A substantial influx of electric power makes this the first plug-in hybrid from GWM in Australia, and another interesting hybrid choice for Australia.
2025 GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV
Plug-in hybrids seemed to get off on the wrong foot in Australia, mostly.
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was doing the heavy lifting of this two-powertrain solution for many years, before a wider range of options came into play.
But as fully-electric models started proliferating on one side and hybrids improved on the other, the plug-in hybrid was left in a space in between, which made it hard to justify a circa $10,000 increase in asking price.
Things can change, though, and the sentiments can move impressively quickly. As electric car sales have plateaued (or worse) in recent months, a wider range of plug-in hybrids from Chinese car makers have taken this segment of technology to the next level.
Firstly, the plug-in hybrids aren’t as expensive as they used to be. In this case, you’ve got an $8000 impost over the non-hybrid variant to overcome, as an intro offer.
Now, I’m not going to say that’s a cheap upgrade, it’s a big chunk of real money. But it’s around half the increase in price that some plug-in hybrids have been trying (unsuccessfully) to prosecute in the Australian market. And for some, this increased asking price over a non plug-in hybrid model could make sense.
Secondly, this new generation of plug-in hybrids offer a stronger powertrain punch than they used to. Gone are the paltry mid-50km driving range claims, as we’ve now got enough battery to get well over 100km of electric-only propulsion. More bang for buck, in other words.
What’s more, car brands are starting to leverage those twin power sources for increased levels of overall output. In the case of this GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV (yes, it’s a mouthful) you’ve got 321kW and 762Nm of combined power and torque, which is enough for a claimed sub-five-second dash to 100km/h (with launch control).
And while the 180km electric-only range claim uses the lenient and overly positive NEDC testing cycle, a 35.4kWh battery is nothing to be sniffed at. It will comfortably give over 100km each and every time, more than double what was de rigueur two years ago. For reference’s sake, this battery is only 3.6kWh smaller than what you get in a Nissan Leaf full EV.
But unlike the Leaf, we’ve also got a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine here for some extra motivation. Using the 55-litre fuel tank, you’ve got a theoretical driving range of 1000km between refills.
MORE: 2025 GWM Haval H6 GT price and specifications
But when the chips are down, does it work? It’s been proven by other car makers that you can squeeze two powertrains into one car with varying levels of success. But this is GWM’s first attempt at such a thing for the Australian market. There’s more coming in the pipeline, but you could argue the medium-sized SUV segment is the most important to get right.
Whereas the regular non-hybrid Haval H6 GT has an asking price of $45,990 drive-away, you’ve got an asking price of $53,990 drive-away as a launch offer for the H6 GT PHEV – set to revert to $55,990 after March 31st.
And there’s only one up-specced trim level to choose from as well. This includes ‘Comfortek’ suede leather seat trimming, with heating and ventilation up front and dual-zone climate control. There’s also a microfibre leather wrap on the steering wheel, eight directions of electric adjustment (and memory) for the driver and four ways for the passenger.
On the outside, you’ve got 19-inch alloy wheels, an electric tailgate, panoramic sunroof with blind, keyless entry, privacy glass and LED lighting at both ends.
MORE: 2025 GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV discounted ahead of launch – but only for a limited time
On the inside, a 12.3-inch infotainment display dominates the dashboard, along with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and head-up display pumping out all manner of information for your eyes.
However, the experience of the infotainment system isn’t so good. Many features – including the majority of climate controls – are buried within the system, and some of the driving modes take some finding. In particular, going from ‘EV Priority’ mode to ‘Intelligent Hybrid’ – a good idea to get the best efficiency from both petrol and electric sources at higher speeds – is hard to find. And what’s worse, it defaults back to EV Priority each time you cycle the ignition off and back on again.
Regenerative braking is located in a similar place, which makes it tricky to adjust on the move to your tastes. You can choose between a few different modes, including a more aggressive one-pedal version.
Otherwise, the interior is mostly good and feels well made. Two cupholders on top can be converted to storage, and there is a wireless charging pad hiding under the buttressed infotainment stack. Further down is a handy additional storage space, which also has two USB-A points and a 12V plug. There’s another USB mounted up high for your dashcam, which is a nice touch. The centre console finished in a suede-like material is comfortable and offers a good amount of storage space.
Naturally, the second row and boot of this Haval H6 GT are impacted somewhat by the sloping roof line and so-called ‘coupe-SUV’ silhouette, something that was pioneered with great success by the BMW X6 back in 2008.
For those who prioritise practicalities over pretensions, the plug-in hybrid powertrain will eventually be offered on the regular Haval H6 SUV. But, you’ll need to wait a little longer.
That being said, second-row space isn’t too bad overall. There’s enough leg room on offer for adults and rearward-facing baby seats, and having power outlets and air vents helps out with keeping everyone comfortable.
Boot space is impacted by the slanted roof, but not by the extra powertrain stuffed underneath the floor of this model. Even though there is a big electric battery and rear-wheel-drive motor to accommodate, you’ve got the same 392 litres of boot space in this model. It’s not huge, and the big trade-off in space here is more in the vertical than the horizontal. However, it’s worth being aware of.
What’s perhaps more important is the loss of the space-saving spare wheel in this plug-in hybrid model. In order to make room for some of the electric drive components, we have moved to a goop-based inflator kit here, which might not be enough to get you mobile after damage.
| Key details | 2025 GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV |
| Engine | 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol hybrid Twin electric motors |
| Battery pack | 35.4kWh ternary lithium |
| Driving range | 180km (NEDC, claimed) |
| Power | 110kW @ 5500–6000rpm petrol 130kW front electric motor 135kW rear electric motor 321kW combined |
| Torque | 230Nm @ 1500–4000rpm petrol 762Nm combined |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Dedicated hybrid transmission |
| Length | 4727mm |
| Width | 1940mm |
| Height | 1729mm |
| Wheelbase | 2738mm |
Having 321kW and 762Nm – enough grunt to make a VF Commodore SS falter – is a lot of punch for a regular mainstream family hauler.
And with electric motors at each end – both with decent individual outputs – you’ve got that typical silent and instant response to throttle inputs that makes the GT PHEV feel initially very rapid.
To explore those full outputs, you do need to keep the foot buried for a bit longer. If the petrol engine is asleep, it needs to wake up. The two-speed hybrid transmission needs to get itself into order, and that crankshaft need to be spinning at over 5000rpm.
Once that all happens, the car offers huge straight-line performance. But you do need to wait before you get the entree and the main course.
Realistically, it’s more than you’ll ever need and more than you can legally explore on most Australian roads. But for when that overtaking opportunity beckons, or you’ve got that gap in traffic and you need to merge, there is still plenty of confident performance there to harness.
The rest of the car is a little less scintillating than the raw acceleration figures. Performance through the corners was limited on our initial test drive, where the driving was centered around Highway One south of Sydney. There are times when you can feel the extra weight of this vehicle, which is around 400kg heavier than the non-PHEV model.
Initial indications showed it to be decent, but also not overwhelmingly capable and planted.
It was more telling on some of the patchier Sydney roads as we plugged our way out of the city, with a stiff stodginess in the suspension across rough surfaces at suburban speeds. It felt unsettled at times, and not as smoothly absorptive as other SUVs at this price point.
There are upgraded brakes, which use a brake-by-wire system and larger hardware to provide more stopping force against the increased weight and performance on offer here.
However, brake pedal feel is quite stiff and wooden, requiring a bit of force (without much pedal travel) to make it work. There’s a good amount of braking force available, and the transition between regenerative braking isn’t noticeable. It just feels like there is a brick stuck behind the pedal.
In terms of efficiency, the plug-in hybrid experience is something of a mixed bag. If you compare electric consumption to a straight EV, or petrol consumption to a regular hybrid, you’ll be disappointed. This plays both ends of the court, but cannot really match either in that single discipline.
The Haval H6 GT PHEV seems to be at its best in the Intelligent Hybrid mode, where it switches over to sipping fuel at speeds of approximately 70km/h or more. When you’re in EV Priority mode, energy consumption can be quite high on the highway. We saw as bad as 25kWh per 100 kilometres, but we also didn’t see any real petrol interruption on the highway, except for full-blooded pedal-mash moments.
So while it’s good to know you can do electric-only on the highway, it comes at a cost.
Because we didn’t get the chance to really run the battery of the Haval H6 GT PHEV down, we aren’t sure what efficiency is like when the battery is fully drained. However, we note that the battery level doesn’t drop below 14 per cent and electric power doesn’t go missing at any point.
We also aren’t sure what the electric-only driving range is like in the real world. Considering 25kWh/100km would give you around 130–140km, that’s a decent starting point to consider. But without a proper test, we aren’t yet sure what it really would be.
While there are still more things to be learned about this GWM hybrid family SUV, initial indications of price, performance and bang-for-buck look good. It’s loaded with technology – not only in the powertrain but also in the cabin. The ride quality and infotainment are two areas where there would be the most noticeable improvement, but having a good heft of electric power and long petrol range makes it an interesting – and compelling – option.
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