Kenworth T610 Review

The truck that gave Kenworth a 2.1 metre cab, and now a used proposition rather than a new one. What the T610 and T610SAR are, what the build sheet decides, and what the T620 means for values.

The Kenworth T610 is the Australian-designed conventional that replaced the T409 and T409SAR, launched here in December 2016. Its reason for existing was a new cab: 2.1 metres wide, which trade press at launch reported as roughly 300 millimetres wider than the cab it superseded, packaged into a bumper-to-back-of-cab dimension that still worked inside Australian length law.

Kenworth Australia describes the T610 as the result of more than 100,000 Australian design hours and ten million kilometres of testing and validation, and as the single largest product development investment the company has made in this country. That is the manufacturer’s own framing, but the underlying point holds: this is a truck engineered around Australian mass limits and length rules rather than adapted to them.

Where the T610 sits now

It is an outgoing model. At the Brisbane Truck Show in May 2025 Kenworth launched the T620 and T620SAR on the same 2.1 metre cab, running the Cummins X15 in Euro 6 form at up to 625hp with 2,050lb-ft from 1,000rpm and an Eaton Endurant XD Pro 18-speed automated transmission. ADR 80/04 applied to newly approved heavy vehicle models from 1 November 2024 and to all new heavy vehicles supplied from 1 November 2025.

So a T610 bought today is a used truck with a Euro 5 driveline. That is not a defect, and for a lot of operators it is the point — but it is the single most important thing to understand about the model’s position in the market.

T610 or T610SAR

The difference is the front axle position and the bonnet ahead of it. Kenworth positions the T610SAR, with its set-forward front axle, at 19 metre B-double, tipper and dog work. The standard T610 with the set-back axle is aimed at 26 metre B-doubles at maximum payload, where the axle position buys you length behind the cab.

This is not a styling choice. Pick the wrong one and you either give away payload or you cannot legally make the combination work. Establish which variant a listing actually is before anything else.

Driveline, and what the build sheet decides

The T610 was sold with the Cummins X15 in Euro V form, badged ISXe5 on earlier builds. Published ratings run from 485hp as standard to 600hp as an option, with torque from 1,650 to 2,050lb-ft depending on rating.

Transmissions are where the spread really opens up. The standard was an Eaton RTLO16918B 16-speed manual, with 18, 20 and 22-speed manuals available and UltraShift Plus automated versions in 16, 18, 20 and 22-speed. Drum brakes were standard and discs optional.

Because these trucks are built to order, no two used T610s are the same truck. As one worked example, a T610SAR reviewed by trucksales was specified as follows.

What operators use them for

Linehaul single trailer and B-double work, tipper and dog, and road train where the specification and GCM rating support it. The 2.1 metre cab and the sleeper options — a day cab and an 860mm sleeper at launch, with larger integrated sleepers including a 1,400mm aero roof available on the platform — put it squarely at operators whose drivers sleep in the truck.

Kenworth’s position in the segment is not in doubt. T-Mark data has Kenworth leading Australian heavy-duty sales in 2025 with 3,347 trucks and 23.4 per cent of the segment.

Where the money goes after purchase

Three things dominate the running cost conversation on a used Euro 5 X15: fuel, tyres and the exhaust aftertreatment. The first two are a function of your work and your spec. The third is a function of how the previous owner used the truck.

On the service side, Kenworth has manufactured in Australia at Bayswater since 1971 and delivered its 90,000th locally built truck in June 2026. PACCAR Parts states 58 dealers across Australia. In practical terms that means most regional freight centres have a Kenworth-capable workshop, which is a genuine advantage over lower-volume imports if you work away from a capital city. Confirm your nearest one before you buy rather than assuming.

What to watch for on a used one

• The build sheet, first. Axle ratio against your typical mass and terrain, transmission type, brake type, and the actual GCM rating stamped for that chassis. A 97 tonne GCM truck and a truck plated well below that look identical in photographs.
• Engine history. Ask for the Cummins service and fault history report, which will show derates, aftertreatment events and any component replacement.
• Aftertreatment condition. DPF and EGR service is a known cost centre on this engine generation. Ask what has been done, when, and by whom.
• Recalls. Check the specific VIN against the Australian recall register at recalls.gov.au rather than relying on overseas recall reporting, which covers different build specifications.
• Kingpin, turntable and suspension wear, and the chassis behind the rear bogie on anything that has done tipper and dog work.
• Cab mounts, door seals and the condition of the sleeper interior. Cab repairs on a wide-cab Kenworth are not cheap and are a good proxy for how the truck was treated.
• Service records against actual kilometres, plus the last oil sample analysis if the fleet ran one. Ex-fleet trucks on a scheduled maintenance contract are frequently a better buy than a lower-kilometre owner-driver truck with a shoebox of receipts.

Who it suits and who it doesn’t

It suits operators who want an Australian-built conventional with a genuinely wide cab, a parts network that reaches the regions, and a mechanical proposition their existing workshop already understands. It suits owner-drivers who intend to keep a truck for a long time and who care about the cab they sit in.

It does not suit an operator who needs the lowest possible tare for a payload-critical job — a wide cab and a big sleeper cost you kilograms. It does not suit anyone whose customers or contracts require the latest emissions standard, because the T610 is a Euro 5 truck. And it does not suit a first-time buyer looking for the cheapest way into a prime mover: this is a truck where the specification detail decides whether you have bought well, and that takes some knowledge or some paid advice.

Resale and what holds value

Kenworth’s reputation for holding value in Australia is well established in the trade, but we are not going to put a percentage on it, because we have not seen data we would stand behind. What we can say about the mechanism is more useful anyway.

Value on a used T610 tracks three things: whether the specification suits a common Australian job rather than a niche one, whether the documentation is complete, and whether the aftertreatment and driveline history is clean. A well-specified, well-documented truck at higher kilometres will out-sell a lightly used truck with an odd axle ratio and no paperwork.

The T620 arriving is the other variable. New-model introductions usually pull the top off the outgoing model’s asking prices while lifting the floor on well-kept examples, because buyers who want a Euro 5 truck have a shrinking supply of them. Check what T610s are actually being asked for right now rather than working from a rule of thumb.