Your Questions Answered: Will the Chery Stockman be worth the wait?

I’m interested in buying a Chery Stockman. I’d like to know when it will be reviewed and when dealers will have stock so I can take one for a test drive. – Jeremy

Answer: Hey Jeremy, not long to wait now for the Stockman to arrive at dealers. The latest info suggests first shipments will land either just before or just after Christmas, so only about three or four months away. No doubt there will be a local media launch just before the new ute goes on sale, with that story going live on carsales at about the same time you can go and look at Chery’s big new ute.

A pre-production model did star at the recent Everything Electric show in Sydney, and you can read the story and see the video on that here.

The latest info confirms the 350kW/800Nm diesel-electric powertrain, with a petrol PHEV version due here in 2027 is no longer a certainty. It depends on how well the diesel-electric version sells.

There’s already huge interest in the new Chery Stockman, with Chery execs at the Sydney show telling us the company has already received about 10,000 expressions of interest, while close to 2000 pre-orders have been logged at Chery dealers. So if you want one sooner rather than later, you’d better get in quick.

I was in France recently and rarely saw any older cars, and those were mostly well-kept enthusiast classics. Back home, even though I see plenty of newer cars in my area, I have also noticed there are still heaps of old ones, at least 15 years old, getting around. I have read that the average age of a car in Australia is more than 10 years old, but we’re selling more than a million new ones a year. How come we don’t have a more modern car fleet in Australia? – Dillon

Answer: Hi Dillon, there are a few reasons why we don’t have a newer car parc in Australia.

For starters, our climate is, for the most part, a dry one. Even though most of us live on or near the coast in major cities, that salt air doesn’t, as a whole, seem to result in rapid corrosion of the car fleet. In the northern hemisphere, winter snow- and ice-covered roads are routinely covered in salt to enhance grip, leading to accelerated corrosion problems.

So cars here generally get an easier life, and their chassis can simply last a lot longer due to the climate. Therefore, it is less imperative to send a car off to scrap because it’s unroadworthy due to rust.

Cars have also become generally less rust-prone and more mechanically reliable and, if maintained, can reach 200,000km-plus before mechanical components wear out.

Australia also lacks any direct vehicle scrapping scheme (also known as ‘cash for clunkers’), although some might consider the EV FBT exception an indirect scheme to replace old cars with new EVs.

Meanwhile, several European nations, Japan, China and some US states offer scrappage schemes, where direct financial incentives encourage owners to get rid of their old car and buy a new one. These schemes are more often associated with reducing emissions, with incentives available to transition from an older ICE vehicle to an EV.

Of course, you can’t ignore the ongoing cost-of-living issue. Despite fuel costs rising, along with many other daily expenses, not everyone has the capacity or desire to buy or lease a newer car.

I have just received a renewal notice for my 2020 Nissan X-Trail and the price has gone up gradually every year while the insured value has gone down. I have never claimed on insurance, have been at the same address and I don’t use my car much.

I have tried shopping around online and quotes were all over the place, with some almost double the premium of others. Even though it’s a lot of money to me, my existing insurer’s renewal quote was actually one of the cheapest anyway.

Why is my insurance going up despite no claims, and what can I do to get a better deal? – Fran

Answer: Hey Fran, motor vehicle insurance costs are a bit of a hot topic.

An ASIC report published in August documented that increased premiums were the most complained-about issue with motor vehicle insurance. It also pointed to an eight per cent average increase in premiums during 2024–2025, and a 42 per cent increase from 2019 to 2024.

While there are several problems insurance companies face, such as increased repair complexity, longer waits for parts and higher parts costs, the variation you found in quotes from different insurance companies suggests there might be more going on.

In fact, there is evidence insurance companies are operating at a profit. Accounting firm KPMG reported the general insurance industry (including motor vehicles) recorded a $5.2 billion after-tax profit in 2025, albeit modest compared with the $6.2 billion earned in 2024.

Although there are more than 60 car insurance brands operating in Australia, the majority are backed by only four underwriters: IAG, Suncorp, QBE and Allianz.

In any case, the ASIC report found you might have more negotiating power than you think: “Of those consumers who did contact their insurer [querying the premium cost], about 31 per cent had their premium reduced without changes to policy settings”.

So it might be worth calling your insurer to query the premium before renewing.

Aside from that, cars do depreciate, so it’s hard to question a market value decline on a six-year-old X-Trail unless your own research shows a marked discrepancy between your insurer’s agreed value and, for example, a RedBook value for your car.

Other things you can do to decrease premiums include increasing the excess payable, reducing or removing any add-on components (such as no-excess windscreen cover or breakdown cover), increasing the minimum insured driver age where possible, and adding a kilometre cap on usage if that applies to you.

Also, many insurance companies charge more for monthly payments than for paying annually, so pay the 12-month premium amount if you can and save some cash.

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