MG ZS Hybrid+ vs GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid 2026 review Australia: The best new Chinese hybrid SUV is?

There's never been a better time to buy a small SUV with a hybrid powertrain, as new affordable options are entering Australian car showrooms thick and fast, mainly via Chinese brands that are desperate to establish themselves in the incredibly competitive – and highly saturated – local market. These days, the 2026 GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid is actually one of the established players in this segment, but it's now being challenged by the new MG ZS Hybrid+, which added a similar 'self-charging' petrol-electric option when it's second-generation model recently launched. So, in this expert comparison review, CarsGuide Contributing Journalist Byron Mathioudakis pits the flagship Jolion Ultra Hybrid and ZS Essence Hybrid+ head to head to find out which one offers buyers the best overall combination of value, safety, practicality, style, performance, fuel efficiency and ownership costs. #MG # ZS #GWM #Haval #Jolion #Review -- Timecodes: 00:00 Intro 00:45 Pricing and features 02:20 Design - Jolion 03:20 Design - ZS 04:33 Practicality - Jolion 08:19 Practicality - ZS 11:56 Under the bonnet 12:48 Driving - Jolion 15:55 Driving - ZS 18:46 Efficiency 19:44 Safety 20:38 Ownership 21:22 Verdict -- Read Byron's full review: https://bit.ly/44GerQi Check out our GWM Haval Jolion hub: https://bit.ly/44HH3sj Check out our MG ZS hub: https://bit.ly/4kAO7g5 Find more SUVs: https://bit.ly/3QVs1X1 Visit our EVGuide: https://bit.ly/3UHO9GT -- CarsGuide - Go beyond the test drive Visit our website for News, Reviews, Advice and more: https://www.carsguide.com.au Subscribe to our YouTube channel:    / carsguide   Like our Facebook page:   / carsguide.australia   Follow our TikTok profile:   / carsguide.com.au   Follow our Instagram profile:   / carsguideaus   Follow our X profile: https://www.x.com/CarsGuide Follow our Threads profile: https://www.threads.net/@carsguideaus Follow our LinkedIn page:   / carsguide-com-au