An Australian TANK 300 Ultra Hi4-T PHEV has entered a longer-term media test—but the results are not in yet. In its long-term introduction, CarExpert says it will use the vehicle first in HEV mode, then spend a later period in Smart mode with nightly charging. That is a useful test design for a plug-in hybrid because two owners can drive the same model yet see very different fuel and electricity use depending on how often they plug in.
This is a report on CarExpert's announced test plan and the questions it raises, not a Decision Maker 4X4 test or a prediction of its final verdict. At the time of checking, the publication had not reported a complete two-month result, a controlled towing assessment or a long-term reliability finding.
Checked: 26 September 2026. The cover is a generic AI editorial concept, not CarExpert's vehicle or an official TANK 300 photograph. The three inline graphics are original explainers based on the cited sources and our buyer checklist.
What CarExpert says it will do
Contributor Sean Lander describes using the press vehicle in ordinary travel and production work, including trips between home, office and film locations. The planned first phase lets the PHEV operate in HEV mode. In the second, the team intends to use Smart mode and charge the car nightly. A longer interstate journey is also mentioned. Read the original introduction.
Those are planned conditions, not measured outcomes. The article's early observations should not be converted into a headline claiming that one mode is cheaper, more efficient or more pleasant. We will need the later report—and the conditions behind its data—to evaluate that.
There is an additional vehicle-version caveat. CarExpert says this particular press vehicle had not yet received the local tuning changes the publication expected from GWM's Australian team. If a future update changes the vehicle, readers should identify which specification was tested before comparing impressions with a new showroom example. This is an attribution to CarExpert's report, not our assessment of the tuning.
Why charging frequency changes the comparison
A plug-in hybrid can draw energy from both liquid fuel and a charged battery. If an article reports only litres per 100 kilometres, the reader may miss how much electricity was added at home or away from home. Conversely, an electric-driving-distance figure says little about a trip that began with a low battery or spent most of its time on the highway.
For a fair comparison of the two proposed phases, a buyer should look for distance travelled, litres added, electricity delivered, frequency of charging and the kinds of roads driven. Those are our recommended data points, not a claim that CarExpert has promised to publish every one of them.
The phases could still produce different route, weather and load conditions. A camera-gear trip through regional roads is not identical to a lightly loaded urban commute. That is why a sensible reader should use the eventual report to frame questions for their own driving, not as a guaranteed annual cost calculation.
Keep current GWM claims separate from a future test
GWM Australia's current TANK 300 page lists the Hi4-T PHEV at 300 kW and 750 Nm, with up to 115 km electric range on the NEDC cycle and a 3,000 kg braked towing capacity. These are published vehicle figures and qualifications. They are not the outcome of CarExpert's ongoing two-phase drive, and the NEDC range is not a promised distance for every driver or route.
Do not mix that current page with an older launch release without checking its date and specification. A search result can continue to display an earlier figure or offer after the current vehicle page has changed. The most useful habit is to record the source, date, grade and test cycle next to every number.
A towing rating also does not tell you how this particular test car performs with your loaded trailer, nor does it settle payload, towball download or gross combination limits. Confirm those with current Australian vehicle documentation and a representative setup before treating the PHEV as a tow vehicle.
Five questions for the eventual wrap-up
- What was actually charged? The number of charging sessions and electricity supplied matter as much as the frequency promised in the plan.
- What was actually burned? Fuel use needs the total distance and litres added, rather than a single favourable dashboard screenshot.
- Which roads and loads? Note urban, highway, hills and any off-road use separately. Extra equipment and passengers change the comparison.
- Which car version? Record the model year, grade, tyres and whether local tuning or software updates were present during each phase.
- What was not tested? A long-term daily-use review may still leave towing, deep off-road use, accessory fitment and multi-year reliability unanswered.
CarExpert has not yet supplied the complete answers in its introduction. These questions help readers avoid extracting certainty from a study that is still under way. They are also a useful checklist when asking a dealer for an extended test drive of the exact vehicle you would buy.
What TANK owners can do now
If the Hi4-T is on your shortlist, start with your own use pattern: where the vehicle would charge, how often it would travel beyond the claimed electric range, the passengers and cargo it normally carries, and whether towing is part of the job. Book a demonstration of the current Australian grade and ask the dealer to identify its build specification.
When planning touring equipment, keep vehicle energy use and accessory fitment as separate checks. The battery, underbody and cargo packaging of a PHEV cannot be assumed to match every petrol or diesel TANK 300. Our TANK 300 roof-load planning guide is a starting point for weighing gear, not a PHEV-specific compatibility certificate.
Bottom line: the new CarExpert TANK 300 Hi4-T long-term introduction is a test plan worth watching, not yet an answer to the real-world range or running-cost question. Compare its eventual results with GWM's current Australian specification and with the way you would actually use the vehicle.
