New Isuzu D-Max review

Selling pick-up trucks used to be simple. All you needed was a hefty payload, a strong diesel engine and decent reliability to get around farmyards and building sites across the land. For this, the Isuzu D-Max covered these areas well. 

However, things became a lot more complicated in recent years, when being a tough truck just wasn’t enough. You see, tax incentives meant that pick-ups had to become a one-stop shop, upping their game to serve both as a workhorse and an enticing alternative to SUVs.

Indeed, while these financial incentives have since ended, buyers are still looking for something that remains very practical while being relatively easy to live with and safe for family trips.

For those duties, the D-Max’s five-seat double cab is the ideal candidate as the weekday work pick-up that can also serve as a weekend family hauler. Meanwhile, those strictly wanting a workhouse can choose from a single cab with a long bed or an extended cab. There’s even a hardcore off-road version called the Arctic Trucks AT35.

Do those configurations give the Isuzu D-Max all it needs to take on the best pick-up trucks – including the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok along with the KGM Musso and Toyota Hilux?

What’s new?

- May 2026: Deliveries of all-electric D-Max EV arrive in the UK
- April 2026: New bigger 2.2-litre diesel engine announced, producing more torque. Arrives in July 2026.
- October 2025: D-Max Commercial launched, available only in V-Cross trim

For now, discussing the choice of engine for the Isuzu D-Max is pretty easy because there’s only one: a 162bhp 1.9-litre diesel. There are changes afoot, though; a bigger 2.2-litre diesel replacement will arrive in summer 2026, along with the introduction of the brand’s first all-electric Isuzu D-Max EV.

Anyway, back to the present. In everyday driving, the D-Max can keep up with low-speed traffic effortlessly enough but the engine starts to run out of puff when building up to motorway speeds. With the automatic gearbox fitted, its 0-62mph time of 13.0sec is around 1-2sec slower than equivalent rivals that generally feel more muscular and have better all-round performance. 

The automatic ‘box is frustratingly reluctant to change down a gear when you’re on the move, which adds to the D-Max’s rather casual sense of acceleration. You can at least slot the gear lever across to manually override the gearchanges, and it’s a much better way of building up momentum.

Alternatively, you could go for the six-speed manual gearbox. The clutch pedal is well-weighted, but we found the gearing to be very short so you do have to change up a gear quite frequently.

When driving unladen (without a load in the bed), the D-Max's ride is rather bouncy at low speeds, while sharper bumps can send shudders through the body. In fairness, that’s typical of most pickups but the Ford Ranger is altogether more supple. Fortunately, at high speeds, the ride does settle down well to be a comfortable cruiser.

The Ranger is also happier in the bends. Although it’s easy enough to guide the D-Max along, its light steering is more suited to off-roading. The Ranger’s more precise steering gives you greater confidence and is less affected by mid-corner bumps.

You tend to hear more diesel clatter filtering through in pick-ups than you would in an SUV, and the D-Max is no exception. Any demands for a bit more speed result in a cacophony of noise. The Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok do a better job of reducing this to a quieter rumble. It settles down once you get up to speed, but you’ll then hear wind whistling around the big mirrors and a moderate amount of road noise.

The D-Max feels right at home scaling over deeply rutted terrain off road. In fact, there are few obstacles that the D-Max won’t clamber over, thanks to lots of suspension articulation to keep its wheels on the ground, plus a lockable rear differential (standard on DL20 models and above). The D-Max's maximum wading depth is 800mm.

There’s also a Rough Terrain mode, making it even more capable off-road. The mode is effectively a very clever and more aggressive version of traction control, and it makes a very noticeable difference when driving up steep muddy inclines. 

If serious off-roading is your thing, take a look at our review of a D-Max variant that's modified to take on anything – the Arctic Trucks AT35.

"As someone who drives long distances on motorways, I found that the Isuzu D-Max wasn’t quite as easy to live with as the Ford Ranger.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

When you climb up into the Isuzu D-Max, you’ll find a well laid out interior with a commanding driving position. All trim levels come with adjustable lumbar support on the driver’s seat (with electric adjustment on DL40 trim and above), although some may wish for more side support to hold them in place better when cornering. The steering wheel could also come out further from the dashboard to provide more reach adjustment for taller drivers.

Visibility out of the front is good with a clear view over the dashboard and bonnet. That said, the front pillars are fairly chunky and (like in many rivals) have grab handles integrated onto them, which can get in the way slightly when looking out at junctions. As with most other pickups, judging where the load bay ends is tricky when looking out the back – made worse when you have a canopy fitted over the top. At least a rear-view camera comes as standard on every D-Max to help out. The DL20 version also has rear parking sensors while DL40 trim and above gets front parking sensors, too.

Higher spec DL40 and V-Cross trims have a 7.0in digital driver’s display positioned alongside analogue dials for the rev counter and fuel gauge. Other than showing the speed and trip computer, it’s quite basic in functionality and doesn’t offer any different layouts. The fully digital displays in the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok are both more sophisticated and have much crisper graphics.

An 8.0in infotainment touchscreen comes as standard on most versions, with the exception of the V-Cross and Arctic Trucks AT35, which both get an updated version of the 9.0in system that was in the pre-facelift car.

So far, we’ve only tried the smaller screen, and while the graphics are a definite improvement over the previous system, it's still not quite as sharp as the displays in the Ranger and Amarok. It’s also a bit slower to respond to swipes and prods. That said, while the home screen looks quite busy, the other menu layouts are quite easy to figure out.

You get DAB radio and Bluetooth – but not sat-nav. Fortunately, you get wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring so you can run your favourite sat-nav app through the touchscreen.

You get a row of physical dials below the touchscreen for the stereo plus a couple of touch-sensitive shortcuts for certain sub-menus. True, the latter are a bit tricky to aim for, but it makes hopping between menus easier. 

The D-Max also has a dedicated panel with physical switches for the ventilation system that’s easier to use than the touchscreen icons on the Amarok.

We’re glad to see plenty of physical controls for other functions (including the heated seats, the differentials and selecting between low and high range gears) but they do seem a bit scattered around and could be better organised to make them easier to find.

There are some soft-touch plastics on top of the dashboard, and painted trim highlights on higher-end versions around the gear lever, infotainment screen and doors.

To go with the D-Max’s rugged nature, all the buttons and toggles have a very robust feel – you certainly won’t worry about climbing in with your muddy work boots on. If you want something that feels plusher, we’d point you towards the Ranger Wildtrak or Amarok – they use a wider range of interior materials.

"The Isuzu D-Max's high driving position (especially in the lifted Arctic Trucks version) is really useful, giving you one of the most commanding views you can get." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

As you might expect in something as big as the Isuzu D-Max, there’s enough head, leg and shoulder room for even the burliest of occupants to get comfortable up front. 

Storage space is also generous, with four cupholders (including two that pop out below the side air vents), a wireless charging tray by the gear lever, a storage cubby on top of the dash and a wide cubby under the armrest. The door bins are long (if a bit slim), but there are two gloveboxes.

The D-Max Extended Cab comes with two small folding rear seats to occasionally accommodate a pair of rear-seat passengers, with small rear-hinged doors providing access.

The D-Max Double Cab is the one to go for if you often need to take more passengers. It has full-size rear doors and back seats large enough for three average-sized adults to sit across in relative comfort. The backrest is fairly upright and the floor is raised, but it’s similar to most pick-up trucks. The two outer seats are more sculpted and supportive than the rather flat bench in the Ford Ranger.

Double Cab versions have two more bottle holders in the rear doors and two cup holders in the central armrest. The back of the passenger seat has a fold-out hook that’s rated for 4kg.

If you want to secure a valuable bike or other expensive kit inside the D-Max, you can flip up the seat bases in a 60/40 split or fold down the seat back (which uncovers the vehicle jack and tool kit).

It’s the boot space – or rather load bed – that’s of most importance to pick-up truck buyers, and with the D-Max there are three lengths (2290mm, 1785mm or 1520mm), which decrease as cab size increases, as they do with the Ranger and Toyota Hilux. All bed sizes can take a standard pallet lengthways between the wheel-arch intrusions.

A maximum payload of 1085-1155kg is similarly competitive to rivals, as well as a braked towing capacity of 3500kg, although not at the same time. The only pick-up capable of doing both at once is the KGM Musso.

There are four tie-down hoops in the bed, one for each corner, and all DL versions have a damped tailgate for ease of opening. The rear bumper has steps you can stand on to reach over the sides to get at anything in the load bed.

"The Isuzu D-Max's four tie-down hoops are really useful for securing loads in the load bay. I'd definitely suggest investing in the optional roller cover too so you can lock items away." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Running your Isuzu D-Max as a company vehicle is affordable because every version is above the required 1000kg payload threshold that enables you to classify it as a commercial vehicle, but the extended cab and double cab versions are much more expensive under current pick-up trick tax rules.

The D-Max range has become of the few remaining that still offers a single cab or extended cab option, but anyone buying a double cab D-Max out of their own pocket will find that the entry-level price competes well with the Toyota Hilux and undercuts an equivalent Ford Ranger, or VW Amarok. The KGM Musso and GWM Poer300 are more affordable, though. There’s little difference between them in terms of fuel economy; we saw an indicated average of around 36mpg during our time testing. 

While the Ranger is available as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the Isuzu D-Max EV is arriving soon, which can cut down on fuel costs and be more attractive for business users.

The D-Max in entry-level Utility trim is rather spartan, with 16in steel wheels and black (rather than painted) exterior trim. You still get the basics, such as air conditioning, automatic lights and wipers, and cruise control but it's more of a workhorse than anything luxurious.

The DL20 has more creature comforts, adding 18in alloy wheels, body-coloured exterior trim, heated front seats and interior carpets.

DL40 adds LED head and tail lights, silver side steps, leather upholstery, electric seat adjustment, keyless entry and dual-zone climate control.

Top-spec V-Cross swaps the chrome exterior trim for grey and adds the 9in infotainment system, an eight-speaker stereo (up from four in DL20 and six in DL40) and additional USB-C ports in the front. If you upgrade to an automatic gearbox you get adaptive cruise control.

The D-Max didn’t feature in our 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey but it is backed by a five-year, 125,000-mile warranty (along with five years' roadside assistance). That's longer than you get with a Ranger and more mileage than a Musso. The Hilux beats them with up to ten years, although capped at 100,000 miles.

Safety is a D-Max strong suit: it was awarded a five-star rating by Euro NCAP in 2022. That matches the Ranger, which was tested in the same year. When you look deeper into the scores, you find that the D-Max was better when it came to protecting occupants in a frontal impact.

The D-Max comes with plenty of standard safety equipment, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning and speed-limit sign recognition as standard, while Double Cab models come with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

"I think the varied trim levels and commercial vehicle tag make some versions of the Isuzu D-Max compelling company cars, whether as a workhorse or a mix of workhorse and commuter." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Buy it if…

- You’re looking for a truck prepared for off-roading

- You want a relatively simple to use interior

- You want a single-cab truck (some rivals are double-cab only)

Don’t buy it if…

- You want a smooth ride and confidence-inspiring handling

- You want a responsive gearbox

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