2026 GWM Tank 500 Lux review

The range and its prices

Lux Diesel ($65,990 drive-away, VIC). The new 3.0 diesel, a 14.6-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, eight speakers, heated front seats in faux leather, a head-up display, adaptive cruise and front and rear parking sensors, on GWM's page. GWM is adding a $2,000 drive-away cash bonus or a $2,000 fuel card on diesel orders before 31 October 2026.

Vanta Diesel ($71,990 drive-away, VIC). The diesel with Vanta equipment, including Nappa leather-accented trim in our row. The same introductory offer applies.

Vanta HEV. The 255kW hybrid with seven seats; our records hold $68,990 RRP. Ultra PHEV. The 300kW plug-in hybrid with five seats. Our records hold $72,490 RRP, but GWM's offers page advertised it from $79,990 drive-away in Victoria on 4 October 2026, which is more than our own drive-away estimate of about $77,000 on the RRP, so our RRP may be behind.

On the higher grades GWM's brochure lists Nappa leather with heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, ventilated second-row seats, a 12-speaker Infinity system, 64-colour ambient lighting, a wireless charger and an electric panoramic sunroof.

The rivals

The Toyota Prado GX is $72,500 RRP with a 150kW, 500Nm diesel, 3,500kg towing and five ANCAP stars from 2024. The Ford Everest Sport is $68,990 RRP with a 184kW, 600Nm V6 diesel, seven seats and 3,500kg towing. The Isuzu MU-X LS-T 3.0 is $73,400 RRP with 140kW and seven seats. On GWM's advertised price the Tank 500 Lux Diesel undercuts all three, and its 620Nm is among the highest torque figures of any of them in our rows.

Drive-away and cost per week

On our weekly model the Lux Diesel at $65,990 drive-away comes to from $347 a week in Victoria and $346 in Queensland, counting repayments, fuel, rego, CTP and tyres. Servicing is left out for the diesel because we hold no capped price for it yet, and insurance for all versions because we hold no figure. On our records' RRPs, which include capped servicing, the hybrid Lux is from $339 a week in Victoria and the Ultra PHEV from $398.

Diesel, hybrid and PHEV

GWM quotes 7.1L/100km combined for the 3.0 diesel (8.2 urban, 6.4 extra-urban). The 255kW hybrid claims 8.5L/100km on 91 RON from an 80-litre tank, about 941km between fills on the claim. The plug-in hybrid is labelled at 2.1L/100km, which assumes a charged battery for part of the test, and uses 8.4L/100km with the battery flat.

At 15,000km a year, the diesel costs about $2,024 at $1.90 a litre, and the hybrid about $2,486 at $1.95, so the diesel saves about $462 a year on the official figures as well as towing more. The plug-in hybrid with a flat battery would cost about $2,457, before any saving from charging.

PHEV battery and charging

The PHEV uses a 37.1kWh battery with a claimed 120km of electric range at 27.2kWh/100km. It charges at up to 50kW DC through a CCS2 port and 6.6kW AC, and supports vehicle-to-load at up to 6kW. Our row gives a combined range of 950km. For comparison, if every one of 15,000km a year ran on electricity at the 27.2kWh/100km figure, charging at Victoria's default offer (27.47c/kWh) would cost about $1,121 a year. Real use sits somewhere between that and the battery-flat petrol figure, depending on how much of your driving fits inside the electric range.

Warranty and roadside

GWM covers the Tank 500 for seven years with no kilometre limit, and the hybrid battery for eight years. Our rows hold seven years of roadside assistance on the Lux, Ultra and diesel and five on the Vanta HEV and PHEV, renewed with dealer servicing.

Servicing

For the hybrid and plug-in hybrid, our rows hold capped prices of $300, $580, $990, $580 and $300 for the first five services, $2,750 in total, or $550 a year on average. The interval is 12 months or 10,000km, so at 15,000km a year you would book about three services every two years, which pushes the real yearly cost above that average. We hold no capped prices for the new diesel yet.

Resale

We hold no resale figure for the Tank 500. The hybrid has been on sale here since 2024 in our records; the diesel is brand new.

The ANCAP result

ANCAP rated the Tank 500 hybrid and plug-in hybrid five stars in 2024, with 85% for adult occupant protection, 93% for child occupant protection, 81% for vulnerable road users and 74% for safety assist. Our diesel rows hold no ANCAP rating, so we do not carry the hybrid result across to them; check ANCAP for the diesel's status before you buy.

What is fitted

Autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and lane-keep assist are standard across the hybrid rows, and GWM's brochure lists a 360-degree camera. The diesel Lux has lane departure warning, adaptive cruise and front and rear sensors on GWM's page. Our hybrid rows hold seven airbags.

Child seats

Two ISOFIX points on the outer second-row seats, with three top tethers across that row in our Ultra row. If you need child seats in the third row, check the anchorage there with the dealer.

Seats and boot

The hybrids seat seven. With all three rows up our rows hold just 98 litres of boot, enough for a few soft bags. Fold the third row and it grows to 795 litres; fold the second row too and it is 1,459 litres. The five-seat PHEV has 640 litres behind the second row and 1,400 litres folded. If you need seven seats and luggage together, plan on a roof box or trailer.

Size and parking

The Tank 500 is 5,078mm long, 1,934mm wide and 1,905mm tall on a 2,850mm wheelbase, with 224mm of ground clearance (213mm on the PHEV) and an 11.2m turning circle in our rows. At over five metres, measure your garage before you buy; the garage check below runs the numbers.

Screens and sound

Every Tank 500 has a 14.6-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. GWM's brochure lists wireless phone mirroring and a head-up display, and the new diesel runs GWM's Coffee OS software. The Lux grades have eight speakers; the Ultra and Vanta have a 12-speaker Infinity system.

The GWM app gives remote settings and diagnostics on some variants. There are USB-A and USB-C ports, a wireless charger on the higher grades, and second-row climate controls.

The GWM Tank 500 Lux has 98 kW for every tonne of kerb weight, 648Nm of torque, a claimed 0-100km/h of 8.5s. It weighs 2,605kg and turns in 11.2m. These are the figures that shape how quickly a car gets moving and how easily it parks.

Off-road hardware

Every Tank 500 is a ladder-frame, part-time four-wheel drive with low range, a centre differential lock and electric front and rear differential locks, according to GWM's brochure. Our rows hold an 800mm wading depth for the hybrids and a full-size spare.

Engines and weight

The new 3.0 diesel makes 170kW and 620Nm from 1,400 to 2,400rpm, through GWM's nine-speed automatic. The hybrid makes 255kW and 648Nm and weighs 2,605kg, about 98kW per tonne, with a claimed 0-100km/h of 8.5 seconds. The PHEV makes 300kW and 750Nm at 2,820kg, about 106kW per tonne, and claims 6.9 seconds.

Towing and load

The diesel is rated to tow 3,500kg braked, up from the hybrid's 3,000kg; GWM says the Tank 500's rating rose with the new engine. The hybrid and PHEV tow 3,000kg braked and 750kg unbraked, with a 300kg tow-ball limit. The hybrid's GVM is 3,395kg and its payload 790kg; the PHEV's payload in our row is 565kg, which is not much once five adults and their gear are aboard.

Who the Tank 500 suits

The Tank 500 suits a family that wants a big, well-equipped off-road wagon for less than a Prado. The Lux Diesel at $65,990 drive-away is now the one to look at first: it tows 3,500kg, claims less fuel than the hybrid and undercuts the Prado GX's RRP. Choose the Vanta HEV if you need seven seats and do mostly town driving.

Who should look elsewhere

If you need seven seats and a usable boot at the same time, the 98 litres is a real limit. If a current ANCAP rating for the exact engine matters, the diesel has none on record yet. And if you rarely leave the bitumen, a car-based seven-seater will be easier to park than a 5.1-metre ladder-frame wagon. See the field in our best seven-seaters guide.