2027 JAC Hunter PHEV Review

The JAC Hunter is the kind of ute that makes a very strong first impression on paper. It is Australia’s budget end of the plug-in hybrid dual-cab fight, yet it brings 360kW, up to 1010Nm, a big LFP battery, 3500kg towing and a price that undercuts the obvious rivals.

That is the easy part. The harder question is whether JAC has turned the diesel T9 base into something genuinely competitive, or simply thrown a lot of electrified hardware at a ute that still needs more polish.

We spent a week with the Hunter X, then took it off-road to see whether the Australian tuning work and clever hybrid all-wheel-drive system actually hold up when the surface gets ugly.

The answer is messy. The Hunter is better than we expected in some big ways, worse than it should be in others, and absolutely not a ute you can judge from the spec sheet alone.

That matters, because this is not a basic workhorse with a battery bolted in. Even the cheaper Hunter Pro gets the full PHEV powertrain, 3500kg towing, a big battery, decent cabin tech and proper ute payload.

The option we would absolutely tick on the Pro is the front and rear electronic diff lock package at $1888. On the Hunter X, those locks are standard, and after our off-road drive we would not want to be without them.

2027 JAC Hunter Pricing

• JAC Hunter Pro 4x4 starts from $49,988 before on-road costs
• JAC Hunter X 4x4 starts from $54,844 before on-road costs.

If you know the JAC T9, the Hunter will not shock you from the outside. The proportions, front-end shape and basic dual-cab silhouette are very familiar, which is not a bad thing, because this shape has aged better than we first expected.

The LED daytime running lights are bright and distinctive, the black JAC lettering on the Hunter X works better than louder finishes offered elsewhere, and the 18-inch black alloy wheels give it enough stance without going full cartoon ute.

There are some useful details, too. You get metal side steps, roof rails on the X, a sports bar, privacy glass, LED lighting and a full-size spare wheel tucked underneath rather than dumped awkwardly in the tub.

The underbody protection is welcome, because the Hunter needs it. Minimum ground clearance is only 200mm, which is low for a modern ute, and we scraped it more than once before the serious off-road work had even started.

JAC quotes a 28-degree approach angle, 23-degree departure angle and 23-degree ramp breakover angle. The angles are not embarrassing, but that low belly means you need to pick lines properly.

The Hunter’s cabin looks pretty convincing when you first climb in. There are soft-touch surfaces in key places, leather-accented trim, a leather-bound steering wheel, ambient lighting, a portrait touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster.

Perceived quality is stronger than the badge might suggest. The doors close with enough substance, the metal-look switchgear in the centre console feels decent, and JAC has added reach adjustment for the steering wheel, which improves the driving position over the diesel T9.

But the longer we lived with it, the more the cracks showed. The seats look plush and are heated in the Hunter X, but the driving position is odd. Your legs sit high relative to your hips, under-thigh support is ordinary, and on longer drives the front seats become less comfortable than they look.

The 10.4-inch touchscreen has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the eight-speaker audio system is better than expected. The 360-degree camera on the X is also genuinely useful, with a clear image and a transparent chassis-style view.

The problem is speed and consistency. The screen can be laggy, the climate controls are slow to respond, the digital instrument cluster is tedious to configure, and our test car sometimes took around 20 seconds to bring the screen to life at start-up. It also occasionally displayed Chinese text, which feels unfinished rather than charming.

We also had quality concerns. A trim piece around a drawer area was not sitting properly, some plastic alignment around the door bins looked ordinary, the reverse warning sound worked intermittently, and the optional sunroof let water into the cabin when the vehicle was being washed. That last one is not a small nitpick.

The back seat follows the same pattern as the front: strong showroom equipment, less convincing long-distance comfort. On paper, rear passengers are treated well.

You get rear air vents, a USB-A port, a USB-C port on the X, a 220V household-style socket on the X, tri-map pockets, soft-touch door materials and a fold-down armrest with cupholders. The rear bench also lifts up to reveal useful under-seat storage.

The issue is passenger space. At around 180cm tall, we found legroom only okay, toe room poor and headroom acceptable rather than generous. The roof cut-out helps, but taller passengers may feel the squeeze.

The seat itself also lacks the comfort we want in a dual-cab ute being pitched as a touring and family option. We have spent long drives in the related T9 and came away sore, and the Hunter does not feel meaningfully better in the back.

Compared with a BYD Shark 6, the JAC feels tighter and less polished. Compared with the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV, it also lacks that bigger, more lounge-like rear cabin feel.

The Hunter’s tub is useful, and JAC has clearly understood what Australian ute buyers expect as standard. You get a spray-in bedliner, tie-down points, a high-mounted load box light, a sports bar and a tailgate with lift assistance.

The tub measures 1520mm long, 1590mm wide and 470mm deep. That length matches the BYD Shark 6, while the quoted width is actually 90mm wider than the BYD.

Depth is not as impressive. The Shark 6 has a deeper tub at 517mm, and the Hunter’s measured width between the wheel arches was about 1150mm on our check, which is narrower than a Ranger V6 and a Shark 6.

That means an Aussie pallet is not as easy a win here as the headline tub width might suggest. The full-size spare is mounted under the vehicle, though, which is a better solution than the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV’s tub-mounted spare arrangement.

Payload is a strong 915kg, and braked towing capacity is 3500kg. Those numbers give the Hunter genuine work credibility, though we would want to test it loaded and towing before calling it a true heavy-haul hero.

JAC has made a big deal of local tuning for the Hunter, with Australian development work led by Michael Barber from Multimatic. Compared with the earlier version we drove, the final car is better, but only by a margin.

At 100km/h, the cabin is loud. Wind noise and road noise are both more noticeable than they should be, and the body never really feels settled over typical Australian country roads.

The primary ride is soft, so the ute moves around constantly over long undulations. Then the secondary ride can feel sharp, so you still cop the smaller hits and vibrations. It is a frustrating combination: floaty and busy at the same time.

Body roll is obvious, and the Hunter can feel top-heavy when you ask it to change direction quickly. The steering is not particularly communicative either, although the basic control weights are easy enough to live with.

The powertrain makes commuting easy, especially in EV mode, and the instant torque gives it plenty of punch for overtakes. But against a BYD Shark 6, the JAC feels less resolved on-road, and against a Ford Ranger PHEV it lacks the chassis polish we expect from the segment benchmark.

The driver assistance tech also needs more calibration. It is easy enough to reduce the level of interference, but lane systems tugged at the wheel, driver monitoring was too keen to complain, and the whole car felt like it needed a calmer software boss.

The JAC Hunter carries a five-star ANCAP safety rating, and the safety equipment list is long. Standard kit includes autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, emergency lane keeping, blind-spot detection, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert and rear autonomous emergency braking.

You also get adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, traffic sign recognition, intelligent high beam, driver monitoring, tyre pressure monitoring, front-side and curtain airbags, a front centre airbag and ISOFIX points in the rear.

Hunter X adds front parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, clear chassis view and a built-in digital video recorder using the vehicle’s cameras. The camera system is one of the better-executed pieces of tech in the car.

The problem is calibration. The lane support systems can be too grabby, the driver monitoring system is quick to complain, and the warning sounds are not subtle.

Compared with the better-tuned systems in a Ranger, the JAC feels less mature. Still, the breadth of standard safety gear is strong, and the ANCAP result gives it a solid base.

The Hunter’s powertrain is not simple, but it is interesting. Up front is a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder making 160kW and 370Nm, paired with a front electric motor producing up to 130kW and 300Nm.

At the rear is another electric motor producing up to 150kW and 340Nm. Combined system output is 360kW, with JAC quoting up to 1010Nm of combined driveline torque.

The petrol engine drives the front wheels through a four-speed hybrid transmission and can also charge the battery. There is no conventional driveshaft connecting the front and rear axles, so this is an electric all-wheel-drive system rather than a traditional mechanical 4x4.

In the real world, it is quick, but not as savage as the numbers suggest. In our testing, the Hunter X ran 0-100km/h in 6.61 seconds on its best attempt, which is properly quick for a ute but behind the faster BYD Shark 6 claims.

The initial launch is soft, then the shove arrives hard once the system wakes up. Around town in EV driving it feels smooth and easy, but the petrol engine is needed if you want the full hit.

Fuel use depends entirely on battery charge and how you drive it. JAC claims 1.6L/100km on the combined cycle, but with the battery effectively depleted on the freeway we saw around 10L/100km, which is still reasonable for a heavy PHEV ute.

The Hunter uses a 31.2kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, which is a good size for a plug-in hybrid ute. JAC claims 100km of electric range on the NEDC cycle, and in our mixed use we were seeing closer to about 80km in the real world.

That is roughly in the same ballpark as what buyers will expect from the key PHEV ute rivals. The GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV claims a longer 115km NEDC range with its larger battery, while the BYD Shark 6 is also pitched around the 100km mark depending on version and test cycle.

AC charging is a highlight at up to 11kW, provided you have access to suitable three-phase power. JAC quotes a 15-100 per cent AC charge time of 3.5 hours.

DC charging is supported via CCS2, with JAC quoting a 15-80 per cent time of 30 minutes. The peak figure we were working with is 45kW, which is not EV-fast, but is useful for a PHEV.

There is also 3.3kW vehicle-to-load capability, which is exactly the sort of feature that makes sense in a ute. Camping gear, tools and basic appliances are all part of the pitch here, and the Hunter has the hardware to play in that space.

This was the biggest surprise of the test. On paper, the Hunter should have struggled: 200mm of ground clearance, 550mm wading depth and highway-terrain Giti tyres are not exactly confidence-inspiring numbers.

It also does not have a traditional low-range transfer case or a mechanical link between the axles. Instead, the front end uses the petrol engine and electric motor through the hybrid transmission, while the rear axle is driven electrically.

Early on, it looked grim. In a muddy water section, the Hunter got stuck almost immediately on its highway tyres, and we needed to reset and use more commitment. The limited wading depth also makes us nervous compared with the 700-800mm claims offered by some rivals.

Then it started to redeem itself. On rutted climbs, offset moguls and rockier sections, the Hunter’s multi-link live rear axle showed good articulation, and the traction system eventually worked out where to send torque.

The Hunter X’s front and rear locking differentials are the key here. With the lockers engaged, it clawed up sections we genuinely did not expect it to clear, and the electric torque helped it muscle through where a more traditional ute might need more momentum.

The bad bit is Off-road Crawl Control. It was too fast, too inconsistent and at times rolled back or surged in a way that did not inspire confidence. The hardware has promise; the software still needs work.

JAC backs the Hunter with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, including commercial use. That is a strong ownership pitch in the ute world, especially for buyers looking at a new-to-Australia brand with a complex PHEV system.

You also get seven years of roadside assistance and seven years of capped-price servicing. Service intervals are 12 months or 15,000km.

JAC’s capped-price servicing total is $3340 over seven years, which is competitive in this part of the market. Against the BYD Shark 6, GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV and Ford Ranger PHEV, the warranty story is one of the Hunter’s better arguments.

The question is not the headline coverage; it is confidence. Our test car’s leaking sunroof, intermittent reverse sound, slow screen start-up and software quirks make us want to see more consistency from customer cars.

If JAC gets the quality control right, the ownership package is genuinely attractive. If it does not, a long warranty becomes something you may need rather than something you simply appreciate.

Hunter Pro

• 2.0-litre turbo-petrol plug-in hybrid system
• Dual electric motors
• Electric all-wheel-drive system
• 31.2kWh LFP battery
• 11kW AC charging capability
• CCS2 charging port
• Vehicle-to-load capability
• 3500kg braked towing capacity
• 915kg payload
• 18-inch alloy wheels with 265/60 R18 tyres
• Full-size spare wheel
• LED headlights, daytime running lights and tail-lights
• Front and rear fog lights
• Smart entry and start
• Leather-accented upholstery
• Leather-bound steering wheel with reach adjustment
• 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB+ digital radio
• Eight-speaker audio system
• Wireless phone charging
• Front USB-A and USB-C ports
• Rear USB port
• 12V accessory socket
• Automatic single-zone air conditioning
• Rear air vents
• Powered driver’s seat adjustment
• Spray-in bedliner
• Tailgate lift assistance
• Sports bar
• Rear parking sensors and reversing camera
• Adaptive cruise control and traffic jam assist
• Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane keeping assist and lane departure warning
• Autonomous emergency braking and rear autonomous emergency braking
• Driver monitoring system

Hunter X

• Black 18-inch alloy wheels
• Black JAC badging
• Black exterior mirrors
• Power-folding mirrors
• Black roof rails
• Rear privacy glass
• Welcome lamps
• Heated front seats
• Four-way power-adjustable front passenger seat
• Automatic anti-glare rear-view mirror
• Front and rear electronic differential locks
• Front parking sensors
• 360-degree camera
• Clear chassis view
• Digital video recorder
• Rear USB-C port
• Rear 220V accessory socket
• Optional power sunroof

The JAC Hunter is not a joke. That is probably the biggest takeaway from this drive.

It is fast, it is cheap for what it offers, it has a proper payload and towing number, and it surprised us off-road in situations where we expected the electrified all-wheel-drive system to fall apart. In Hunter X form, the front and rear lockers are doing a lot of heavy lifting, and we mean that as a compliment.

But the Hunter is also not finished enough. The ride is unsettled, the cabin gets noisy, the driving position is awkward, the rear seat is tighter than expected, and the software polish is not where it needs to be.

The quality issues on our test car also matter. A leaking sunroof, inconsistent reverse warning sound and laggy start-up behaviour are not the kind of things we can just wave away because the price is sharp.

Against a BYD Shark 6, the Hunter is cheaper and has bigger numbers, but the BYD feels more polished inside and better on-road. Against a GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV, the JAC is smaller and cheaper, but the GWM brings a more conventional off-road hardware story. Against a Ford Ranger PHEV, the JAC wins heavily on price and equipment, but Ford has the more resolved ute underneath.

Would we recommend it? If you are chasing the cheapest PHEV ute with huge outputs, 3500kg towing and surprising off-road ability, the Hunter Pro with diff locks makes the most sense. The Hunter X is tempting, but once you add options it gets close enough to stronger rivals that its flaws become harder to ignore.

JAC has clearly tried hard here. The Hunter is far better than the T9 in important ways, but it still needs another round of refinement before it can properly hunt the best in this new PHEV ute pack.