2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV review

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19 hours ago

China's GWM is going Shark and Ranger hunting with an electrifying new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
Okay, silly puns aside, the 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV dual-cab is a big deal for the Chinese brand, and on paper it shapes as a compelling alternative to the already popular BYD Shark 6 and incoming Ford Ranger PHEV.
Priced from $59,990 before on-road costs, the PHEV version of GWM's flagship ute is within swiping distance of the Shark 6 while claiming a longer electric-only driving range as well as greater towing and off-road capability.
It's also substantially cheaper than Ford's first plug-in version of the Ranger, Australia's most popular new model, while also offering a long warranty and capped price servicing.
While Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) incentives for PHEVs purchased via novated leases have ended, the Cannon Alpha PHEV arrives at a pivotal time for the Australian automotive industry.
WATCH: Paul's video review of the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV prototype
Punitive emissions regulations loom for auto brands from next month, and big, heavy and high-CO2 commercial vehicles including utilities will be the hardest hit.
With dual-cab utes continuing to dominate the local market, brands are scrambling for cleaner and more efficient options to bring down their fleet CO2 emissions.
Consider the Cannon Alpha PHEV's 39g/km CO2 claim versus the 234g and 225g/km figures of the diesel and hybrid versions, and you can see why GWM is going hard with the positioning of its new plug-in ute.
So, is it any good? We spent some extended time living with it in and away from the city to find out.
As noted above, the Cannon Alpha PHEV range starts from $59,990 plus on-road costs, or around $61,500 drive-away depending on state or territory – see the table below for more. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
For reference, the BYD Shark 6 is priced from $57,900 plus on-roads and is currently being advertised with sharp 1.9 per cent p/a finance, while the Ford Ranger PHEV kicks off from a much dearer $71,990 plus on-roads.
The Cannon Alpha PHEV is more than $10,000 dearer than the equivalent Cannon Alpha Diesel in base spec, while the Hybrid (HEV) is about $3000 more affordable in flagship Ultra guise. In the scheme of things, it's not that big a gap.
To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Just like any other Cannon Alpha grade, which itself is quite similar to the GWM Tank 500 with which it shares its underpinnings. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
This flagship Ultra grade offers all the fruit, from leather-accented seat upholstery and woodgrain-effect trim to big and bright displays for the touchscreen infotainment system and digital instrument cluster.
You also get soft-touch leather-effect accents for the door tops and dashboard, which feel suitably luxe, and the smooth leatherette-clad steering wheel with cartoonish centre hub shaped as the Cannon badge all adds to the more upmarket and SUV-like ambience. Hell, there are even felt-lined door pockets like in a Volkswagen Golf!
Perceived build quality is very positive, particularly for the ute segment. It feels plusher and more luxurious than more workhorse-style dual-cabs, and the array of luxury touches make it feel more car-like than a commercial vehicle.
The cushy front seats in this spec are electrically adjustable as well as heated and ventilated, and you even get a massage function. The steering wheel is heated too, so you can see why these new-age Chinese vehicles have a lot of appeal on the showroom floor. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
I appreciate the fact the heated and ventilated seat controls are hard buttons on the centre console, but functions like memory positions and seat massaging are buried in the touchscreen, which is a little fiddly and annoying.
The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster offers a couple of main views, one with a central driver assistance display and the other with mapping. Annoyingly, there's no option to have a conventional power meter and speedometer; instead you get simple digital readouts which don't always communicate everything effectively.
Meanwhile, the 12.3-inch tablet-style touchscreen also looks cool but has its quirks. The clarity and processing speed is good, and it's fully featured with native navigation and wireless smartphone mirroring, but I'm not a huge fan of the layered menu structure and the persistence with having the climate controls embedded in the display.
Some of the menus also aren't properly translated from Chinese to English, meaning explainers for certain settings and functions aren't immediately clear. Still, the hybrid menus and various display graphics are quite neat to play with and observe – but really, GWM and other Chinese brands need to make their touchscreens a little less confusing.
For example, you can swipe down from the top of the screen for some quick-access shortcuts, but you can't do this from the smartphone mirroring screen, as I found it. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
The rear seat in this Ultra specification is another standout, with both heating and ventilation for the outboard pews in addition to electric adjustment for recline and lower cushion extension. Where else do you see this?
You do get rear vents but no additional zone of climate control like in the Tank 500, although there are amenities like a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders, as well as map pockets behind the front seats and your requisite child seat anchor points.
Behind the cab and its electrically opening rear window, there's a 1500x1520mm tray accessed via a split tailgate that can either open conventionally or barn-door style.
Due to the size and placement of the Cannon Alpha PHEV's 37.1kWh NMC battery, the full-size spare wheel has been relocated to the tub in an unconventional dune buggy or safari-style arrangement. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
The locally-led solution sees the wheel bolted to the side of the tub, though it can be removed if you need to utilise the full tub. GWM also fits a tyre repair kit as standard in the event you get a puncture without access to the spare.
While it's not pictured here, there is a cover for the spare wheel that clips into the tub bracket, and there are magnets to stick it to the metal base. However, my colleague Max Davies saw the cover fly nearly completely off while driving at 110km/h on Victoria's Hume Highway on a windy day, which is why the vehicle is pictured here without it – it was an effort to reinstall too.
To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
The PHEV is the most powerful Cannon Alpha variant on sale, as well as the most efficient. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
The PHEV can be fast-charged at up to 50kW using DC power, and boasts vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability with a 3.3kW discharge rate. It can also run on EV power, even when in high-range four-wheel drive mode.
GWM has maintained the Cannon Alpha lineup's 3500kg towing capacity for the PHEV, bettering the BYD Shark 6 and matching the Ranger PHEV. Payload, meanwhile, is 50kg lower than the HEV's and up to 130kg down on the diesel's.
As for fuel consumption, we travelled nearly 900km in the Cannon Alpha PHEV over a two-week loan, charging as regularly as we could but also spending plenty of extended stints behind the wheel.
We saw an indicated return of 6.6L/100km over that period, which isn't bad considering there were plenty of cold days with only a partially charged battery, as well as the aforementioned long drives well beyond the battery's EV range. That real-world figure is also well under the lab claims for the Cannon Alpha diesel and hybrid variants.
To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
My testing was all done on-road and generally unladen, unlike Paul Maric's video review of a pre-production prototype, and we'll revisit the Cannon Alpha PHEV to fully test its off-road and towing prowess. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
Above: Cannon Alpha PHEV prototype
I did a lot of general commuting to and from the office as well as a longer road trip down to the Mornington Peninsula, and while I'm in no way your typical ute guy, I found the Cannon Alpha PHEV surprisingly good to live with.
With a full charge this ute hums along nicely in EV mode, both in town and on the freeway, where it doesn't feel much slower than the diesel version while being much quieter – the electric motor's 120kW/400Nm outputs aren't far off the diesel's 130kW/480Nm, anyway.
That said, it feels heavier than its GWM siblings, which is unsurprising given the 300kg-plus weight penalty from the massive battery. While this lends a very planted and sure-footed feel on the move, it also means you can feel its mass shift more when cornering and braking.
GWM's approach to plug-in hybrid tech is also a more mechanical system, sandwiching the e-motor between the transmission and petrol, meaning you can feel it shift through its nine cogs even in EV mode.
WATCH: Paul puts the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV prototype through a payload and GVM stress test
While this means it lacks the EV driving style of the BYD Shark, it has allowed the Chinese manufacturer to retain a mechanical four-wheel drive system with low-range (4L) mode, as well as the Alpha's heavy-duty capabilities.
Paul had no issues towing a 3.5-tonne caravan at GVM, though the dedicated Towing mode negates the ability to use cruise control and the prototype-spec Cannon Alpha couldn't be locked in EV mode when hooked up to the trailer.
He also noted that the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine did make a bit of noise under load when towing, even if the PHEV's overall performance felt 'confident' and 'punchy'.
Additionally, the Cannon Alpha PHEV prototype tested by Paul had tow bar that was quite low, reducing the departure angle for off-roading. Our production-spec vehicle is claimed to have a towbar that sits 70mm higher than the pre-production vehicle, though it's still mounted lower than most others. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
I grew quite fond of the Cannon Alpha's touring abilities on the open road, where it impressed with a reasonably quiet cabin at cruising speed and plenty of punch in reserve for relatively brisk overtakes – just make sure you're in the right drive mode.
Every now and then when trying to set off quickly, or when giving it a quick squirt while rolling, I could feel the PHEV system take a moment or two before gearing down, activating both power sources and finally outputting what I was asking of it.
Road and wind noise is generally kept to an impressive minimum for a dual-cab ute, and while the ride is a bit firm on its coil-sprung front- and rear-ends, in general it still rides more like an unladen SUV than a leaf-sprung alternative.
The petrol engine can sound a little coarse when it's being revved out, but the transition between EV and ICE power is generally pretty seamless apart from the odd elastic feel in the lower gears. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
GWM's EV range figure of 115km is based on the NEDC cycle, so I decided to do a rough range test to see how close I could get to the claim.
After fully charging using a 50kW DC fast-charger at the Portsea Hotel, I attempted to get home to Melbourne's eastern suburbs in EV mode. In theory I should have been able to get there, given the trip is 103.9km.
My partner wanted to catch the sunset at Arthur's Seat on the way home, meaning a quick detour to Franklin's lookout, which is up a pretty steep hillclimb. Still, the total trip would only be 106km.
Keeping the Cannon Alpha PHEV in Normal and EV modes, I made it to just after the Wellington Rd overpass on Melbourne's M3 Eastlink Freeway – roughly 85km from my starting point.
Not bad given the uphill trip home and the skew toward 100km/h freeway speeds, but something to note if you spend a lot of time on the highway. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
Above: GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV takes on Beer O'clock Hill
Paul did some off-road testing in the prototype we drove before the Cannon Alpha PHEV's official launch, and he was quite impressed with the Cannon's four-wheel drive capability, especially when compared back-to-back with the Shark 6, which infamously struggled with our rutted hillclimb at the Lang Lang providing ground.
Key GWM additions over its BYD rival include front and rear diff locks in this Ultra spec (the Lux gets only a rear locker), as well as a low-range transfer case. Paul said the Cannon Alpha easily climbed our hill and demonstrated better tractability over obstacles and rough terrain – it also did the same hillclimb in both HEV and EV modes, which is impressive.
Over the offset moguls Cannon Alpha PHEV also barely broke a sweat, with the traction control shuffling torque to the correct wheel(s) without requiring the diff locks to be engaged.
Paul did note the stability control was a little intrusive in off-road situations, at least in pre-production spec, and the 70mm-lower tow bar had a habit of scraping things due to its shallower departure angle. As mentioned, GWM says the raised unit on production vehicles should help reduce that. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
There are Lux and Ultra trim levels, though depending on the powertrain chosen you might get slightly differing spec levels in the Ultra – the variant on test here. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
2025 GWM Cannon Alpha Lux equipment highlights: Automatic LED headlights
Automatic high-beam
Fixed side steps
Electronically locking rear differential
Hill ascent control
Hill descent control
18-inch alloy wheels, machined – Diesel
18-inch alloy wheels in black – PHEV
Full-sized steel spare wheel
Tyre pressure monitoring
Spray-on tub liner
High-mounted tub light
Rear privacy glass
Black leatherette-accented interior
Dual-zone climate control
Light, Comfort and Sport steering modes
Standard, Sport, Eco, 4L, 4H drive modes
Auto Hold function
6-way power driver's seat
6-speaker sound system
12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
Cannon Alpha Ultra Diesel adds: 60/40 split tailgate
Spray-on tub liner
Electronically locking front differential
Power-folding exterior mirrors
LED front fog lights
Panoramic sunroof
Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
Black leather-accented interior
8-way power driver's seat
6-way power passenger seat
Heated and ventilated front seats
Massaging front seats
Driver's seat memory and welcome function
Wireless phone charger (front)
Cannon Alpha Ultra HEV + PHEV add: Analogue clock
Head-up display
Power-folding exterior mirrors with memory
64-colour ambient lighting
Heated steering wheel
Wireless phone charger (rear)
10-speaker Infinity sound system
2-way power-adjustable rear seats
Heated and ventilated rear seats
Semi-automatic parking assist
Auto Reverse Assist
To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
The GWM Cannon Alpha was awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2024 tests, and this rating applies to all variants including the new plug-in hybrid. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
Standard safety equipment includes: 7 airbags incl. front-centre
Autonomous emergency braking
Adaptive cruise control
Blind-spot monitoring
Front cross-traffic assist
Rear cross-traffic assist
Lane-keep assist
Lane centring assist
Emergency lane-keeping
Traffic sign recognition
Parking sensors – front, rear
Surround-view camera with transparent chassis mode
To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
As with the wider Cannon Alpha range, the PHEV is covered by a seven year, unlimited-kilometre warranty plus seven years of roadside assistance and capped-price servicing. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
The high-voltage PHEV battery is covered by a separate eight-year, unlimited-km warranty. Worth noting is the first service is due within 12 months or 15,000km, after which intervals are 12 months/15,000km.
GWM outpunches the warranties of both the Shark 6 and Ranger PHEV, though servicing costs add up quickly – even if it's cheaper to maintain than the Cannon Alpha HEV.
To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
The GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV shapes up as a proper Ranger PHEV alternative, for those on a budget who want proper ute capability with an electrified drivetrain. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
While the BYD Shark 6 has been the subject of much hype before and after its Australian launch, if you want a ute to do ute things while also saving money at the pump and reducing your CO2 emissions, I think the GWM is the better bet – especially after recent price adjustments put it within a whisker of the BYD.
It looks tough, offers more size and space (if you excuse the tray-mounted spare), has a pretty plush cabin with heaps of luxury features, and can happily tow 3.5 tonnes and tackle some serious off-road trails. The Shark is an excellent lifestyle utility vehicle in its own right, but isn't as rugged or capable as the GWM in terms of off-roading and towing.
The Cannon Alpha PHEV also drives pretty well, with its EV-capable drivetrain allowing for incredibly refined and quiet commuting in everyday scenarios, which is in stark contrast to rattly diesel engines or rev-happy petrol engines that power many rival dual-cabs.
GWM has largely addressed previous complaints about its driver safety aids, which is a plus, though I can do without the naggy audible prompts when you switch adaptive cruise control on or off, and the system is incredibly conservative with gaps around the vehicle, which is frustrating. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
I'd also like to see a more sophisticated digital instrument cluster with the option of a virtual power meter or tachometer, and some off-road menus. With all that digital real estate, it seems like an oversight not to have it.
The sheer size of this near-5.5-metre-long ute makes it difficult to park as well, even if you account for the litany of cameras and sensors dotted throughout the vehicle. I found the added size over a Shark 6 or Ranger a bit of a challenge in suburban shopping centre carparks, so I imagine driving it in the city – as a lot of ute drivers will – could prove to be a bit of a pain.
Finally, the unusual placement of the spare wheel will be a problem for some. Sure, it can be removed or relocated (perhaps to a roof basket, which is hardly ideal either), but when the whole point of a ute is to have a tray it seems counterproductive for a decent proportion of that tub space to be occupied by the spare wheel.
I think the entry-level Lux is the one to get, given it's actually cheaper than the most affordable 48V hybrid version. Given the gains it delivers in terms of electric driving and efficiency (as well as general driveability) compared to the HEV powertrain, my advice would be to save a few bucks and opt for the base PHEV rather than the Ultra-spec HEV. 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Credit: CarExpert
Interested in buying a GWM Cannon Alpha? Get in touch with one of CarExpert's trusted dealers here
MORE: Everything GWM Cannon Alpha Tough looks, plush cabin
Does ute stuff (mostly) well
85-90km EV range achievable Spare wheel impedes tray
Still some safety assist annoyances
Pricey servicing