Haval Jolion 2023 review: Ultra Hybrid

The regular petrol Jolion comes in three grades: Premium, Lux and Ultra, but this hybrid version is only available in that top-of-the-range Ultra. The thing is, you'll pay $7000 more for the Jolion Ultra Hybrid than the Jolion Ultra petrol variant - this Jolion HEV has a price tag of $40,990 drive-away.

Does it make financial sense to choose the hybrid? Well, you'll save money on fuel by driving the hybrid and I've done the number crunching in the Efficiency section further along in this review.

But for now, all you need to know is that if we say petrol costs $2 per litre, then you'll have to travel 112,903km in your Jolion Hybrid to make $7000 in fuel savings.

It comes with18-inch alloy wheels as standard.

Really, before you buy a brand new Jolion Hybrid, you need to ask yourself if you plan to own it for at least 113,000km. That's not far on an interplanetary scale, but the average Aussie covers about 10,000km a year, so you may be looking at more than a decade of ownership before you break even.

There are exceptions. Some Australians cover way more than 10,000km in a year, especially if you do big road trips or use the car for work.

Rideshare drivers can easily cover 100,000km in a year and will break even relatively quickly, so in that case the Haval Jolion Hybrid could be a great choice.

It has a 12.3-inch media screen, a digital instrument cluster and a head-up display.

Even if you don't cover any more than 10,000km in a year fuel prices are going up, too, and you could make your money back sooner.

Still, to me, the Jolion Hybrid is a bit overpriced, especially when you consider that Toyota generally makes its hybrids only a couple of grand or so more than the petrol variants.

The Jolion Ultra Hybrid comes with identical standard features to the petrol version - and there are a lot.

Coming standard is a 12.3-inch media screen, a digital instrument cluster and a head-up display, there's dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo, wireless phone charging, a panoramic sunroof. LED headlights and DRLs, and 18-inch alloy wheels. There's also a proximity key, but it only works for the driver's door handle.

The Jolion Hybrid scores well for practicality with a roomy interior, excellent cabin storage and power outlets.

This is a five-seat, small SUV with excellent rear legroom, even for me at 191cm tall, sitting behind my driving position with hectares of space for my ridiculously long legs.

The flat floor in the second row makes the middle seat more comfortable, although the roof height gets close to my head due to the large sunroof… and my large head.

There are two cupholders in the second row, along with directional air vents and two USB ports. Up front there are another two cupholders, a wireless phone charging pad, two USB ports and a 12V outlet.

The 'floating' centre console provides a storage bin in the centre armrest and a stowaway area underneath between the footwells for small bags.

The only area where the hybrid isn't as practical as the petrol version is the boot. The hybrid's 390L cargo capacity is 40L less than the petrol's. That's thanks to the location of the battery pack under the boot floor which eats into the cargo room.

The Jolion Hybrid is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor.

The engine produces 70kW of power and 125Nm of torque, while the motor makes 110kW/250Nm. Combined they make 139kW and 375Nm.

This isn't a plug-in hybrid. Nope, you don't need to worry about charging the battery for the motor. That happens automatically through regenerative braking.

The Jolion Hybrid is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor.

Haval says that after a combination of open and urban roads the Jolion Hybrid will use 5.0L/100km of petrol. As expected, that's more fuel efficient than the petrol version of the Jolion which uses 8.1L/100km.

This is how I calculated the distance a Jolion Hybrid owner would need to drive to make back the $7000 premium they had to pay over the petrol version.

If 3.1L/100km of petrol is saved in the Jolion Hybrid compared to the petrol version and with petrol costing say $2.00 per litre, then at this rate you'd need to travel 112,903km before you saved $7000 and broke even.

Let's call it 113,000km - as I mentioned earlier on, that's more than 10 years of driving for the average Aussie.

In my own testing I found that after more than 200km of country roads, motorways and a CBD commute into Sydney my Jolion Hybrid used 7.0L/100km which I measured at the petrol pump.

Haval says that after a combination of open and urban roads the Jolion Hybrid will use 5.0L/100km of petrol.

As a comparison the petrol version of the Jolion I tested used 9.2L/100km.

The fuel efficiency of the Jolion Hybrid is good and about the same as its rivals, but it's nowhere near as efficient as a plug-in hybrid such as the Kia Niro PHEV.

If you're doing this to save fuel, then have you considered a fully electric car?  The BYD Atto 3 I reviewed lists for just under $45K and the MG ZS EV is about the same.

Both are electric vehicles, and with electricity far cheaper than petrol, it could be the way to go for you.

The advantage of the Jolion Hybrid is that you never need to plug it in to charge its batteries. Charging is automatically done through the electricity generated from braking.

Plus, as long as the petrol tank has enough fuel in it, you need not be anxious about getting stranded with an empty battery.

The Jolion Hybrid is covered by Haval's seven-year, unlimited km warranty. The battery is covered by an eight-year, unlimited km warranty.

That's excellent coverage, for the car and the battery. Many electric and hybrid cars have a 160,000km limit on the battery warranty.

Service pricing is capped for five years and while Haval had not finalised the costs at the time this review was published a spokesperson for the company told CarsGuide that buyers can expect them to be only slightly higher than the petrol variant's service pricing.

As a guide, the petrol Jolion needs to be serviced every 12 months and 15,000km with prices capped at about $1500 in total over five years.

Five years' roadside assistance completes an outstanding ownership package.