Australia has a new cheapest SUV

The GAC Emzoom has gained a new entry-level variant that ties with the MG ZS Vibe for the title of Australia's cheapest new SUV, though the small Chinese SUV has lost some safety equipment to get to its low price point.

Priced at $22,990 drive-away, the GAC Emzoom Premium undercuts the existing Luxury grade by $4000.

GAC says this pricing is available until September 30, 2026, though it hasn't confirmed what the price will change to after that date.

The Emzoom Premium is available to order now, ahead of vehicles arriving in dealerships from early September.

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It uses the same turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the Emzoom Luxury, producing 125kW of power and 270Nm of torque and mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Offered exclusively with front-wheel drive, the Emzoom Premium and Emzoom Luxury consume 6.6L/100km on the combined cycle.

In contrast, the ZS Vibe has a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four with 81kW and 140Nm, and consumes 6.7L/100km. It uses a continuously variable automatic transmission.

While GAC has removed some obvious items to bring the price of the Premium down, such as the Luxury's panoramic sunroof and ventilated driver seat, it has also cut some safety kit.

The front and rear seats have lost their seatbelt pre-tensioners – which help keep the belts tight during a crash – though they retain force-limiters. There are also no longer any reminders the rear seatbelts are unfastened.

The surround-view camera has been replaced with a simple reversing camera, and all of the front parking sensors and three of the rear parking sensors have been deleted. There are now just three sensors at the rear, while the rear wiper has also been deleted.

The Emzoom has yet to be tested by independent auto safety authority ANCAP.

However, the MG 5 sedan was dinged by ANCAP for lacking seatbelt pre-tensioners. Though it’s not the only issue with the small sedan, it helped contribute to a zero-star ANCAP rating in 2023, though it was re-tested in 2025 – after receiving upgrades such as standard pre-tensioners – and received a three-star rating.