Haval H8 review: only for a buyer who has already lined up a specialist
2.7/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The H8 is not a bad car — the ZF-sourced automatic in particular was a genuine strength, and the cabin is more spacious than its badge suggests. The honest problem is availability: Haval discontinued it in 2019, Tasheelat's Bahrain network was not yet established when most examples were sold, and today's supply of parts leans on Saudi grey-market channels rather than a local warehouse. Only buy one if you have already found a workshop that can service it and priced the risk into the deal.
Pros
- Genuinely spacious cabin for its footprint, close to a mid-size Japanese rival
- ZF-sourced 6-speed automatic still shifts smoothly by Haval standards
- 218 hp turbo four is strong enough for everyday Bahraini driving
- Rarity means a good example can be negotiated well below Japanese equivalents
Cons
- Discontinued globally since 2019; no factory support remains
- Parts availability depends heavily on Saudi grey-market channels
- Most Bahraini examples are older private or early grey-market imports
- Very few independent workshops still stock its specific parts
Before the H9 became Haval's flagship off-roader, the H8 briefly held that spot. Built on a unibody rather than a ladder frame, it aimed more at family-SUV buyers than dune-runners, with a 2.0-litre turbo four producing 218 hp mated to a ZF-sourced 6-speed automatic that was, for the time, one of the more convincing transmissions Haval had fitted to anything.
What holds up today
The cabin's biggest surprise, then and now, is space: at 4,800 mm long the H8 is genuinely close to a mid-size Japanese SUV in interior room, and the driving position is more car-like than the H9 that eventually replaced it in Haval's thinking. On a smooth road the ZF automatic still shifts more smoothly than several newer dual-clutch Havals.
The problem is entirely aftermarket
Global production ended in 2019, before Tasheelat Automotive's Bahrain operation had fully matured, which means most H8s on Bahraini roads are older private imports or early grey-market cars rather than cars with a clean local service history. Parts availability is the deciding factor for any used H8 purchase, not the car's mechanical condition.
Who should still consider one
Buyers hunting for cheap interior space and willing to do the legwork of finding a workshop that stocks or can source H8 parts, usually through Saudi channels. Anyone who wants a straightforward ownership experience should look at the H6 or H9 instead.