Neither wins outright. Chery gives you the longest engine cover — 10 years / 1 000 000 km — but only for the first owner. Haval gives you a 7-year / 200 000 km warranty that covers the whole car and transfers when you sell. Keeping it a decade? Lean Chery. Trading in every three years? Lean Haval.
Last updated 5 September 2026
- Chery vehicle warranty
- 5 years / 150 000 km on the whole car, plus a first-owner engine warranty to 10 years / 1 000 000 km.
- Haval vehicle warranty
- 7 years / 200 000 km on the whole car, described by GWM as comprehensive and transferable.
- Does it transfer to the next owner?
- Chery: the vehicle warranty yes, the headline engine warranty no. Haval: yes, in full.
- Service plans
- Chery varies by model (e.g. 5 years / 60 000 km on the Tiggo Cross LiT). Haval is 7 years / 75 000 km across the range.
- Hybrid battery warranty
- Chery: 10 years / unlimited km. Haval: 8 years / 150 000 km.
- SA dealer network
- Around 80 Chery outlets; 90-plus GWM/Haval dealers. Both still expanding.
- August 2026 sales
- Chery 6th overall on 2 763 units; GWM 7th on 2 594. Haval sits inside the GWM total.
This one comes up on the floor almost daily, usually as “I've narrowed it to a Chery and a Haval — which should I take?” The prices overlap, the spec sheets look similar, and both brands are growing fast.
We sell Chery, and we do not sell new Haval right now, so read this knowing that. But the comparison below is built on published warranty terms and naamsa sales data, not opinion — and we have pointed plenty of people at a Haval when it fitted them better.
So which is actually better — Chery or Haval?
On the metal, it is close to a tie. Both build well-assembled modern SUVs with turbo-petrol and hybrid options, long warranties and dealer networks that are filling out quickly. The real difference is the shape of the warranty, and that only matters once you decide how long you plan to keep the car.
Chery's pitch is longevity for the person who buys new and keeps it. Haval's pitch is a simpler promise that follows the car to the next owner. One sentence captures it: Chery protects the buyer, Haval protects the resale.
How do the warranties and service plans compare?
Here is the full picture, with every figure taken from the two manufacturers' own published terms.
| Chery | Haval (GWM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle warranty | 5 years / 150 000 km | 7 years / 200 000 km |
| Engine / powertrain | Extended to 10 years / 1 000 000 km — engine internals only after year 5, first owner only | Covered by the 7-year / 200 000 km vehicle warranty |
| Transfers to next owner? | Vehicle warranty yes; the 1 000 000 km engine warranty no | Yes — GWM calls it “comprehensive and transferable” |
| Service plan | Model-dependent — e.g. 5 years / 60 000 km (Tiggo Cross LiT), 7 years / 90 000 km (Tiggo 8 Pro Max) | 7 years / 75 000 km across the range, 15 000 km intervals |
| Hybrid / EV battery | 10 years / unlimited km | 8 years / 150 000 km |
| Roadside assistance | 24/7, all year | Up to 7 years / 200 000 km |
Read that table one way and Chery wins on paper — a million kilometres of engine cover is a bigger number than anything Haval quotes. Read it the way a used-car buyer will and Haval's is the stronger promise, because all seven years of it land in the next owner's hands too.
It is the first owner's only and does not pass on when you sell. Every service must be on time, at an approved Chery dealer, with genuine parts, or the cover falls away. And after the first 5 years / 150 000 km it protects engine internals only — not the turbo, gearbox or electronics. Kept perfectly, it is a real benefit; treated casually, it is just a number on the brochure. Chery publishes the current terms on its warranty page, and GWM publishes Haval's on its vehicle reference table.
Which one holds its value better?
Both lose value faster than a Toyota, Volkswagen or Hyundai of the same age — that gap is the standing knock against every Chinese brand, and it is narrowing for both of them as volumes climb. Between the two, Haval has a small structural edge.
The reason is the transferable warranty. A three-year-old Haval still carries years of full factory cover for its next owner, which makes it easier to sell and supports the price. A three-year-old Chery has lost its headline engine warranty the moment it changed hands, so that selling point is gone.
None of this decides it on its own. But if you know you trade every few years, price the resale difference in now rather than discovering it later — a free trade-in valuation on your current car gives you real numbers to work with.
What about the Jolion versus the Chery that replaced the Tiggo 4 Pro?
This is the head-to-head most buyers are actually having, with one wrinkle: the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is being phased out as a new car. Chery South Africa has replaced its entry LiT variants with the facelifted Tiggo Cross LiT, from R279 900, per cars.co.za in March 2026. So the current fight is the Haval Jolion against the Chery Tiggo Cross. You can still buy a used Tiggo 4 Pro — it is the same car underneath.
| Chery Tiggo Cross | Haval Jolion | |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | R279 900 (Tiggo Cross LiT, our floor); 1.5T from about R399 900 | About R317 900 for the 1.5T City, per published Haval pricing (August 2026) |
| Turbo engine | 1.5T, 108 kW / 210 Nm, 7-speed dual-clutch | 1.5T Jolion Pro, 105 kW / 210 Nm; upper variants 130 kW / 270 Nm |
| Hybrid option | Tiggo Cross HEV (separate variant) | Jolion Pro HEV, about 140 kW / 375 Nm, 5.2 L/100km claimed |
| Vehicle warranty | 5 years / 150 000 km (+ first-owner engine warranty) | 7 years / 200 000 km, transferable |
| Cabin tech | Newer generation — twin 10.25-inch displays on the LiT, wireless Apple CarPlay / Android Auto | Well-equipped; larger central screen on higher trims |
Turbo and hybrid outputs above are from AutoTrader's January 2025 pricing comparison; confirm the exact figure on the exact variant before you sign, as line-ups shift.
Short version: the Tiggo Cross gives you newer screens and a lower way in; the Jolion Pro gives you more power higher up the range and a warranty that resells. Both are honest choices.
Where does each brand actually win?
Stripped of the marketing, here is where each one genuinely comes out ahead.
Chery wins if you…
- buy new and keep cars eight to ten years — the engine warranty is worth most to you
- want the cheapest way into a modern SUV — the Tiggo Cross LiT from R279 900 undercuts the entry Jolion
- are buying a hybrid or EV and want the longest battery cover — 10 years / unlimited km
- value the newest cabin tech at the price — Chery has pushed hard on screens and voice control
Haval wins if you…
- trade every two or three years — the full warranty transfers and supports your resale
- want one simple service-plan number — 7 years / 75 000 km, no per-model reading
- want more power in the mid-range — the Jolion Pro's 130 kW petrol tops the Tiggo Cross's 108 kW turbo
- put weight on a longer South African track record — the Jolion has been a high-volume seller here for years
Should you buy on the badge or the specific model?
On the model, every time. “Chery” and “Haval” are not single products — each spans entry cars and R500 000-plus SUVs with different engines, plans and equipment.
Pick the two or three variants you can actually afford, then compare them line by line: price, standard spec, service-plan length and interval, the nearest dealer to you, and what each will be worth in four years. A well-specced Chery can beat a stripped Haval, and the other way round. The badge is the last thing to weigh, not the first. If you want a bigger car, the same logic runs at the top of the range — a Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max versus a Haval H6, say.
Is the dealer and parts network different between them?
Both are past the point where this should scare you off, and both still trail Toyota. Chery South Africa lists around 80 service outlets nationwide; the GWM/Haval network is 90-plus dealers.
Routine service parts — filters, pads, belts, common sensors — are generally on the shelf or a day or two out for either brand in Gauteng. Panel and crash parts, and rarer components, can still run to weeks on both. Sales volume is the useful signal here: Chery finished sixth overall in August 2026 on 2 763 units and the GWM brand family seventh on 2 594, and networks grow with volume.
The short version
- It is close on the metal — similar prices, similar spec, both well built.
- Chery's warranty is longer on paper — 10 years / 1 000 000 km on the engine, but first owner only and engine-internals only after year 5.
- Haval's warranty is shorter but transfers — 7 years / 200 000 km on the whole car, into the next owner's hands, plus a flat 7-year / 75 000 km service plan.
- Haval has the small resale edge; Chery has the cheaper entry and the longer hybrid-battery cover.
- Buy the specific variant, not the badge — and if you trade often, price the resale gap in now.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chery or Haval better in South Africa?
Neither wins outright. They sit at similar prices with similar standard spec, and the honest split is the warranty and how long you keep a car. Chery offers a 10-year / 1 000 000 km engine warranty, but only for the first owner. Haval offers a 7-year / 200 000 km warranty that covers the whole car and transfers to the next owner. Keep a car eight to ten years and Chery's cover is worth more; trade every three and Haval's transferable warranty protects your resale.
Does Chery or Haval have the better warranty?
It depends what you value. Chery's headline is longer on paper: 5 years / 150 000 km on the whole vehicle, then a further 5 years / 850 000 km on the engine internals only, first owner only, service history must be spotless. Haval's is shorter but simpler and stronger in structure: 7 years / 200 000 km on the whole car, described by GWM as comprehensive and transferable, plus a 7-year / 75 000 km service plan across the range.
Is the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro still on sale in South Africa?
The Tiggo 4 Pro is being phased out as a new car. Chery South Africa has replaced its entry LiT variants with the facelifted Tiggo Cross LiT, from R279 900, per cars.co.za in March 2026. So the real 2026 comparison is the Haval Jolion against the Chery Tiggo Cross. You can still buy a used Tiggo 4 Pro — it is mechanically the same car underneath.
Which holds its value better, Chery or Haval?
Both trail Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai on resale, and the gap is narrowing for each. Between the two, Haval has a small structural edge because its full warranty transfers to the second owner, which makes a used Haval easier to sell with confidence. Chery's million-kilometre engine warranty does not transfer, so a used Chery loses that selling point. If resale matters to you, that difference is real money.
Is the Haval Jolion better than the Chery Tiggo Cross?
They are close. The Chery Tiggo Cross generally has newer cabin tech and slightly better claimed fuel figures, and the Tiggo Cross LiT undercuts the cheapest Jolion on price from R279 900. The upper Haval Jolion Pro variants have more power — up to 130 kW petrol or 140 kW hybrid against the Tiggo Cross's 108 kW turbo — and the Jolion has a longer South African track record. Drive both in the variant you can afford before deciding.
Which is cheaper to service, Chery or Haval?
Both include a service plan with the car, so for the plan period your scheduled servicing is covered either way. Haval's plan is a single figure across the range at 7 years / 75 000 km with 15 000 km intervals. Chery's plan length varies by model — for example 5 years / 60 000 km on the Tiggo Cross LiT. Compare the exact plan on the exact variant, and check the service interval, because a longer interval means fewer visits.
Which sells more in South Africa, Chery or Haval?
Chery outsold the GWM brand family in August 2026, finishing sixth overall on 2 763 units against GWM's 2 594, per naamsa figures reported by CAR magazine. Haval is sold under the GWM umbrella rather than as a separate brand in those tables. Both are among the fastest-growing brands in the country, and sales volume is a reasonable proxy for how quickly the dealer and parts network is filling out.
Still stuck between the two? Tell us how you use a car
Message Tembani with your budget, how many kilometres you drive a year and how long you keep a car, and you will get a straight read on whether a Chery or a Haval fits you better — plus a finance estimate and a trade-in figure for your current car.