Australia's new cheapest SUV: The 2026 Mahindra XUV 3XO has an eye-popping starting price that blows the Chery Tiggo 4, Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic and MG ZS out of the water

The Chery Tiggo 4 has been Australia’s cheapest SUV for a while now, but its crown has been snatched by an Indian-made rival.

Mahindra has confirmed its new XUV 3XO starts from $23,490 drive-away for the entry-level AX5L thanks to an introductory pricing offer until August 31.

This makes this Indian light SUV cheaper than the Chery Tiggo 4, Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic and MG ZS, among others.

The flagship XUV 3XO AX7L also starts from $26,490 drive-away thanks to that same introductory pricing offer until August 31.

After this date, the drive-away pricing of the entire XUV3XO range goes up by $500. A full pricing table is at the bottom of this story.

All variants are powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine that produces 82kW of power and 200Nm of torque.

This is mated to an Aisin-sourced six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with drive sent to the front wheels only.

Claimed combined fuel consumption is 6.5L/100km, according to ADR testing, and there’s a 42L fuel tank that requires a minimum of 91 RON unleaded petrol, though 95 RON premium unleaded is recommended.

Measuring in at 3990mm long, 1821mm wide and 1647mm tall with a 2600mm wheelbase, the XUV 3XO has a turning circle of 5.3 metres and a kerb weight of around 1400kg.

Inside there’s 368L of boot space with the rear seats upright. All versions of the XUV 3XO also offer five seats as standard.

Like other Mahindra models, the XUV 3XO is covered by a seven-year, 150,000km warranty with seven years of roadside assistance. There’s also seven years of capped-price servicing totalling $1994, or $284.85 per service.

As standard the entry-level Mahindra XUV 3XO AX5L comes with 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control, electric park brake with auto-hold, keyless entry and push-button start, leather steering wheel and gear selector and black cloth upholstery.

Moving up to the AX7L adds a black-painted contrast roof, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED front fog lights, panoramic glass sunroof, seven-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, 65W USB-C charger, cooled glovebox, black synthetic leather upholstery, and synthetic leather on dashboard and door trims.

Standard safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane centring, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Stepping up to the AX7L gets you a surround-view camera, blind-spot view camera, and front parking sensors.

Available exterior colours include Everest White, Galaxy Grey, Tango Red and Stealth Black. The latter isn’t offered on the flagship AX7L trim and is instead replaced by Citrine Yellow.

2026 Mahindra XUV 3XO pricing:

Model	Pricing
2026 Mahindra XUV 3XO AX5L	$23,490 $23,990 (from September 1st)
2026 Mahindra XUV 3XO AX7L	$26,490 $26,990 (from September 1st)