Haval H6 PHEV Ultra AWD (A$43990) or BYD Sealion 7 Premium (A$54000)

The Haval has a 19kwh battery vs the Sealion 7 82kwh battery. The SL7 battery is about 4 times bigger. So however much you drive, you'll need to recharge the Haval about 4 times more often than the Sealion for EV driving. If you rarely do long distance driving but want to make the most of your home solar, go the car with the bigger battery. If it rains for a week you're less likely to be forced to charge off mains or buy petrol. Now me personally - I'd pick the full BEV no matter what every time. Not everyone is lucky to be able to make this choice, but I will do everything I can to avoid burning unnecessary petrol for [for](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-12/australias-summers-are-getting-longer-with-more-extreme-heat/106419414) [reasons.](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-12/australias-summers-are-getting-longer-with-more-extreme-heat/106419414)

Sealion 7 easily. Doesn’t have the ICE to worry about, which I don’t think Haval has a solid history with.

I’d go with the Sealion 7 easily. Though if you had to go with the Haval H6, it’ll be fine. I just think with your home solar setup it’s a lot more sensible to get the BYD long term

The reliability of the Haval H6 PHEV has been a point of concern for some owners. There have been reports of issues such as air conditioning problems, intermittent errors with the LCD screen, engine oil loss, and other warranty-related issues. My family are in the country with poor charger infrastructure along the way. So I get OP's concern. But I just think the BYD is a better car.

I’d get the full EV

EV or nothing, who wants to pay servicing on an ice engine. I frequently do road trips 450km one way in a full EV, it is a breeze. I also do 60km daily driving for work and again no issue, just trickle charge off a regular power point mostly on weekends. not having to go to a fuel station, ever, is amazing, let alone not worrying about most mechanical issues when servicing.

The running costs of having two power plants in your vehicle long term, no thanks. I’ll take the Sealion 7 any day.

I’ve come across reliability concerns about Haval online, but BYD also appears to receive its share of complaints. Not entirely certain about the reality of the situation. Curious what you think..

Sealion is way more refined and has a bigger battery, so need to use imported fuel. well worth extra money. Or if you want it cheaper get a Geely EX5

The sealion could give you house appliances about a week of power in the event of a major blackout :)

Have you considered NL? That would decide it for me Good luck running the Haval for 5+ years and not having the engine shred itself

Buying a PHEV in 2026 on a 5+ year bet? You're betting petrol won't get more expensive (and will remain abundant) between now and 2031. You're betting EV infrastructure won't improve between now and 2031. You're betting oil changes, transmission fluid, radiator hoses and coolant flushes won't get more expensive between now and 2031. You're betting second-hand petrol cars will be worth anything in 2031. You're betting no carbon tax between now and 2031. If you're comfortable with that, maybe take the bet. But if not, chances are ditching burning conflict hydrocarbons and going full BEV (like hundreds of thousands of Australians have already done) will work out fine. If your business case relies on driving a short-range PHEV primarily on electricity, take one for a test drive, do your normal commute, and see if the petrol engine kicks in at all - when you accelerate into traffic, or for a quick overtake, when you turn the aircon or heating on, or even when you drive a bit further around town like visiting the parents or the beach on the weekend. Some of them can't even run climate control without petrol in the tank for burning. For me there's no way I'd risk buying a car reliant on petrol in 2026, especially if I was planning to keep it to 2031 or longer. I don't like those odds.

Electric drive trains are far more reliable in general. The complaints I hear about BYD tend to be niggles more than critical failures.

If you can access a novated lease, the Sealion will probably be cheaper to buy than using finance to buy the Haval

I would choose the SL7, but as a lot of people are realising, blade 2 batteries are coming soon and 1 MW charging from empty to full in 5 minutes sounds pretty good. If you can hold off till later in the year it will give you better choices.

Go the full EV. No EV owner wishes they had a petrol car or, worse, a PHEV

I have a 2002 Commodore, I rebuilt the trans for $900 and the engine for $3000. Should go for another 5 - 7 years, I reckon. How the b'jesus do you people afford these cars? Am I the working poor? Honest question.

Given you can charge at home go EV 100 percent. Once you make the move you won't look back.

Sealion is incredible value that price.

Yea. Haval is cheap and looks cheap.

One's an EV the other is a PHEV. Considering the petrol price plus also SL7 genuniely drive better, I would go with SL7.