GWM Haval H7 vs Renault ZOE

What's the difference?

The H7 might struggle to secure a big chunk of the mid-size SUV market, which is probably why GWM is only offering one variant, but if you like the way this Big Dog looks, there’s a decent SUV underneath the boxy surface.

While it’s no dynamic masterpiece, there are no big issues in day-to-day driving, and even though the boot space is small it’s an otherwise decent interior to live with, if you don’t mind the busy design.

Being just a little more expensive than the more traditional looking H6 means the H7 feels well-placed to find itself in the driveway of those few buyers who want their family car to look a little more rugged, even if the car doesn’t have the off-road chops to back it up.

The Renault Zoe is a fun to drive, ultra-efficient, practical little hatch. But the dollar-shaped elephant in the room is its price. Without the government ZEV subsidies offered in other markets, it's wickedly expensive, and with fresh competition in the shape of a new 'normalised' Nissan Leaf coming soon it'll have to work hard to wean more than a handful of small-car buyers off their fossil-fuel addiction.

The aforementioned colours, Golden Black, Moon Grey and especially Dusk Orange don’t contrast as strongly as the white with the extensive black trim on the H7, which includes its badging and sections like the grille surround.

The main selling point of the H7 compared to the H6 is, of course, the way it looks.

GWM claims the H7 is for "a bit more adventure" thanks to its “off-road inspired design”, but the real point is to “stand out”. And that it does. Some fake-bolted wheel arches and a decent 210mm ground clearance make the H7 look more ready to hit the trails than it probably is.

The boxy, squared-off silhouette and trim elements separate it both from the majority of the GWM line-up and from many other new mid-size SUVs.

The front grille and headlights look closely related to the GWM Tank 300, but the grille inserts that flank the Haval badge look a little ‘Mustang RTR’. The rear, too, looks familiar with the rounded shape and tail-light arrangement having a hint of Mazda MX-30 to them.

Step inside, and a visual assault of different materials in a busy cabin belie how useful the space in the H7 actually is. Fake carbon fibre, fake aluminium, fake bolts and a fair bit of plastic could certainly have made way for something more subtle.

Renault claims no less than 60 patents came out of the Zoe's development, but while BMW's i3 is as hip as Kendrick Lamar on his third encore, and even Toyota's long-serving Prius hybrid still looks ready to roll onto the set of the next Avengers movie, this little hatch isn't shouty at all.

It seamlessly merges into the automotive landscape. A cute, small car with a few flashy blue bits in its head and tail-lights giving the only clue to its distinctly unusual internals.

Underpinned by the same platform as the Clio (with an identical wheelbase) the Zoe is slightly longer (+21mm), fractionally thinner (-2mm) and quite a bit taller (+114mm) than its conventionally powered sibling.

Lead exterior designer  Jean Sémériva has literally left his mark on the car, with a full-size thumb print applied in low-relief to the rear door handles. Nice touch.

And monsieur Sémériva has shown admirable restraint in a cool design combining soft curves around the nose, front guards and rear end, with sharp character lines top and tailing the car's flanks.

Vaguely diamond-shaped tail-lights mix a clear lens cover with those nifty blue highlights and brilliant LEDs for an arresting brake and indicator display.

Open the door and a similar blend of tech and tradition creates a clean and simple interior, with strategically placed bright-metal finishes highlighting key elements.

A broad TFT digital instrument screen sits under a minimalist hood, with the 7.0-inch 'R-Link' multimedia screen dominating a central stack lifted by a shiny black face and an illuminated blue keyline around the heating and ventilation controls.

A printed circuit pictogram on the front headrests and left-hand side of the dash is a creative reminder of the Zoe's means of propulsion. And the front seats feature a decorative curved panel, defined by dark piping on each side of the backrest.

Tech highlights include the TomTom Live nav system's ability to describe a circle showing the car's operational radius on current charge, determining whether you can reach a nominated destination. It also taps you into weather updates, traffic danger zones and Renault Assistance.

Plus, the drive-management system can report on energy usage and assess driving behaviour, so lead foots have nowhere to hide.

While the space inside the H7 looks rather busy, there’s actually a very usable space on offer, with plenty of storage and decent ergonomics.

Perhaps most importantly, the tech is smooth to use and doesn’t distract from the main point of the car - driving. GWM’s current software (despite still using a huge screen) doesn’t suffer from unclear sub-menus and has easy shortcuts.

It’s not perfect - it’s still essentially an iPad you need to use while on the move - but it’s better than some systems from rivals, including manufacturers that have been around for decades.

Physical climate controls that bring up the corresponding menu when pressed are a welcome addition, and wireless phone mirroring works flawlessly if our test was anything to go by.

The driver display is clear, and the seating position is nicely malleable thanks to the seat’s electric adjustment and manual steering wheel adjustment.

Controls are all within reach, and after a quick familiarisation the placements and functions all make sense.

The space also provides more storage than is probably necessary for most. There’s a space under the centre console, the central storage bin is huge and has a cooling fan, there are two cupholders and one can deepen for a tall bottle, there are strapped bottle holders on the doors to stop them shaking around and there’s more door storage space next to that.

There’s of course also the glovebox and phone charging pad, then in the rear there’s more door storage space and an armrest with two cupholders again.

Second-row space is generous, even a tall adult will find plenty of legroom (and foot room under the front seats) and headroom isn’t an issue.

Behind that, the boot space is compromised by the hybrid battery so it’s not huge, and the load height is tall. Its 483L of boot space expands to 1362L with the rear seats folded, and there’s unfortunately no spare wheel under the floor.

Like most compact hatches the Zoe offers plenty of space up front and gets a bit squeezy in the back. Although the first surprise is that there's no height adjustment for either front seat.

Happily that wasn't a big issue. At 183cm I was still able to find a good driving position, with storage running to two cupholders (one small, one laughably tiny), plus a pen slot and two oddments trays in the centre console. The second of those trays houses a 12-volt outlet, SD card slot, 'aux-in' jack and USB port.

There are small bottleholders and storage pockets in each front door, a medium-size (7.0-litre) glove box with an open tray above it, and a small tray on the lower part of the dash on the driver's side.

Rear head and legroom is passable for a car of this size, but storage is limited to modest door bins and a single cupholder at the back of the centre console.

However, it's cargo space where the Zoe really raises eyebrows, with 338 litres available (to the parcel shelf) with the single piece rear seatback (as in, it doesn't split-fold) upright.

That's enough to easily swallow our three-piece hard suitcase set (35, 68 and 105 litres), or the CarsGuide pram. In fact, we were able to fit the largest suitcase and the pram at the same time, which is mighty impressive for a city-sized hatch. Push the rear seat flat and space grows to 1225 litres (to the roof), which is heaps.

Carpeting for the boot has been sourced from the cheap 'n' cheerful bin, but there are D-shaped anchor shackles, decent lighting and handy bag hooks back there.

The boot's unlikely volume is partly due to the absence of a spare of any description, a repair/inflator kit being your only option. And in case you were wondering, towing is "prohibited" (Renault's word, not mine).

Built at Renault's Flins plant, 40km west of Paris, on the same line as the Clio, the Zoe's offered in two grades; Life ($47,490, before on-road costs), and Intens ($49,490 BOC) as tested here.

That's big bucks for a little car. At just under $50,000 you're looking at internal-combustion competitors like the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, and Merc A-Class. And while the Zoe's a long way from spartan, it's an equal distance away from luxurious.

That said, the standard features list includes, climate control (with remote 'pre conditioning' activation), 16-inch 'Black Shadow' alloy rims, cruise control, 3D Arkamys audio (with DAB radio, voice recognition, two 'boomer' speakers, two rear bi-cone speakers, and two tweeters), 'Renault Smartkey' keyless entry and start, auto headlights, and rain-sensing wipers.

Plus, you also get rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, the 7.0-inch 'R-Link' multimedia system (with 'Text to Speech' function), one-touch driver's window (the base Life grade misses this), a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear knob plus black and grey cloth trim (with snazzy contrast stitching).

The DRLs may be LED but the headlights are halogen (a sure sign of this car's age), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are MIA, and metallic paint, as per 'our' car's 'Zircon Blue' finish is $550 extra. 'Glacier White' is the only no-cost option from six available shades.

The H7 has just the one drivetrain, as mentioned, consisting of a turbocharged 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine assisted by an electric motor and mated to a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It drives the front wheels only, providing 179kW of power and 350Nm of torque.

The Zoe is powered by Renault's R90 synchronous electric motor, producing 68kW from 3000-5000rpm and 225Nm from step-off. Drive goes to the front wheels through a single reduction gear auto transmission.

Claimed acceleration for the city-specific 0-50km/h run is a handy 4.0sec, with the more grown-up 0-100km/h sprint taking a leisurely 13.2sec. Flat biscuit is 135km/h.

GWM claims the Haval H7 consumes 5.7L/100km under the combined cycle, though during testing we saw a figure of 7.1L/100km after a spirited drive.

The H7 has a 61-litre fuel tank and requires 91 RON fuel at a minimum. With careful driving and in the right conditions, you could theoretically get around 800km from a single tank.

None. Next question...

You can have the argument about fuel consumed and source emissions produced in generating the energy required to charge the Zoe's battery, but the fact is this car doesn't consume any fossil fuel and produces zero tailpipe emissions. Helped by the fact it doesn't have a tailpipe.

When launched in 2016, the Zoe's upgraded 41kWh 'Z.E. 40' high-energy lithium-ion battery ranked as the highest energy density automotive unit available.

Developed in collaboration with LG Chem in South Korea, it houses 12 modules (of 16 cells each) for a total of 912 individual cells and weighs in at 305kg.

Renault lists a driving range of 403km for the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), with a real-world number of 300km a more realistic estimate. And that's almost exactly the range we achieved over a mix of city, suburban and freeway running in seven days with the car. Using overnight electricity rates, a full charge should average less than $8.00.

The Zoe's on-board 'Chameleon' charger allows it to be charged using different power levels (single or three-phase) through the same socket, from 3kW up to 22kW. A Type 2 charging cable (6.5m) for wall box and public charging points (in a natty canvas Z.E. bag) is included with the car.

According to Renault, a wall-box charger (not included with the car) is typically $1600 to $2000 for a residential installation and a mid-range 11kW unit will allow you to charge up in around four hours. High-powered 'Fast' and even juicier 'Rapid' charging points would reduce that time appreciably.

The dash indicator displays charge level and remaining range calculated over the last 200km of driving. A reset function can drop that to an average of the last 30km.

We'll touch on it further in the Driving section but regenerative braking, low-rolling resistance tyres, and 'Eco' mode (reducing air-con load and motor output) are big contributors to maximum range.

And while cabin cooling comes courtesy of a conventional a/c unit, heating is far more exotic. The Zoe's 'Heat Pump' system traps calories in the ambient air outside the car, with a pump compressing and heating them, then directing the heated air into the car, with no impact on range. Super clever.

One of the first things I noticed is that the hybrid system’s initial burst of torque has the potential to overpower the front wheels from a stand-still, especially if it’s wet or you’ve got some lock on to turn out of a driveway.

But once rolling, the power delivery is smooth and doesn’t lack in pull even once up to highway speed. The H7 is also stable when it comes to day-to-day driving, with its suspension striking a good balance between communication and comfort.

Big bumps and rough roads neither unsettle nor rattle the H7 too much, though given it’s a front-drive hybrid we wouldn’t be testing just how rough a road it can handle - the H7 is not an off-roader despite its looks.

If you start trying to push the SUV along a twisty road it’ll lean more than some rivals through cornering. Not to an unsafe degree, given if it’s happening you’re probably pushing it more than you should. The steering feel itself isn’t anything to write home about, but for a family car it’s accurate enough and predictability is key when you’ve got a car full of humans.

Road noise and wind noise are present, the latter more so than you’d like given we tested the car on a relatively still day, but it’s not unacceptable. 

Ergonomically, the driving position and visibility provide comfort and safety, though the rising shoulder line towards the rear slightly limits visibility on shoulder checks.

Some believe cars have a soul, but the Renault Zoe expresses its feelings with a distinctive accent, the car's 'Z.E. Voice' function giving an audible warning to pedestrians up to 30km/h (when wind and tyre noise take over).

The whirring hum sounds like The Beach Boys warming up the theremin for a rendition of 'Good Vibrations'. Spooky and fun in equal measure.

Like all electric cars the Renault Zoe accelerates quickly from rest, thanks to the motor's ability to deliver maximum torque (225kW) from step off.

At 1480kg (battery 305kg) the Zoe is 177kg lighter than an equivalent Clio, so it's snappy in its natural city habitat, but thrust begins to taper off markedly around the 55-60km/h mark.

The single-speed, reduction gear automatic transmission combines with the motor's sewing-machine smoothness to provide close to perfect drive delivery.

Sitting on the same 'B platform' as the Clio (and 20 other Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance models) the Zoe features a strut front, beam rear suspension set-up.

Ride comfort is surprisingly good for such a small hatch, and the battery's location under the floor sets up a centre of gravity 35mm lower than the Clio's, so despite a 59 per cent front/41 per cent rear weight distribution, the car feels well planted in corners.

...the dash graphic – a blue AA-style battery surrounded by rising rings of energy – is reminiscent of 'the machine man' animating in Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

The standard 16-inch alloy wheels are shod with Michelin Energy E-V low-rolling-resistance tyres (195/55), which won't win you pole on a qualifying lap, but are commendably quiet.

There are three driving modes, with the dash graphics aligning to each – Eco (green), Neutral (blue), and Dynamic (violet).

But ECO mode should be reserved for hardcore environmental warriors only. Press the console-mounted button and power from the motor is reduced and air-con output is limited.

It may increase range by a claimed 10 per cent, but what price your sanity? This setting sucks out the car's will to live, and thankfully a second press of the button or pinning the throttle pedal to the floor sees full-strength service resumed. Phew.

The regenerative deceleration and braking system distributes braking force between the clamping of the brake pads and the engine on over-run to maximise battery charge.

While the BMW i3's regen system will have you head-butting the steering wheel (not really) when you get off the throttle, the Zoe's system is more subtle, and watching the dash graphic – a blue AA-style battery surrounded by rising rings of energy – is reminiscent of 'the machine man' animating in Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

Speaking of brakes, the fronts are relatively delicate 258mm vented discs and the 9.0-inch rear drums look like miniature versions of the elaborately fluted units found on 1920s Grand Prix racers. They're beautiful and work well.

Some niggles. The wipers skip and stutter in light rain, the lightweight doors feel clangy when you close them, and the R-Link multimedia system is annoyingly flaky when recognising content (or not) via Bluetooth or USB from a mobile device.

The Zoe hasn't been assessed by ANCAP but was awarded a maximum five-star ranking by EuroNCAP in 2013, with annual reviews allowing it to maintain that score through to April this year.

Active crash prevention tech includes ABS, EBD, EBA, ESC, traction control, tyre-pressure-loss sensors, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

But forget about more recent systems like AEB, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic alerts or adaptive cruise.

Interestingly, the Zoe continuously monitors the state of each cell in the battery pack and will switch off current immediately if it senses an overheating-style abnormality.

If an impact is unavoidable the airbag count runs to six - driver and passenger front, front side (head and thorax), and full-length side curtain.

There are three top tethers and two ISOFIX positions for child seats/baby capsules across the back row, and all seats feature Renault's 'Fix4Sure' anti-submarining design.

The H7 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, as is standard for GWM.

Additionally, the high-voltage battery pack is covered by an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warrant. GWM also has a five-year roadside assist program, and capped-price servicing for five years.

Servicing costs a total of $2145 over five years, with intervals each 12 months or 10,000km, averaging $429 per service, which isn’t incredibly cheap.

GWM started 2025 with 113 dealerships across Australia, and aims to have 125 by the end of the year.

According to Renault, the R90 motor is "maintenance-free", waterproof and requires no lubrication, with servicing costs "20 per cent lower than an equivalent ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle."

Despite that, servicing is recommended every 12 months/30,000km for an estimated cost of $231 each time.

Warranty is three years/unlimited km with 24-hour roadside assist included for the first year, and three after that if you have your car serviced at an authorised Renault dealer.

The battery is covered by a separate five year/100,000km warranty.