2026 GWM Haval H6 Ultra PHEV review

It was only a few years ago that plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains sat on the outer consideration set for Australian new-car buyers. Petrol, diesel, hybrid, and electric powertrains all generated their fair share of attention, but the true benefits of PHEV were yet to be realised.

Now, this proliferating technology is being adopted by manufacturers as fast as possible as Australians wake up to the best-of-both-worlds reality.

The Chinese-built GWM Haval H6 is a particularly interesting plug-in hybrid medium-sized SUV, because it flies well under the price point you’ll pay for established rivals like the Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Mazda CX-60 PHEVs.

This review concerns the top-of-the-line trim grade, the Ultra, in front-wheel-drive guise. I ran the car over a week-long loan (almost) entirely on electric power, which could be a reality for Aussie families with the right setup.

Here’s how you can do it too.

The GWM Haval H6 PHEV represents fantastic value not only with respect to its lower price point, but also the kit you get for the money.

The price for a Haval H6 with a PHEV powertrain begins at $44,990 drive-away for the entry-level Lux specification, though the top-grade Ultra costs $3000 more at $47,990 drive-away.

That competes with mainstream rivals like the Toyota RAV4 XSE PHEV FWD ($58,840 plus ORCs), or the outgoing MY24 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed PHEV that retails for over $70,000 plus ORCs, but is understood to enjoy drive-away discounts of up to $15K ahead of a new generation.

Regardless, the more competitive Chinese rival cars on sale include the BYD Sealion 6 Dynamic FWD (from $45,990 plus ORCs) and the Geely Starray EM-i (from $39,990 plus ORCs).

The H6 PHEV is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine paired to a single electric motor, with drive sent to the front wheels through a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission. Peak combined outputs of 240kW and 540Nm are quoted. More on driving impressions is found later in the review.

Standout features included on the Ultra grade include a panoramic sunroof, synthetic leather upholstery, heated and ventilated seats, memory seat position recall, a head-up display, and rear privacy glass.

It depends on which way you look at it, but the Haval H6 PHEV can ultimately be a zero-emissions solution to transport – if you treat it the right way.

At least, it was just about zero-emissions for me because I was able to charge the car at the end of my commute and keep the 19kWh battery topped up.

The car claims an NEDC-tested driving range of 106km, and I found that to be fairly close to the mark. GWM also quotes efficiency for the electric-only part of its powertrain of 18.4 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres. In practice, I saw 18.8kWh/100km – not far off the mark, but doesn’t quite match the GWM claim.

For what it’s worth, the total combined fuel consumption for my week with the car (including one day on petrol power) ended as 1.8L/100km – not bad at all.

While I kept the battery charged through its 6.6kWh charge capability on a wallbox, DC fast-charging is also available at up to 34kW max speeds. DC fast-charging is not always available on a PHEV, so it’s good to see its availability here.

But, at the end of the day, the GWM Haval H6 PHEV is as efficient as you want it to be. If you can keep its 19kWh battery charged all the time (potentially with solar power for zero-cost motoring), it’ll be able to run on fully-electric power for good. I was just about able to do this, as you’ll read about in the next section.

The Haval H6 is available with a petrol, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid powertrain. The car becomes progressively more expensive as you shop through those options, with two varying trim grades across all three, plus the availability of all-wheel drive with the hybrid versions.

GWMs come with a strong warranty in Australia – it’s seven years with unlimited kilometres. The warranty on the battery extends eight years (with unlimited kilometres).

Capped-price servicing is decently affordable – it’s scheduled out for five years and services usually take place every 12 months or 15,000km. Three years’ coverage costs $1085 and five years is $2135.

A year of comprehensive insurance coverage for the H6 Ultra PHEV with a leading provider is quoted at $2028, based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

The GWM Haval H6 was ANCAP-tested in 2022, where it achieved a full five-star rating. This rating was subsequently applied to hybrid variants like this Ultra PHEV.

The Haval H6 was awarded individual scores of 88 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child occupant protection, 73 per cent for vulnerable road users, and 81 per cent for safety assist systems.

The car is backed up by active safety measures detailed in the table below, but I want to call out two things in particular.

I wasn’t happy with the lane-keep assistance, which would invariably try and steer into an oncoming lane on unmarked country roads. This was a bit of an eye-opener that many brands have a fair way to go before their active safety systems actually help, rather than hinder.

Meanwhile, the adaptive cruise control left large gaps in between me and the car in front, despite being on the closest setting possible.

But, there are good points too – the lane-centring worked well to keep me within lane markings while using the adaptive cruise control, and it was exceedingly easy to activate by pulling down on the gear stalk.

Only the non-hybrid Haval H6 variants are capable of the headline 2000kg braked towing figure – all others make do with just 1500kg braked and 750kg unbraked.

The payload stands at 420kg for five people and luggage, which means all passengers need to weigh little more than 85kg before being in breach of the 2315kg gross vehicle mass.

I remember the last time I drove a Haval H6 and pointed out a nasty new-car plastic smell and creaky panels inside the cabin – thankfully, the same wasn’t experienced this time with the facelifted model. The brand must have changed the source materials and improved the fit-and-finish margins of error.

But I digress. The Haval H6 cabin is an easy place to get comfy because it’s large and well appointed.

The driver gets six-way electric adjustment to find a decent driving position, but the passenger doesn’t get quite the same range of tweaks and can sit high as a result.

However, all the storage basics are covered – there’s a deep centre console bin, dual cupholders, two USB ports, a stowage space under the console, and a wireless phone charger atop the centre console.

In terms of feel and ambience – the big panoramic sunroof lets in a lot of light, and you feel airy no matter which row you’re seated in.

The materials look nice on presentation, but gradually get hard and plasticky the lower down you go. But, the good news is that all the touchpoints are appointed well with soft-touch panels.

The driver’s seat is comfortable and provides good support, but even more adjustment of the seat base would be appreciated. I couldn’t quite get the perfect position.

In the second row, there’s great head room, good foot space, and more than enough space to move your legs about. There is no rail adjustment to slide the seat base, but there is a recline for the back rest.

There are air vents to keep you cool, USB ports to charge devices, map pockets to stow all kinds, and a fold-down centre armrest with dual cupholders.

The materials quality does diminish in the second row – the door cards contain scratchy plastics that aren’t the nicest. But then again, this is pretty affordable, potentially zero-emissions, plug-in hybrid motoring.

Good news is that the PHEV variant loses no storage capacity to its non-hybrid stablemates. It means the H6 PHEV gets 560 litres of boot capacity (very good for a medium SUV) and it’s expandable up to 1445L with the second row folded flat.

The massive 14.6-inch infotainment adopts an interesting theme with an image of the car driving along for the home screen, before you dive off into sub menus.

In any sense, it’s fairly easy to move your way around the system with key shortcuts along the screen’s edges. But too many functions are buried in the infotainment – like the steering wheel heating and heated/ventilated seats, for example.

However, there is a multi-function button on the steering wheel that you can configure to your preferences.

Unfortunately, the only way you can quickly access volume controls is on the steering wheel, as this slider is placed within a drop-down menu on the infotainment screen. This marks really poor user experience.

Wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is available, which is what I used in my time with the car, and it displays nice and big on the massive display. There’s also native sat nav, and FM/AM/DAB radio bands.

One thing unlocked with the hybrid powertrain is enhanced telematics connected-car services, which includes faster processing for vehicle data forwarding to your phone. Users of the app can view their car’s location, preset the air-conditioning, track vehicle efficiency, etc.

The driver’s line of sight is flooded with information thanks to a head-up display and 10.25-inch digital cluster (with good customisation).

We usually have test cars for a seven-day period, and in my time with the H6 Ultra PHEV, I tried my best to keep it running solely on electric power. In my mind, that’s the way you should be looking at it as a buyer.

It has 130kW/300Nm to rely on thanks to the front electric motor alone, which proved more than zippy enough for running about suburbia. Overtakes were easy to execute and getting up to the speed limits wasn’t a worry.

However, what did annoy was a ‘sticky throttle’ sensation whereby you depress the accelerator, lift off, and the car takes but a second to cancel out the power to the wheels. This lag between throttle inputs and motor output became frustrating when trying to plug a gap between me and the car in front, where the car went further than I anticipated, and when trying to move forward in traffic.

Another frustrating aspect of the Haval H6’s electric drive experience was parking the thing. There’s a lurchy creep forward when trying to inch forward into a tight parking spot, which means you have to stay hyper-vigilant on the brake pedal to ensure you don’t accidentally reverse into something.

There are Eco, Normal, and Sport driving modes that let you adjust the driving experience, plus varying energy recuperation settings for brake-energy regeneration.

The way it rides is much better than before, where it felt a bit too hollow and slapped wheels abruptly into potholes. GWM now has a dedicated local ride-and-handling department that ensures the car’s suspension componentry is set to the Australian conditions, and this results in a nice, plush ride quality on just about all surfaces.

Speed humps are absorbed without a hassle, minor road joins are ironed over nicely, and train tracks don’t rattle the car’s occupants nearly as much as before. Overall, it’s a much more settled experience than before.

While an all-wheel-drive variant is available for the H6 PHEV, it’s not strictly necessary. There were no freakish instances of traction loss throughout my week with the car, and even in the rain, it was capable of putting down all 240kW/540Nm to the ground.

There was one day where I ran the electric battery effectively dry and had to rely on the 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine for motivation. This is marked by extra noise, more so than I’d expect, but it doesn’t upset the otherwise comfortable ambience of the car. It’s relatively quiet of road and wind noise, and the petrol assistance seemed to work well at getting the 1895kg (kerb) body moving.

If you like the look of the Haval H6 and want to find the best current deals, it's well worth checking out the new and used H6 stock available at Drive Marketplace.

As well, jump onto the GWM dealer locator if you'd like to check out the Haval H6 in person.

If you're looking for more pricing, specifications and offers on the latest Haval H6, then this is where you should check in.

Continual updates to the GWM Haval H6 see it as the budget medium SUV to beat. There is no doubt it provides stonking value in relation to the mainstream rivals, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander and Mazda CX-60 PHEVs, meanwhile it shapes up nicely against its cheaper rivals, including the BYD Sealion 6, too.

The cabin is comfortable for a family of four, there are plentiful features to keep them entertained, and the minimised ownership costs ensure ongoing maintenance is economical too.

There are some aspects to be mindful of, such as the jerky acceleration on EV power, and the safety systems that need further refinement. But, if there’s one thing we’ve learnt so far, it’s that GWM will continue fine-tuning this solid medium SUV until the brand is up there competing with the Toyotas and the Kias at the top of the sales tree.

This is absolutely a car that can – and should – be run on completely electric power. So, if you’re committed to a PHEV and have the means and drive to install a home wallbox, this could be your answer to zero-emissions family transport.

Tom started out in the automotive industry by exploiting his photographic skills but quickly learned journalists got the better end of the deal. With tenures at CarAdvice, Wheels Media, and now Drive, Tom's breadth of experience and industry knowledge informs a strong opinion on all things automotive. At Drive, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.

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