REVIEW | Haval H6 PHEV balances performance and efficiency

This week’s test car is the Haval H6 1.5T plug-in-hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) Hi4, the recently launched range-topper.

The Haval H6 range debuted in 2021 as a conventionally powered and family-focused Chinese SUV offering, positioned above the popular but junior Jolion cousin.

The Haval interior is spacious and minimalist posh. (PHUTI MPYANE)

A hybrid model joined the line-up in 2022, but the facelift model, introduced late in 2025, is now equipped with an advanced plug-in-hybrid drivetrain. It combines a combustion engine and a rechargeable battery to power electric motors, both sources taking turns or combining to keep it moving.

PHEVs are known to be frugal and powerful, and quite the rage these days in South Africa as fuel prices soar.

The rakish lines remain, but the aesthetics have been updated with a new grille and LED headlamps and rear cluster lights. The test unit rides on darkened 19-inch alloy wheels, and you won’t find the H6 lacking if you’re looking for a family car. The cabin is spacious and accommodates four to five passengers comfortably, and it has a 560l boot with an electric tailgate.

The facelift brings new lights and freshness to the familiar shape. (Phuti Mpyane)

If you’ve come for an executive car, you will not be disappointed with the furnishings and digital features inside. The build quality is good and the large and fairly intuitive touchscreen infotainment system is one of the highlights in the cabin. Some physical buttons are included, and you can open or close all the windows from a digital button on the screen.

Luxuries include heated and ventilated seats with a massage function, dual-zone climate control, a decent sound system and a panoramic sunroof. The labyrinth of menus is also where you tailor the attitude of the H6.

You’ll have to stretch your hand to access the screen for toggling through the Eco, Comfort, Sport, AWD, EV and Hybrid drive modes. It is distracting and not ergonomic. Physical buttons on the dash would be a safer and adequate route that would improve operational efficiency on the move. The gear selector steering wheel stalk also activates the cruise control.

Power comes from a 1.5l turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine paired with two electric motors and a hybrid transmission. The total system output is 268kW and 760Nm, powering an adjustable all-wheel drive system that apportions torque between the axles. It gives sure-footed performance when firing from all the motors.

We didn’t put it through our 0-100km/h test but expect a six-second sprint. If you want less speed, there’s a less powerful front-wheel-drive H6 version on sale. The numbers that interested us the most relate to fuel consumption, with Haval promising more than 1,000km on a single tank and fully charged hybrid battery.

The Haval H6 PHEV claims an average fuel consumption of 5.3l100km, and the test car came very close with 5.7l/100km. With the 19.1kWh hybrid battery fully charged, it can travel about 100km on electricity alone.

On the move, the hushed driving experience complements the posh interior. The Chinese bloc of manufacturers is gaining strength in this regard, even though they haven’t quite reached the same levels as some legacy brands.

It’s poised enough under different conditions and a capable short- and long-distance cruiser, with active cruise control that keeps the car inside lanes and brakes and throttles autonomously to a lead car, but the Haval H6 has its work cut out to grab your attention with many rivals, some fully electric and others diesel, including seven-seat off-roaders.

If it’s a plug-in-hybrid you want specifically, think PHEV derivatives of the new Jetour T1 and T2, Tiggo 8 Pro, Toyota Rav4 and BYD Sealion as apt comparisons. The all-wheel-drive Haval H6 PHEV is a powerful, impressively frugal jack-of-all-trades that deserves a look.

Haval H6 vs rivals