2025 GWM Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid review

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2025 GWM Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid

A new name to local showrooms just over three years ago, the GWM Haval Jolion has grown to become one of Australia's most popular small SUVs.

Earlier this year, the range was given an overhaul. Most petrol models gained a few styling tweaks – black trim on the bumpers, and a new grille, among other changes – but hybrids have had a near redesign, with sportier proportions, sharper lights, and a black body kit.

You'd be forgiven for thinking the latest Haval Jolion Hybrid is an all-new car, given it looks so different, but it is the same underneath. The interior is almost unchanged, and some panels such as the doors look to be carried over from the previous model.

What has changed for the better is pricing, which is $1000 to $2000 lower than it was previously.

Has GWM done enough to its small hybrid SUV to keep it competitive among newer rivals?

How much is a GWM Haval Jolion?

The GWM Haval Jolion range is priced from $26,990 to $33,990 drive-away for petrol versions ($1000 to $1500 cheaper), while the hybrid ranges from $32,990 to $38,990 drive-away.

The new body is seen on hybrids – as well as a recently added Ultra petrol grade – which constitutes the bulk of the changes.

On test in this review is the top-of-the-range Ultra Hybrid finished in Hamilton White – the only no-cost colour, offered alongside Golden Black, Ayers Grey and Arctic Blue for $495 each.

Its regular price is $38,990 drive-away, but GWM is offering it with $1000 off as part of a model-year clearance offer.

Features exclusive to the Ultra in the hybrid range include a panoramic sunroof, a four-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, wireless phone charging, a head-up display, front parking sensors (plus two extra at the rear), automatic parking, ambient interior lighting, and roof rails.

It is on top of features from cheaper models including 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 7.0-inch instrument display, a 360-degree camera, a six-speaker stereo, synthetic leather-look upholstery, a six-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, and dual-zone climate control.

Rivals for the GWM Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid include the new-generation MG ZS Hybrid+ Essence ($36,990 drive-away), as well as the petrol-only Chery Omoda 5 EX ($36,990 drive-away), and Toyota Corolla Cross and Hyundai Kona hybrids (both about $40,000 drive-away, exact price differs by model and where the vehicle is registered).

How big is a GWM Haval Jolion?

While there has been a lot of change on the outside of the GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid, dimensional changes are due to the new shaping of the bodywork, not a larger structure – now 2mm shorter nose to tail, 33mm wider and 7mm taller – and it's near identical inside.

Reach adjustment for the steering column is the main addition – on top of tilt adjustment already offered – and while it is a welcome change, it still doesn't come out far enough to allow taller drivers to find an optimal position.

The front seats are comfortable, with plush-feeling synthetic leather-look upholstery in this model grade.

There is six-way power adjustment on the driver's side – but no under-thigh support control, lumbar adjustment or memory settings – plus a four-way (slide and recline, no height) power-adjustable front passenger seat.

The Ultra grade gets heated front seats, and a ventilated driver's seat – though the latter is only on the seat base, not the seat back, which is where it would be particularly useful on a hot day.

Leather-like materials have been used on the doors, dashboard, armrest and other key places, though there are still hard and scratchy plastics in places like the door tops.

Storage is well accounted for, with a large centre console box, plenty of space under the centre console – where the two USB-A ports and one 12-volt socket are located – a decently sized glovebox, and small storage slots on either side of the rotary-dial gear shifter best for the key fob.

There are two cupholders, but they overlap, and one is quite small – so there's really only one slot for a normal-sized bottle, without resorting to the door pockets.

Features in the Ultra include a panoramic sunroof, keyless entry and start, ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, and even a head-up display – a rarity at this price.

Rear-seat space in the Haval Jolion is on par with SUVs in the class above, with excellent knee room, head room and toe room, even for six-foot-tall (183cm) passengers sitting behind similarly sized drivers.

The seat base is quite flat, doesn't offer much under-thigh support, and the middle position is narrow, but the cabin itself is wide, and there are plenty of amenities: air vents, bottle holders in the doors, two USB-A ports, a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders, as well as two ISOFIX anchors and three top-tether points for child seats.

On paper, the Haval Jolion Hybrid appears to have had its boot capacity slashed from 390 litres to just 255L. In reality, the new model's cargo area looks and feels similar to its predecessor – suggesting it has been measured differently, rather than actually made smaller.

That said, it's still not huge – a full-sized suitcase will fit under the parcel shelf but it's a tight squeeze height-wise, and there's not much space to its side. The load lip is far off the ground, there's no space under the floor – nor a spare wheel under there, just a tyre repair kit – and tall owners can hit their head on the tailgate.

The rear seats can fold down 60:40, and there is some storage on the side – plus a light – in the cargo hold.

Does the GWM Haval Jolion have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

Exclusive to Lux and Ultra variants of the GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid is a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, joining the 7.0-inch instrument display standard across the hybrid range.

Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and AM/FM radio are offered, but there is no wireless smartphone connectivity – despite the fitment of a wireless phone charger – nor digital radio or embedded satellite navigation.

While the screen is big, it's not very easy to use, and its menus are particularly confusing – a point of frustration given many of the car's key functions run through the screen.

It includes the climate controls, which are most easily accessed from CarPlay or Android Auto by tapping a slim, hard-to-hit menu bar at the top of the screen.

There is a row of physical shortcut buttons under the screen, but none provide easy access to fan speed or temperature controls. The buttons include an air-conditioning on and off toggle that can open the climate menu on the screen, but it has the unsurprising and no less annoying side effect of turning on or off the ventilation at the same time.

Most annoying is the lack of a physical home button – and that, for some reason, GWM has buried the heated and ventilated seat controls in the car settings menu, not the climate-control menu.

It means that accessing these functions from CarPlay or Android Auto is multiple taps away, a process that is unnecessarily time-consuming and distracting on the move.

Bizarre translations such as 'Keep Lane on Urgent' for the emergency lane-keep assist system also make turning off safety systems harder than it should be – and take some of the shine off the tech experience.

The 7.0-inch instrument display ahead of the driver is basic, but it has multiple views – though many owners will resort to the manual to figure out how to switch between them because the steering wheel buttons aren't as intuitive as they could be.

The six-speaker sound system is acceptable, but not exceptional, and GWM does not offer the Haval Jolion with a compatible smartphone app that can control its lights and locks, track the vehicle, precondition the cabin, or other functions rivals offer.

Is the GWM Haval Jolion a safe car?

GWM says it is in discussions with ANCAP on the applicability of the outgoing Haval Jolion Hybrid's five-star safety rating to the new version.

The two look very different, but the similar structure underneath means there is unlikely to be much of a difference between new and old models.

The outgoing Haval Jolion was tested in 2022, and recorded category scores of 90 per cent for adult occupant protection, 84 per cent for child occupant protection, 64 per cent for vulnerable road user (pedestrian and cyclist) protection, and 92 per cent for safety assist technology.

What safety technology does the GWM Haval Jolion have?

The GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid is fitted with nearly all of the latest safety features expected of a new car but, unfortunately, not all of them work well in the real world.

The blind-spot alert was well calibrated in our testing, and there were no false activations of the autonomous emergency braking system, but that's about where the compliments stop.

The lane-keep assist system constantly fights the driver, tugging on the steering wheel even when there is plenty of space between the car and the lane markings, and the driver is laser-focused on trying to stick to the centre of the lane.

The adaptive cruise control is far from the smoothest, often jabbing on the brakes abruptly to react to cars that have pulled in front, yet at other times falling behind traffic.

As with other systems of its type, the attention monitor struggles to follow the driver's eyes when they put on sunglasses, and anything more than a brief glance away from the road is met by beeps from the system.

It is counterintuitive because most of the car's main functions run through the touchscreen, so to slap the driver on the wrist for inattention when GWM has buried key controls multiple taps away in settings menus – without any useful shortcut buttons to access them easily – feels like an insult.

The most puzzling 'feature' is that should the emergency lane-keep assist or another safety system activate a few times in quick succession, the car will flash a message on the screen – such as 'Hey, don't stray!' – accompanied by 'Yes' and 'No' buttons, distracting the driver further.

It will go away by itself eventually – yet, even if you press one of the buttons, nothing happens other than the message disappearing. It is an unusual design choice.

These systems can be turned off through the touchscreen menus, but the likes of the lane-keep assist and driver attention monitor reactivate when the car is restarted – and there's no point offering these features if they are so annoying they need to be turned off.

It doesn't help that most of the beeps and bongs sound very similar – and depending on what you're doing, they can last from a few seconds, to as much as 20 seconds of continuous beeping, without much of an indication of what you're doing wrong and how to make the chimes stop.

GWM has made progress from its earlier vehicles on the tuning of its advanced safety aids, but there is more work to be done.

How much does the GWM Haval Jolion cost to run?

The GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid is covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty on the vehicle, with eight years/unlimited kilometres of coverage on the high-voltage battery, and five years of roadside assistance.

The first service is in the logbook for 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first, followed by 12-month/15,000km intervals thereafter.

Prices amount to $875 over three years/40,000km, or $1650 over five years/70,000km, the latter the length of the capped-price servicing program – with the fourth-year/55,000km service the most expensive at $550.

For context, five years/75,000km of maintenance costs $1250 for a Toyota Corolla Cross, $2575 for a Hyundai Kona Hybrid and $1400 for a 1.5-litre Chery Omoda 5, while five years/50,000km costs $995 for a Honda HR-V hybrid (at $199 each year/10,000km).

A year of comprehensive insurance coverage with a leading provider costs $1836, 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 same calculator and parameters return $2180 for a Hyundai Kona Hybrid and $1506 for a Toyota Corolla Cross GX Hybrid.

Is the GWM Haval Jolion fuel-efficient?

The GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid claims fuel consumption of 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres in mixed conditions.

We returned a far less impressive 7.0L/100km across a range of conditions – driving in a sensible manner, not to win every traffic light grand prix – which is high for a hybrid, and not far off a pure petrol-powered Jolion in the same body claims to achieve (7.5L/100km).

It can support regular unleaded petrol, at least, and the 55-litre fuel tank enables up to 1080km of driving range at GWM's claimed fuel consumption, or 785km at our as-tested economy.

What is the GWM Haval Jolion like to drive?

An electric motor that's more powerful than the petrol engine and a larger battery than key rivals mean the GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid spends much of its time on the road in electric mode.

Even under not-insignificant pushes of the accelerator pedal, it will resist the temptation to turn the petrol engine on, and when it does you can barely tell without staring at the dashboard.

It is more sluggish off the mark than you might expect for a hybrid, and on the motorway it's not as punchy, but at city speeds there is plenty of performance for zipping into gaps in traffic or building pace up steep hills.

Potholes and speed bumps around town are soaked up reasonably well, but its composure can be flustered by mid-corner bumps – even at 50km/h or 60km/h – that can cause the car to rock from side to side.

It is not the most confidence-inspiring to drive on country roads, either. There is a fair bit of body roll, the rear suspension can skip over bumps, and the Kumho tyres do not provide a whole lot of grip out of tight turns, though the Haval Jolion's emergency braking distance is respectable for a compact SUV.

There are three modes for the steering, two of which are particularly light – though the heaviest Sport setting provides a good balance of confidence and ease of use for city driving.

It is vague just off centre, which drivers will notice when trying to make a small correction in the car's position in the lane, and need to apply more steering lock than they expect.

GWM can also improve the smoothness of the brake pedal at low speeds. The first few centimetres of the pedal's travel don't seem to do much, before it bites and passengers are pulled forward – something noticed most often in a traffic jam.

There are three modes for the regenerative braking – the deceleration provided by the electric motor when the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal – plus a one-pedal mode that can bring the car to a full stop without touching the brake pedal, rare for a hybrid.

Compared to the silence of the hybrid system, there is a fair amount of tyre roar and wind noise at higher speeds, especially compared to many of its rivals.

Visibility out the front and side is good, with big mirrors, but the rear window is small, and the wheels are set far into the body – not helped by the black wheel-arch flares – so it can be hard to see the rear wheels when parking and trying not to kerb the alloys.

Can a GWM Haval Jolion tow?

The GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid can tow up to 1300kg braked or 750kg unbraked, enough for small trailers. This isn't the type of vehicle designed to tow a caravan around Australia, after all.

The 405kg payload – the maximum weight of passengers, cargo and accessories the car is legally allowed to carry – will struggle to accommodate five people without pushing the car over its weight limit, so this may not be the best choice for an Uber vehicle.

But for four average-sized adults (87kg for a male) and some cargo, it should suffice.

Should I buy a GWM Haval Jolion?

The GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid is a solid small SUV at a competitive price.

It is roomy inside, the hybrid system is smooth, it's reasonably comfortable over bumps, there's a long list of equipment, and the seven-year warranty should add to peace of mind.

But while it impresses in a showroom, the infotainment system is not intuitive to use, the safety technology needs more work, the boot is small, and the driving experience would benefit from more polish.

And with a price tag approaching $40,000 in this top-of-the-range model grade, it is nearing Toyota, Mazda and Hyundai territory – cars that are more refined and have fewer rough edges.

If you like the look, we recommend taking one on a long test drive on roads you're familiar with to see if it works for you – but if you're on the fence, we would strongly advise shopping around for alternatives from other brands before diving in.

How do I buy a GWM Haval Jolion? The next steps.

While the Ultra grade is well equipped, the Lux doesn't miss out on too many features for a $3000 lower price.

To check stock near you, find your nearest GWM dealer via this link. There are plenty of GWM vehicles for sale on Drive Marketplace.

We recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing, as well as considering rivals such as the MG ZS Hybrid+ and Hyundai Kona Hybrid that may better suit your needs.

To stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review, you’ll find all the latest news here.

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