Until recently, the electric driving range of most plug-in hybrids has been lacking, and as a result those models have not suited a lot of buyers.
That is rapidly changing with brands like BYD and GWM launching new PHEVs with longer ranges.
GWM’s first PHEV arrives in the form of the already familiar Haval H6 GT, a larger mid-size SUV that launched Down Under in petrol form in mid-2022.
It’s an interesting strategy to roll it out to a familiar model, rather than introducing the tech on a completely new car. But soon enough GWM will have multiple PHEVs available in Australia, including the Cannon Alpha ute.
First up is the H6 GT. There’s a lot riding on this car and there is a lot more competition on the way. Is launching plug-in hybrid tech in this swoopy SUV the right move for GWM?
GWM Haval H6GT 2025: Ultra Phev (4WD)
| Engine Type | Inline 4, 1.5L |
|---|---|
| Fuel Type | |
| Fuel Efficiency | 0.8L/100km (combined) |
| Seating | 5 |
| Price From | $53,990 |
| Safety Rating |
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Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 8/10
8 / 10
Value has been at the core of GWM’s offering since it launched as Great Wall back in 2009. Fast forward to its more recent relaunch and the Chinese giant has kept that promise across its model range.
For the 2025 version, the Haval H6 GT now comes in just one model grade - Ultra - with a choice of petrol or plug-in hybrid powertrains.
Given the petrol model isn’t new and therefore wasn’t available at the launch, we are concentrating on the PHEV for this review. But if you’re interested, the petrol Ultra costs $45,990, drive-away.
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The PHEV checks in at $53,990, drive-away, which is competitive. If you order before the end of March GWM will even throw in a free home wall charger.
Plug-in hybrid rivals in the medium SUV segment include the Mitsubishi Outlander. The Japanese model starts in base ES grade from just over $57,000, but that’s before on roads and the pricing only goes up from there.
The new kid on the block is the BYD Sealion 6 and the Dual Motor version of that is $52,990, however that's before on-road costs, as well.
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So far, GWM is leading the value battle. But what does it come with?
Just some of the standard gear in the Haval H6 GT includes 19-inch alloy wheels, a powered tailgate, synthetic leather and suede upholstery on the seats (heated and power-adjust front), a panoramic sunroof, push-button start, eight-speaker audio, keyless entry, a wireless smartphone charger, a heated steering wheel, heated door mirrors and a head-up display.
It also gets dual-zone air conditioning, a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, a 12.3-inch digital multimedia display, ‘Hey GWM’ voice control of some functions and rear privacy glass.
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Note that it is behind the times on a few things - the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wired, and the four USB ports in the car are all USB-A, not USB-C.
The only option is premium paint at $495.
So, overall the standard gear offering is great but not exceptional.
Design – Is there anything interesting about its design? 6/10
6 / 10
Late last year GWM introduced some subtle styling changes to the H6 GT, notably a refreshed smoky tail-light design and new GWM badging that replaced the old ‘HAVAL’ across the tailgate.
Aside from that, the H6 GT is exactly as it was in 2022.
Some people love the coupe-SUV aesthetic, and to those people I say good for you. I am not one of those people.
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Often that body style has compromises, and in the case of the Haval that means visibility through the rear windscreen.
I think the regular Haval H6 SUV is a handsome vehicle with a classy yet subtle look. But the GT is a little over the top for me. As I said though, horses for courses.
Interior design in the H6 GT could be best described as fussy minimalism. You have minimal elements like the driver’s display and its lack of instrument cowl, but there are a lot of lines and different materials covering the dash and door panels, including synthetic carbon-fibre panelling.
It won’t win any interior design awards but it’s also far from unappealing.
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Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside? 7/10
7 / 10
The GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV is a spacious car. It’s at the top end of the medium SUV segment when it comes to interior space.
Up front the space is impacted by the chunky centre console. It is wide and sits up too high, presumably to give the cabin a sportscar cockpit feel. It ends up just impeding knee and elbow room.
It does, however, aid storage, which is already a positive in the GWM. There’s a big open space under the massive console for items. The secure central bin is also sizeable, as is the glove box, while the door storage up front is excellent. Big and wide bottles will fit alongside a few other longer items. There’s also a pair of cupholders in the console.
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The USB-A ports are annoyingly housed under the console but the outlet for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is on the passenger side of the car - a result of being built in China which is a left-hand-drive market.
The front seats are very cushy but could do with a little more under thigh support. They look and feel nice to touch. You get more power adjustability on the driver's side.
GWM’s steering wheel has a nicely sized rim and feels good in the hands, but the wheel hub and top spokes are positioned more than halfway up the wheel which forces the driver to adopt a ‘10 and 2’ hold rather than the preferred ‘9 and 3’.
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The multimedia system is decent in the H6 GT, and GWM has certainly come a long way on that front. There are multiple ways to access functions - swipe up, down, left or right and you’ll find what you need.
Many vehicle functions are found in the screen but like most of these set-ups, you just need to spend some time learning where everything is. Apple CarPlay works well in this format, too.
The second row is incredibly spacious, especially for a coupe-style SUV. Most models with that body style compromise on rear headroom, but there’s loads of that in the H6 GT, even with the panoramic sunroof which usually eats into space.
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There’s no shortage of leg, toe and knee room, either. I had room to spare sitting behind my 184cm driving position. And with barely a hint of a transmission tunnel, the middle seat is actually usable.
The 60/40 split-fold rear seats have a flat base but are well cushioned and have a comfortable back rest. Amenities in the rear include map pockets, lower air vents with strong air con flow, two USB-A ports and fold-down armrest with two cupholders.
The door storage is not as good as the front row so bottles don't fit as easily.
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Open the powered tailgate and you'll find a high, flat space with limited under-floor storage. It can take 392 litres with all seats in place and 1390L with the second row folded.
This volume doesn’t sound huge and it trails the BYD Sealion 6 (just over 570L). But it doesn’t look small when you open the boot. And the PHEV doesn’t lose any cargo space from the petrol model, despite all of the electric elements underneath.
Sadly, the H6 GT PHEV misses out on the temporary spare wheel the petrol Ultra gets, making do instead with a tyre repair kit.
Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission? 8/10
8 / 10
The Haval H6 GT plug-in hybrid comes with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and two electric motors - one on each axle. The GT is all-wheel drive and it comes with a two-speed electric transmission.
It has impressive outputs of 321kW of power and 762Nm of torque. This is enough to propel the big SUV from zero to 100km/h in just 4.9 seconds.
The Haval also has a maximum braked trailer towing capacity of 1500kg.
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Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range? 8/10
8 / 10
GWM’s generous 35.4kWh battery gives the H6 GT PHEV an impressive electric-only driving range of 180 kilometres. That’s about 100km more than some rivals.
But be aware that figure is according to the more generous NEDC cycle. It is yet to be tested for a WLTP rating which is more widely accepted in Australia, so expect that figure to fall to some degree.
Combined fuel consumption is rated at just 0.8 litres per 100 kilometres when the battery is charged.
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The H6 GT PHEV should be capable of travelling 1000km with a full charge and the 55-litre fuel tank at capacity. It takes 91RON petrol.
We averaged about 5.0L/100km on the drive back to the city via the motorway after the battery had drained a little and that was in 'Intelligent Hybrid' mode.
Note too that the H6 GT has vehicle-to-load charging capability, with a 3.3kW capacity.
Finally it has a CCS2 charge plug and can charge at a maximum 6.6kW for AC and 48kW for DC.
Driving – What's it like to drive? 7/10
7 / 10
The last time I drove the GWM Haval H6 GT was not long after its mid-2022 launch. It was the petrol variant and I don’t recall what model grade it was. But it left me a little cold.
The ride quality wasn’t great and the powertrain suffered from poorly calibrated throttle response combined with a jerky transmission. It was average at best.
It's incredible the difference a powertrain can make because the plug in represents a big step up over the 2022 petrol model.
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The acceleration is brisk and linear and that 0-100km/h time of 4.9secs is no joke.
Our launch route saw us drive from Sydney’s CBD to the NSW south coast town of Kiama. At no point on that drive did the petrol engine kick in. In fact we still had some electric range left for the drive home.
In some other PHEVs, the petrol engine kicks in automatically at a particular point. That’s not the case with the GWM. If you want to only drive on electric power then depending on what mode you’ve chosen, that’s what will happen. PHEVs are more than just city-friendly cars now. You can travel decent distances on electric power only.
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Of course if you want to preserve that energy, there are ‘Power’ modes like 'EV Priority' and Intelligent Hybrid. The staged regen braking helps here, too.
The system will never let the battery dip below about 12 per cent, according to GWM. And if you are super efficient and struggle to use petrol, the CPU does something tricky to make sure some fuel is used to avoid any issues with the petrol engine.
On the drive home we switched to hybrid mode and found it hard to detect when the petrol engine kicked in. It’s one smooth powertrain.
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The cabin has decent insulation, although a fair amount of road noise is noticeable on coarse chip road surfaces. It’s quieter on smooth roads, naturally.
Steering feel in the big SUV is light yet direct, but we didn’t get to test the GWM on dynamically challenging roads so no comments on handling just yet.
Similarly, the motorway-heavy launch route meant ride quality was hard to pin down, however a few bumps on the streets of Kiama and on the motorway revealed a firmer tune. There might be more work to be done on that front.
But overall, the PHEV powertrain has elevated the drive experience of the Haval H6 GT.
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Warranty & Safety Rating
Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating? 7/10
7 / 10
The Haval H6 GT is not yet rated for safety by ANCAP but GWM is waiting on a result.
It has a lengthy list of safety features, with seven airbags, including a front centre bag.
Other gear includes auto emergency braking with junction assist, lane keeping aid, tyre pressure monitoring system, blind spot monitor, front collision warning (pedestrian and cyclist), traffic sign recognition, traffic jam assist, rear collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert with brake, a driver fatigue monitoring system, a 360-degree rearview camera and front and rear parking sensors.
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There’s nothing of note missing from the standard safety features list.
On the road those functions are a mixed bag. The lane keeping aid is less aggressive than I remember from driving the petrol model a couple of years ago, however there is still some tugging of the wheel which is annoying.
GWM Australia is working hard to improve the everyday functionality of these systems and it is starting to pay off. More improvements are coming, too, thanks to a local tuning program.
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Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs? 8/10
8 / 10
The H6 GT PHEV comes with a generous seven-year, unlimited kilometre factory warranty, and an eight-year, unlimited kilometre battery warranty. It might not beat the 10-year terms from Nissan and Mitsubishi but those are conditional based on servicing at an authorised dealership.
It comes with five years of free roadside assistance and a five-year capped price servicing plan.
GWM is yet to confirm the service schedule and pricing for the PHEV and it's unclear how much that will differ from the petrol grade.
For reference, the MY25 AWD petrol model costs an average of $416 per service over five years and the service schedule starts at every 12 months or 10,000km but ramps up to 15,000km intervals after the first year.
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Verdict
Given the limitations of the launch drive route, we'll wait for a longer seven-day loan before giving our final verdict of the GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV. But from this initial drive, it’s clear the plug-in hybrid powertrain has transformed the H6 GT.
Compared with the petrol H6 GT, it's quieter, smoother, faster, much more efficient and has excellent real-world electric driving range, with that petrol engine to back it up nicely.
There’s no question it’s good value, and the spacious, comfortable cabin makes it a solid family offering. It looks like GWM now has a genuine BYD Sealion 6 and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV rival on its hands.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.
Pricing Guides
Range and Specs
| Vehicle | Specs | Price* |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra (4WD) | 2.0L, Unleaded Petrol, 7 SPEED AUTO DUAL CLUTCH | $44,990 |
| Ultra Phev (4WD) | 1.5L, SPEED | $53,990 |
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