GWM Haval H6GT PHEV 2025 Review

The 2025 GWM Haval H6GT PHEV is available in the one Ultra 4WD spec at $53,990 drive away. Hamilton White is the standard, no-cost colour while one of four premium paints adds $495 to the bottom line.

The H6GT PHEV is based on the H6GT Ultra 4WD petrol spec – with a few differences. You still get keyless entry/start, a heated steering wheel, heated/vented and power-adjustable front seats, suede leather interior, hands-free tailgate and a sunroof. However, the PHEV lacks the petrol’s paddle shifters (it has configurable one-pedal operation instead) and instead of the petrol’s space-saver wheel it has a tyre repair kit.

The PHEV also gains a large increase in power over the petrol model and bigger brakes, plus a bunch more drive modes including launch control mode and features such as its 3.3kWh V2L (vehicle to load) capacity.

Infotainment tech bundled into the PHEV mirrors the petrol H6GT Ultra; that is, a 10.25-inch digital dash and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, head-up display, and wireless smartphone charging and connectivity.

Safety includes all the usual suspects, but highlights include active cruise control with stop and go, rear cross-traffic alert and braking, traffic sign recognition, lane keeping and centring, 360-degree camera view, parking assist, and seven airbags, the latter including a centre front airbag. The H6GT PHEV shares the 2022 ANCAP five-star safety rating accorded to the petrol H6GT.

The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol-electric powertrain comprises the front petrol engine and electric motors front and rear. The combined outputs of 342kW/762Nm result in a claimed zero to 100km/h time of 4.9 seconds. While that makes it the fastest PHEV in the class, the H6GT PHEV also has the best range, with 180km claimed from its 35.4kWh battery.

Recharging times are one hour for 0-100 per cent via 48kW DC or up to 12 hours charging via 2kW AC. Meanwhile a 30 to 80 per cent charge takes a claimed 26 minutes via a 48kW DC charger.

Warranty is seven years/unlimited kilometres while the high-voltage battery is subject to an eight-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Five years of roadside assist is included, while five years of capped price servicing is also on the table, with prices yet to be announced.

The 2025 GWM Haval H6GT PHEV is great value when lined up against its competitors – namely those medium SUVs in PHEV form, the BYD Sealion 6 and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. It’s hard to ignore the H6’s much stronger acceleration, as well as the fact it offers about double the range of other PHEVs.

The Haval’s fit and finish are also very good, as far as we could tell in a short drive, while nice features such as the floating centre console and comfortable seating up front with a spacious (if a little flat) back seat are further crowd pleasers.

While acceleration off the mark is stomach-churning strong, at highway speeds it softens up a little – but it’s still not exactly hanging around.

Lots of hybrids sound like an old compressor fridge coming to life when their ICE engine fires up, but not here. The H6GT PHEV’s 1.5-litre four hums in the background when doing its thing.

While a drive leg though Sydney’s Royal National Park is not going to make for a definitive ride and handling assessment, indications are that this PHEV points though corners well while its ride is compliant yet controlled.

The most satisfying thing about the H6GT PHEV is what it doesn’t do. Its safety systems in the main are unobtrusive. While there is still work to do (see below), the absence of spurious, annoying warning lights and chimes is a great advance on some recent efforts by GWM and many others.

The 10.25-inch dash display in the 2025 GWM Haval H6GT PHEV contains at least 22 bits of information that even a driver with eagle eyes is going to struggle to absorb while driving (although thankfully key info such as speed is big and bold, and views are customisable to a degree). There are bigger, simpler and more intuitive digital readouts these days.

While the active cruise system was fine on open, straight freeways, when negotiating more winding, narrower stretches of dual lane highway it cancelled a couple times. The lane keeping also was sometimes a bit too aggressive.

While more time is needed to properly gauge energy consumption, the trip computer was showing a fuel usage of 3.9L/100km and battery consumption of 7.8kWh/100km.

The 2025 GWM Haval H6GT PHEV offers a breadth of performance, economy and EV driving range that make a good case for having a plug-in hybrid. It also is very good value for the PHEV powertrain it offers and the high features and safety inclusions bundled into the package. Only some reservations about real-world fuel usage and the not quite resolved active safety features might give some pause for thought.

2024 GWM Haval H6GT PHEV at a glance:
Price: $53,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol, two electric motors
Output: 110kW/230Nm (petrol engine) 130kW/300Nm (front electric motor) 135kW/232Nm (rear electric motor)
Combined output: 321kW/762Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Battery: 35.4kWh Ternary lithium-ion
Range: 180km (ADR/NEDC)
Energy consumption: N/A
Fuel: 0.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 19g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

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