good value of vehicle in that mid-size SUV segment.

Geely EX2.

Now, this is the Xing Yan that was called the Xing Yan vehicle in China

where we were there with Geely in April.

This, I think, has been confirmed for Australia for next year.

Let me just check that later on.

We need more small cars.

This will sit nicely in that small SUV segment.

Yeah, it's called the Xing Yan.

The EX2 in Thailand and also probably here in Australia.

So fingers crossed, that'll come to Australia very soon.

I know I normally don't like letter, letter number,

but I think in this case, because the EX5 is quite relatively well known,

if you sort of follow EVs that it will make sense.

EX5, EX2, you immediately know,

okay, this must be like the little sibling of the EX5.

So I think that's smart.

Yep, it is.

MG Cyberster is next.

So this is kind of a treat yourself vehicle.

This was fun to have for a week.

We toured around that sort of West Head area where we live

just to go around the bends and twisties.

Quite a fun little vehicle.

Kind of looks like a Mazda MX5 or Miata.

Priced about $100,000.

If you've got the money, just plush, hey, why not?

Treat yourself.

I mean, it's actually a relatively cheap way

of getting a look at Mi car.

A look at Mi car is normally obviously going to be six figures,

but this is only just six figures, and it's fully electric.

Yeah, that's right.

Kia EV3, again, that sort of small to mid-size SUV.

Again, nice sort of package from a known brand like Kia.

Can't go too wrong.

Drives not too bad as well.

Honda Ioniq 5, we've cut the end line for a while.

This is just a nice car to have.

Solid brand again, Hyundai.

I should say Hyundai.

I get in trouble for Korean friends.

People will know the brand well.

Hyundai.

We also have the Hyundai Insta, which I personally loved.

It's a nice little vehicle, but it is on the pricier side as well

for that size vehicle.

So that's something about the Insta,

which hopefully they'll drop the price,

but otherwise a good little package.

A retro feel to it.

Yeah.

VW ID 4 and Cooper's Cabastand,

I'll sort of talk about the two together.

They drive very well the VWs.

And Cooper obviously being on a VW platform.

Only thing is that the software lets the VW cars down a lot,

unfortunately.

Yeah.

And I'm very shallow.

So even if the car drives really well,

which is the Cooper Tabascan,

and when I say drives really well,

like drives the way I like the car to drive,

as much as I love the Cooper Tabascan,

it would annoy me no end in terms of like the interface

and the tech in it.

So like for that reason I couldn't do it,

even though it's a beautiful car to drive.

Yeah.

It looks good.

The Tabascan looks great inside and out, but yeah,

just the software feels a few generations behind

as well as the functionality.

So hopefully we'll see an improvement

in the next few years from VW,

from that point of view.

GWM Alpha, which was the Ute again,

that's sort of the Shark 6 competitor.

That's another PHEV we reviewed this year.

Fun car to have for the week.

MGS5.

So we love this car so much that we obviously

bought one for the family,

given that we've got a couple of young drivers coming up

very soon.

Well, our son's driving at the moment on his Ls.

And this one, I guess,

yeah, this one you compare a lot to the Gila EX5

and the Atto 2 now that it's out in the market.

So yeah, we're starting to see more cars

in that mid to small segment coming out too.

We do love the MGS5 a lot.

So hopefully you'll see more content from us

next year with the MGS5.

Volvo EX90, which is the big 7-seater,

which we drove to the Gold Coast.

I think it's actually the 6-seater.

I'm not 7.

6-seater, let me think.

I can't.

No, it is 7.

It's 2, 3, 2.

So it's 7-seater.

We drove to the Gold Coast this year.

Fourth of our 1, 2, 3.

No, fifth road trip for the year.

So we had three generations in the car

and it was great fun, great fun.

Yeah, good little car.

Not quite little.

Good car.

It's not little.

Not at all.

It's very comfortable.

Yeah, it fit six people plus all luggage

required for like, yeah,

like five days on the Gold Coast

or about that three, four days on the Gold Coast.

Yeah, good winter retreat.

Yeah, very primitive material.

Now the Gila Stara EMI,

again, we attended the media event for that,

but we only had the car later in the year,

the PHUV.

Again, the Sea Lion 6 competitor in that space.

So yeah, I thought that was quite a good vehicle

looking back at that car.

So it's a good offering.

If you want a PHUV in that mid-size SUV segment.

And it's actually cheaper than the EX5, isn't it?

Because it's got a petrol tank.

So you have, I think,

from memory it was like one third

or like a quarter of the battery.

But instead of,

so you sort that out basically for an entire tank.

Tank of petrol instead, isn't it?

And a lot of range, obviously.

And mostly similar interior as well.

Had the good Fly Me sound system.

No massage seats, but otherwise

Apple CarPlay included,

Android Auto coming.

Coming, yep.

We had the VW ID5 next, GTX.

So kind of a sportier version of the ID4.

Similar kind of review to the ID4

and Cooper Taviscan from the software point of view.

Now we attended the IM5 and IM6 launch day,

the media day, mid-year.

Remember that day was quite a wet day

at the what's called White Bay Cruise Terminal in Sydney.

So they showed us some of the features

that you may not otherwise test in the real world

for the IM5 and 6.

We have reviewed the IM5.

I quite enjoyed that vehicle being a sedan,

a bit different from the other vehicles that we reviewed.

And we've currently got the IM6 as well.

So we'll post that on the channel

and potentially a road trip as well with the vehicle

coming soon.

So stay tuned.

That will fit nicely in that mid-size SUV category.

Ionic 9 is next.

We had that for a week.

Again, that's a six-seater vehicle.

So that is a competitor to the Volvo EXO.

It has 90 and the ID buzz.

ID buzz and also the what's it called?

The IKEA EV9.

So there's a few starting to emerge

in that large SUV segment.

I think it's good for bigger-sized families

or multi-generational families.

Now, Zika 7X.

I think this is one of the star performance of the year.

This is the competitor to the Xperia G6,

the Tesla Model Y, the YDC Line 7.

Had a lot of pre-orders,

a lot of owners that are happy with this vehicle.

Zika is still a new brand in the country,

but the 7X is certainly a very good package.

Good price as well.

So I think this has been one of the standouts

for this year.

Yep, we'll talk about that a bit more

in the summary at the end.

So stay tuned.

We had the Cadillac Lyric.

This is a fun vehicle to have for a week.

We drove that to Goldburn

to test the new 20-store Tesla Supercharger location.

So that was quite fun on the highway with the Lyric.

Cadillac will be bringing more cars,

I think, in the new year.

So stay tuned.

Cadillacs got that luxury feel to it as well.

And it's actually American, isn't it?

It is American.

They're actually made in the United States of America as well.

Is that right?

Correct, it's all American.

Now we finally have a BMW brand on the channel,

so Mini Countryman E we had for a week.

What can I say, Mini's a well-known brand,

good package, drives very well being a BMW.

Just obviously on the pricier side,

but it does command a premium being a legacy brand.

Yeah, yeah.

Like BMW Mini.

And you're paying for the brand,

you're paying for the fact that it's an iconic car

everyone knows you're driving a Mini.

And it had that cute little circular.

Yeah, the screen, same screen.

The software's not bad actually for a non-Chinese car.

So yeah, we enjoyed that for the week.

VW80 bars are getting that large SUV, large van segment.

Yeah, software, same issues as we always say with VW cars,

but good, I guess what do you call it,

a classic looking vehicle.

Everyone knows what a VW van looks like.

Feel more.

Yeah, from the cars movie.

What's the original VW Volkswagen combi,

the combi van, that's your van.

Yeah, so nice nod to the history of VW.

Now we had another van, the Verizon Supervan.

That was cool.

That was fun, hey.

How often do you get to have a commercial van for a week?

Yeah, so it's three seats at the front

and then just a big cargo like hold,

or whatever you call that space in the back.

Payload area, whatever, yeah.

Went to Ikea like a boss.

We got a believable case.

Which took up 1% of the space.

Normally we'd struggle in a normal car just to put the seats down

and stuff, but not in this van, we just chucked it in

and away we went.

Yeah, great.

You couldn't even notice it.

You put the big bookcase in and it's like,

is the bookcase in there?

I can't see it.

No, it was good fun to have.

Bit troublesome parking it at Westfield,

but otherwise quite a heavy vehicle.

Yes, you've got to watch the height.

Yeah, watch the height of these car parks in Sydney.

Nissan Aria.

Now this was an interesting car.

Nissan's a bit of a late comer to this new generation of EVs.

I mean, they had the Leaf so many years ago.

They were one of the first entrants

into the EV market in Australia,

but the Aria I felt was a bit late player.

Two to three years late, unfortunately.

Well, the weird thing is that it was available

in other countries like two or three years ago,

like it was available,

but they just didn't release it here.

So you have this weird situation

where they're now releasing in 2025 a 2022 car.

True.

And so it's kind of really obvious

when you compare it against like the stuff

that's coming out of China,

it's like you've got 2020,

well, I guess to be fair,

2024, 2025 cars coming out of China this year

up against the 2022 car from Japan, isn't it?

So, yeah, it's not a fair competition, isn't it?

It just looked a bit dated.

It's not fair,

but Japan weren't playing fair, right?

They didn't release this car to us three years ago.

So I feel like they need to catch up, right?

So I think we're going to see hopefully a new Aria.

Well, that's for the Japanese market,

but hopefully we'll see the new Leaf next year.

They need to really catch up

by the Japanese brands Nissan, Toyota, Mazda.

We'll hopefully see that catch up play out

in real-time next year.

So let's stay tuned.

Again, the next car was the BMW X3 30e.

That's another plug-in hybrid.

Yeah, I mean, that's, I don't know,

I feel like tricky one that one.

The interesting thing is I actually thought

there's probably a better market for that one

than the full electric one, which is, yeah.

I think it's kind of the opposite of where you fell on

in terms of the two BMWs that we tested, isn't it?

Yeah, you prefer this one?

Well, I think there is a better use case for this

than there is for the full electric one.

For me, I felt with the full electric one,

for that price, you could get, you know,

there's so many other options,

but there aren't that many other hybrid options.

And if you kind of want like the BMW,

then you can still get your BMW

but as a plug-in hybrid.

Anyway, that was why.

Yeah, I mean, that's fair.

I wasn't too impressed with the 30e.

There's no DC charging as the other thing.

But I guess it's only a small battery, I suppose.

I mean, I was impressed with the iX.

The driving dynamic of that car is very, very good.

Yeah, but you can get like two of the other cars.

Of course.

I mean, you've got a BMW, right?

That's something we'll pay that kind of money for.

Yeah.

But the new BMWs are coming.

The new class generation.

So I'm looking forward to testing that next year.

And beyond.

And then the BID Ato too,

which I actually have not driven.

Joey has driven this.

Yes.

She went to the media day this year.

Yeah.

And I, look, if you guys have watched some of the other stuff on our channel,

you know that I'm not the biggest fan of front-wheel drive.

But for this one, it's actually okay.

Because I guess it's so small.

And when I was, in particular,

when I was doing kind of like the inner city parts of Alexandria,

I could zip in and out of lanes.

And it was, it was just great for that.

And because you're such a small car, everybody lets you in.

And that was, that was just fantastic.

So it was such a non-anxiety car to drive.

Yeah.

I know that's not a technical term there.

But yeah.

It was just comfortable city car.

Yeah.

No, that doesn't explain it as in like,

it didn't drive up my anxiety, you know.

Okay.

So just, yeah, just a good, good car, good consumer car to have.

Yeah.

And like, I felt like, you know,

I could do all of kind of like,

the way I like to drive is quite defensively.

So if there's something coming at me,

I could easily get away from it.

Or if I need to like, break quickly,

or if I need to accelerate to get away from something,

then I'd be able to do all of that.

That's exciting.

Yeah.

Hopefully we've got a media test of that as well,

a media loan.

No, sorry.

No, I was just going to say,

I mean, it doesn't have like,

like ridiculous acceleration.

But I felt that given that it's such a small car,

it would be able to accelerate for its needs.

If that makes sense.

Yeah.

There are more cars in this segment,

the smaller should be segment,

because I find them easier to drive around the city.

That's for sure.

Yeah.

Finding for a tighter parking spot,

getting around narrow streets.

So yeah, looking forward to driving that as well.

Now we talked about Mazda earlier,

Mazda 6E.

So that we were invited to Lang Lang in Victoria

to test on a media day.

That, of course, has got the Chang'an underpinnings.

It is a Japanese brand,

but Chinese underpinnings, which is fine.

It's good.

I mean,

Chang'an make good cars in DPAL.

I think it just,

it's going to make it far more competitive

than it would have been,

otherwise if it was 100% Japanese.

Yeah, I think so too.

The pricing should be good hopefully next year.

Just have a look at the overseas trips

we've invited to this year.

So DPAL, I went by myself in February,

and then X-Ping, we invited twice,

April and November,

and Geely invited us once in April.

X-Ping, one of them was in Hong Kong

for their launch.

And then the second one was actually

to their headquarters in China.

And then we went to seven car experts,

everything electric in Sydney and Melbourne,

a few drive orders show in Sydney and Melbourne.

Melbourne Motor Show,

which is like a general motor show,

not just EVs.

And thank you to X-Ping.

Yes, but it's not X-Ping, it's true EV.

True EV, the local distributor

for inviting us.

Yes, thank you.

And also,

Oda Shanghai,

and also Oda Guangzhou,

the two big shows in China.

And so looking at the year in summaries,

so we reviewed 46 cars this year.

And I count the car reviews

as the cars that we were actually allowed to drive,

whether it was overseas or in Australia.

So 46 like car drives and walkarounds,

not just walkarounds.

I didn't count the ones that were expo,

just the media loans and all drives.

Five road trips this year in Australia.

40 of those car reviews were EVs,

full EVs, and five were PHEVs.

Four overseas media trips,

seven car expos,

and nine local media events.

That has been a big year for 2025.

Yes, keep in mind we both have day jobs.

We do.

So this is not the only thing that we do.

We do.

Yes.

But we love doing this.

We call ourselves EV enthusiasts because,

well, I do anyway,

because I just find the,

like I still find the idea

of a fully electric car

that runs completely on electricity

just completely fascinating.

And it puts a smile on my face every time.

There is a sense of magic to it, isn't it?

The electricity that you harvested from the sun

is now into your car that you drive

and propel yourself.

So yeah, certainly.

I still pinch myself that we're at this point

and we reviewed that many cars this year.

And thank you to all of you guys

who watch our channel

and who give us feedback

and tell us, you know,

tell us things about the car sometimes

and then that we go check it out.

And, like, I think Tavisca,

the Cooper mode, isn't it?

Cooper mode.

So I still remember that.

So, yeah.

And I think there was one about,

like, the autopilot as well.

Like, you can, you know,

do this and do this

and then it'll work.

So thank you for all those, like,

hints and tips.

You read everything.

I read them sometimes.

But he'll always tell me

if there's anything interesting.

Thank you very much for that.

Yeah, so it's been a big year

but we couldn't do it without you guys

watching our content, of course.

Okay, so before we finish off,

we just wanted to run through

each category for this year.

So we've got mid-sized SUVs,

smaller mid-sized SUVs

and small SUVs, right?

Yeah, and we'll do it.

And the winner goes to.

But there's, like, different one

for each of us.

Yeah, yeah.

So let's do mid-sized SUVs,

which is probably the most popular segment

currently in Australia for EVs.

So, Zika 7X,

Tesla Model Y,

BYDC Line 7,

X-Pen G6,

IM6,

D-Pel SO7,

Leap Motor C10.

They're kind of the 7

that we've decided to put in this category,

which is your stand out for this category

for this year?

It's the one I thankfully get to drive

as my daily drive,

which is the X-Pen G6.

I personally love the look of the car,

both outside and inside.

And I, again, personal opinion

is that the infotainment

is actually the best in category.

Like, it's actually the top one.

In terms of,

so they're all the positives.

In terms of the, like, one,

like, negative compared to all the other cars.

So the one,

the fact that it can charge a supercharger

is now no longer a negative.

But the drive quality isn't quite as good

as some of the other cars here on this list.

But I'm a shallow person.

And for me, like, the look of the car

and the way, like, I, you know,

press buttons and talk to the car,

like the voice recognition

can actually understand my accent.

So things like that for me

is, like, much more important

day-to-day functionality.

And I will take a slight hit

in terms of the drive quality for that.

Yeah, good.

For me, it's a tough one.

I would say it's either the Zika 7X

or the Tesla Model Y.

I think, for me personally,

I would want to drive the Zika 7X every day

over the Tesla Model Y.

Some of you would probably prefer the Tesla Model Y.

The Model Y certainly has the fact

that it can charge the supercharger easier.

It's got probably got a better app integration

with the Tesla Powerwall 2 as well.

And it's got FSD availability

if you want that, okay?

So that, I understand why you would want that.

But I think the 7X is quite a good package.

It's got great software inside,

drives superbly, very comfortable passenger car,

can charge the Tesla supercharger.

And I think just

overall very good value, very good package.

Particularly if you want the higher variance,

like the performance all-wheel drive

or the long-range rule drive.

Whereas if Tesla Model Y, if you want the upper spec,

it does quite a little bit.

So close to 100 grand for the performance Model Y.

So I think for me,

I think 7X just pips the Tesla Model Y

in terms of this category.

Do we have a...

For me, my runner-up?

Yeah, my runner-up is the same

as your runner-up actually, which is the Tesla Model Y.

Because for me, it still has something

that no other car can do.

Currently in Australia,

which is to drive by itself.

And there is something quite magical about that.

And you probably wouldn't use it all the time,

but there are certain conditions

where I think it would be so useful.

Like if you are going to

a place that you are not familiar with,

you can actually, you know,

pop it into autopilot.

It will do all the navigation

for you and then you can just concentrate

on like the immediate

things that are around your car

without having to worry about

when's my next left turn, do I need to turn right,

what lane do I need to be in.

So for that,

that would take a lot of stress off me

in certain situations.

And you kind of feel, like I said,

you kind of feel like Cinderella.

The car is just, you know, taking you along somewhere.

And that is something quite magical.

And again, like I said,

the whole idea of electric cars is magical to me.

So for that reason alone,

that gets my, like my runner up

because nothing else can do that

currently in Australia.

Yeah, I mean, obviously driving in Sydney,

I don't need FSD because I know the roads very well,

but having experienced X and GP

or some sort of autonomous driving in China,

I can understand the real need

for this kind of technology

in a place you're not familiar with,

or if you need that accessibility,

if you really can't drive as well anymore

as you used to be able to,

then this is where it comes in very handy.

I don't know if you're driving at all,

but sometimes it's actually just

like a length of period of time.

So if you can have the car drive for you

and you're just kind of like

focusing on being like the backup

to take over,

you actually have more like energy

and more, you know,

like your brain is actually like,

yeah, like you're not as tired.

You're not as fatigued.

So I think it's actually, it's a good thing.

It's a good thing.

If you can't drive, then you shouldn't be driving.

That's right. It's a good driver's aid

and allows people their independence a bit longer as well.

Other notable mentions, I think,

you know, X and GP, obviously,

you'd be very happy with that car personally.

I think DPAL S07 is a bit of a dark horse still.

It's still a very good value.

50 grand drive away.

Great car. Now that they're fixed, the ADAS.

So I would certainly,

any of these cars, honestly, in this category are very good.

The quality is all very good.

They've all got their strengths.

So the ADAS, like, it's such a big company.

You're not going to go wrong buying like a C-Lion 7.

I think so.

Especially actually, you know,

if you're coming from a petrol car,

I think the C-Lion 7 is probably the closest

to kind of like the look and feel of a petrol car.

So if you kind of don't want

like an iPad on wheels

or a phone on wheels,

then that's a good option for you.

Yeah, it seems very familiar, doesn't it?

Just feels like a car, like a normal car.

Now the next category is

small to mid-sized SUVs.

I used to separate

the cars in this category between the mid

and the small size, but I feel like

now that so many EVs,

it needs its own category, the small to mid-sized SUV.

And the criteria for this category

was a car that's sort of between

4.5 to 4.6 meters in length.

So in this category, you've got cars like

the GSC IRMV, which we haven't

driven yet in Australia, but I included the specs anyway.

GLE EX5,

the Kia EV5, the Volkswagen ID4,

the Cooper Tavoscan

and the Nissan Aria.

So for me, I think we both agree in this category,

it's the GLE EX5 that takes out this...

It's just a standout, isn't it?

I mean, you look at the pricing of the others

in this category, and then you look

at the pricing of the EX5

and it's hard to

argue with that price, it really is.

For what you get,

for what you get, and it's not just like a low price

and then they've cut corners here and there

and it doesn't have this and doesn't have that.

It's a good value car, isn't it? Very good package.

To be fair, we have not driven the

GSC IRMV yet. That still looks like a very

good car to me in the interior at least

and it looks different because it looks like

more of a traditional

looking car as opposed to like a bubbly

shaped vehicle.

I can't give a winner to something that I haven't driven.

No, that's right. As I'm saying, that's my little

asterisk. I want to... For this year,

it was the GLE EX5. For next year,

when we review the IRMV, it might be a different story.

But you're right, the GLE EX5

it's really hard to go past, I think.

Notable mention, I think the IRMV5

was quite a good package as well

from a notable brand, obviously.

But I think, you know, the GLE EX5

is far and away

the top of this category.

For me, my notable mention is the

Cooper Taviscan because I kept talking about it

all throughout the year

and I will be comparing the drive quality

of that going, yeah, but

I remember how the Cooper Taviscan drove.

That's $20,000 more than the GLE EX5.

And that's the thing, it is

it is absolutely... Like, for me

it's not worth paying that much

more for the drive quality. But if

drive quality is like the most important thing

in the car to you, then, you know,

you would pick the Cooper Taviscan

over the GLE, especially because the GLE

is front-wheel drive as well. Correct.

And the Volkswagen cars are rear-wheel drive,

so that's certainly something.

Rear-wheel drives just do drive better, I think, overall.

In most conditions. Yeah, most conditions.

Okay, so the small

SUV segment. This is starting to blow out, which is good.

We're starting to see more cars in this segment.

So, okay, so

I'll put the JQ J5 in here because

it just got launched in Australia. We haven't driven this car yet

or reviewed it for that matter. But it's

probably got one of the best prices here

Drive Away 36990

BYD Atto 2, 34771

Drive Away New South Wales. Very good

compelling option. But for

me personally, and

I mean, it speaks volumes of the fact that

we actually bought this car, the MGS5 is the winner

for this category for me. Yeah.

I mean, it's just so sensible.

It ticks all the boxes without being

kind of like

too flashy, you know what I mean? It's a good

sensible car and

MG has been around forever

and you're piggybacking on to

like a network that already exists

all across Australia. So

you're locking into that. I don't think

you can go wrong with an MG.

Good dealership network, that's for sure. Good service network.

Yeah, look, 40 grand

drive away for the lowest spec. It's

pretty good value, honestly. Rural drive

good efficiency, good range

and yeah, so

again, I haven't driven the BYD Atto 2

I haven't driven the J5. So I think in

2026 it could be quite interesting

to put those two up against the MG

S5. The other cars in this

category just, I feel like they're just a bit too

expensive, right? You've got the Zika

X 55 Drive Away

Kia EV3

close to 50 grand. Smart hashtag one

hashtag three quite expensive and then

obviously the Volvo's and the Mini's

very expensive for this category.

They're pricing themselves out of reach

on purpose because if everyone could afford

that car then the people who actually do

want to buy that car wouldn't want to buy that car anymore

so I think they're priced correctly for that

because it's like if you drive

a mini countryman, the whole

like a full EV mini countryman, the whole point

is that you are driving a car that other people can't afford to drive

and that's why you buy that car

I'm calling you out.

That's fair. I think

the value is different for different people

but we're talking like value from

our perspective so

and it's good that there's more

and more cars in different segments, different price

categories as well. But that's good

that is the point of that car because if

everyone could travel in first

class or business class then

there would be no first or business class.

There'll be one up, I think there'll be another higher

first plus plus suites.

That's right.

Private jet.

Yes, private jet.

Well, that's pretty much it from us.

It's been a long episode but I feel like we've done a lot

this year. Warrants are summarising

what's happened. You missed my

runner up by the way.

Oh, which one? Which category? The small one.

So, which one would you say in this category?

Out of two. Okay.

Definitely because

A, the price and

the fact that

it's available and it exists and that

you've got again, I think of all the

kind of new

Chinese brands to come to Australia, they've probably

I think got the biggest network.

A lot

of them are based just on

the mainland but I

know BYD I think have got

even like a dealership in Tasmania.

So, they make

a point of trying to

be as available as possible

and for a brand that's only been in the country

like three years, is it about that?

That's right, 2022 is when out of three came.

Yeah, so

they're trying to be the new Toyota.

Yeah, yeah.

But yeah, I mean

it's noticed. It's noticed and appreciated.

Yeah, noted and appreciated.

See, my runner up is probably the out of two.

Provisional with a star because I haven't driven it yet

but I would say that's probably the best value

in this category. Notable mention for me

is the smash hashtag three, I still love that car.

It is pricey

but it is still for me a good looking car

that's a real drive.

But I think the Gila EX2

or the Xinyan will be the one that will probably

take my heart over the hashtag three

because that looked like a hashtag three to me when I drive it in China

and the price will make it much more appealing as well.

Yeah, like 30% of the price.

Correct, correct.

Well, it's been a big year as I keep saying

and hopefully

we will see a bigger year in 2026

with more cars to review

but it's been a phenomenal journey.

Have you had fun this year?

Good.

It's a lot of hard work.

It's a lot of hours.

It's a lot of trying to squeeze things

in between everything else we need to do

but

yeah, it's worth it

because it's a really exciting time

I think in terms of

where electric cars are

in this country

and yeah, it's great to be

just part of that experience.

Exactly.

I guess

we try to be honest and balanced on this channel

we're not here to sell each car as such

we don't get a referral bonus

like some outlets might for

mentioning cars more so than others

but we try to be balanced

and give you our thoughts both positive

and negative for each car that we review

because at the end of the day

our credibility is at stake.

We want to be very fair

and transparent with these reviews

so hopefully you appreciate that

and the comments section help a lot

to keep us in check too

you guys pick up stuff that we may not sometimes as well

so it's good to keep those comments coming

but yeah, that's it

for 2025

Final thoughts?

No, no final thoughts

it's been

just

yeah, it's a lot isn't it

but yeah, I guess

I have to say thank you especially

well for you to D-PAL

and for me to Geely and to X-Peng

for taking us

overseas that was really special

like I've never been

like taken on any

sort of business trip

ever in my life before

I flew business class for the first time in my life

this year

so all like

like it might be nothing for you guys

if you guys

get to do this often with

your jobs but for me it's like

it was

very special

and yeah

there was a moment in one of the airports

where they rushed over to me

and like

asked me whether I was in the right line

because I was lining up in the business class line

clearly I don't look like I belong

in business class

so they were

rushing over to go

this is not where you line up because

I must have had this like big grin on my face

and acting all economy

my policy is make it

fake it till you make it right

so yeah like I'm an economy girl

at heart and like being able to

like experience business class

was just yeah like really special

it was good wasn't it

so yeah thank you to the company

you said it like yeah treat us so well

and brought us to see things we would never

otherwise get to see

like local roads driving on local roads

and going to

yeah the

what do you call it like their DMV

I don't even know what it's called but

their service in South Wales to like

get a driver's license and just

seeing all these things which we would

never normally get to see the kind of sheer

scale of auto Shanghai which was

made me feel like yeah

like directing the Wizard of Oz

stuff like that just

yeah unforgettable year

it's been a phenomenal year honestly

look at this audit there's a lot that's happened

so that's been good and it's good

having joy with me

travelling with her as well on these

trips and reviewing these cars with her so

it's been really good year

and there's more to come I'm sure next year too

alright well on behalf of Joy and myself

and for the channel thank you for watching

thank you to the viewer you are what makes

this channel special and I wish I'll see you in

2026 until next time

it's happy charging

About this episode

Reflecting on a busy 2025, the hosts review a wide range of electric vehicles they've tested throughout the year, including notable models like the X-Ping G6, Zika 7X, and BYD Shark 6. They share insights from road trips, media events, and overseas experiences, highlighting the evolution of the EV market in Australia. The episode culminates in a discussion of their top picks across various categories, emphasizing value, performance, and user experience. Their enthusiasm for electric vehicles shines through as they anticipate even more exciting developments in 2026.

Alpina B10 Audi S5 Avatr 12 BMW X3 Byd Sealion 7 Byd Shark 6 Cadillac Lyriq Chevrolet C10 Deepal S05 Ford Mustang Geely Galaxy EX5 Geely Starray Hyundai Ioniq 5 Kia EV3 Kia EV5 Kia EV9 Mazda 6e Mazda MX-5 / Miata MG Cyberster Mini Countryman Nissan Ariya Nissan Leaf Polestar 3 Polestar 4 Tesla Model Y Volkswagen ID.4 Volkswagen ID.5 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Volvo EX90 Zeekr 7X

Original notes

Got a Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Join Tom and Joy for a comprehensive look back at an extraordinary year for the Ludicrous Feed channel in 2025. This special wrapped episode revisits our journey through a remarkable array of new vehicles, starting with the Deepal S07 and moving through dozens of in-depth reviews including the Xpeng G6, Smart #1, Polestar 3 & 4, BYD Shark, and Tesla Model Y with FSD. We also cover the thrilling MG Cyberster, the innovative Kia EV3 and Hyundai Inster, plus key models like the Volvo EX90, Cadillac Lyriq, and the VW ID.Buzz. The discussion extends to the overseas trips and major international media launches we attended, offering a global perspective on the year's automotive trends. We conclude with our detailed summaries on the state of the market for Mid-Sized, Small-Mid, and Small SUVs, sharing our final thoughts on a transformative 2025 | Video by Tom Gan (Tesla Tom) and Joy of Ludicrous Feed from Sydney Australia December 2025
Ludicrous Feed 2025 Wrapped: Full Walkthrough of Electric Car Reviews

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