BYD Seal (2023 - )

If you were thinking BYD (it stands for Build Your Dreams) is a new company just emerging from China, then you would be very much mistaken.

It was founded in 1995 and is the world’s leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles. It has 28 years of battery expertise, employs 90,000 engineers and a staggering 15 patents are authorised every day.

However, the name is relatively new here in the UK with the Atto 3 and Dolphin models launched earlier this year. But the game-changer is likely to be the Seal which is a dynamically styled, well-equipped saloon car with a very decent driving range between charges.

There are two trims called Design with a single motor for rear-wheel drive and Excellence with two motors for all-wheel drive, but both models feature the same 82.5kWh battery. 

And this battery, which is 100 per cent cobalt-free, certainly deserves a mention as it’s an area of expertise for BYD and utilises ground-breaking technology to provide new levels of safety, durability and performance. It has undergone the most stringent tests such as being crushed, bent, overcharged by 260 per cent and heated in a furnace at 300 degrees centigrade. None of these tests resulted in a fire or explosion.

And if you still need convincing about the merits of BYD, it develops supplies for Nokia, LG, Sony, Google and half the Apple iPads in the world too. In fact one fifth of mobile phones globally have some part from BYD in them.

The four-door BYD Seal is an attention grabber when viewed from any angle thanks to its sleek and dynamic good looks. It has a bit of a Porsche-looking front end, but carries it off very well with its own X-styled face design, which apparently takes its inspiration from the ocean.

There is a low bonnet with integrated LED headlights and distinctive daytime running lights, concealed door handles, angled A pillars, a sloping coupe-like roofline with panoramic sunroof and two-tone 19-inch alloys on both trim levels. At the rear is a full width light bar and dot matrix taillights making the car easily recognisable at night. 

There is one other details worth noting. On the back of our Seal Excellence model is a badge reading 3.8s. This is a nod to the 0-62mph sprint time of the car.

Moving inside, the Seal is upmarket with high-end fixtures and fittings. The main focal point is the centrally-positioned 15.65-inch infotainment screen that can be rotated at the push of a button to be viewed in either portrait or landscape layout.

There is smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, full navigation, a pitch-perfect 12-speaker Dynaudio Performance sound system with DAB radio and plenty more besides.

In addition, there is a 10.25-inch driver information display with all the vital data such as speed, range and battery levels.

We would prefer a few more physical buttons as the large screen can be difficult to operate on the move, but there is the ‘Hey BYD’ voice assistant that can help with numerous tasks.

The seats are exceptionally comfortable and finished in leather with intricate stitching detail giving them a classy appearance. They are powered, can be heated or ventilated and the steering wheel can also be warmed against the winter chill.

The only downside to the otherwise premium cockpit is the glare from the infotainment screens on a bright day. This is due to the lack of any shade to cover the panoramic sunroof.

Our all-wheel drive BYD Seal Excellence featured the same 82.5kWh battery as the RWD car, but gains quite a power boost thanks to the additional motor. It has a total output of 530PS (compared to 313PS on the RWD car) and can complete the 0-62mph sprint in a very rapid 3.8 seconds. The single motor Seal takes slightly longer at 5.9 seconds and both cars have a top speed of 111mph.

Both versions boast a decent driving range between charges with the single motor Design model achieving a combined 354 miles while the AWD Excellence car is slightly lower at 323 miles.

With that sort of acceleration at your disposal, the BYD Seal is certainly a thrill-seeker’s car and makes very light work of overtaking slower-moving vehicles. The power levels are constant and, thanks to its dynamic styling and low centre of gravity, the Seal is beautifully confident when pushed hard through tight corners.

The suspension set-up is perfect for UK roads and smooths out most bumps along the way while occupants remain well protected from outside noise intrusion, apart from some tyre rumble at times.

It’s a capable motorway cruiser too effortlessly eating up the miles, while drive modes called Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow alter the performance and handling of the vehicle accordingly. It is also possible to adjust the steering and braking strengths with two settings for regenerative braking.

Then there is the newly developed Intelligent Torque Adaption Control (iTAC) system that dramatically improves stability and reduces the risk of skidding and wheel spinning. 

The car does tend to beep a lot due to the comprehensive list of driver safety aids which is somewhat annoying, but these can be silenced fairly simply.

The BYD Seal is a four-door saloon car that boasts a really strong road presence thanks to its sleek streamlining. It stretches 4,800mm in length, is 1,875mm across and 1,460mm high with a wheelbase of 2,920mm.

The cabin is roomy and very upmarket and boasts a flat floor in the back (with no transmission tunnel) and that in turn means three occupants can sit comfortably side by side.

Both cars have a full-sized panoramic roof, but it doesn’t impact on passenger headroom at all. However, taller passengers in the back may find their hair brushing the headlining due to the sloping roof design of the Seal.

The boot can swallow 400 litres of luggage and there is also extra storage space beneath the bonnet for a further 53 litres of goodies. This is an ideal area to keep the cables.

Elsewhere, there is a glovebox, door bins, front and rear cup holders, a large central cubby, seat back pockets, a double charging pad, a hidden compartment next to the driver’s door and a large area beneath the centre console. This is where the USB ports are located but they are awkwardly positioned and quite difficult to access.

The BYD Seal offers an 11kW 3-phase on-board charger for AC charging as standard, but can also be fast charged with a maximum of 150kW and this will see the Blade battery boosted from 30 to 80 per cent in 26 minutes.

The BYD Seal is available in Design trim with rear-wheel drive, priced at £45,695 or Excellence, as tested, which is all-wheel drive and costs £48,695.

Both models are very generously equipped as standard so there are no unexpected optional extra costs to factor in. And the list of safety features and driver assistance aids across the line-up also impresses with the likes of forward collision warning, rear collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert, emergency lane keep, blind spot detection, traction control and lots more besides. These systems helped the Seal achieve a maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating when tested.

For any business drivers considering the BYD Seal, it has an attractive Benefit in Kind tax rating of two per cent and, with its zero carbon emissions, owners also benefit from a number of financial benefits. These include being exempt from road tax, along with congestion and low emission zone fees. 

In addition, electric vehicle owners are not penalised for purchasing a vehicle with a price-tag exceeding £40k or above as owners of traditionally powered cars are.

However, on the downside, the Government has announced it will be reducing or withdrawing incentives completely from 2025.

For added peace of mind, the BYD Seal comes with a six-year, 93,000-mile warranty and that impressive Blade battery is supplied with eight-year, 124,000-mile cover.

The BYD Seal is the third all-electric model the Chinese carmaker has launched here in the UK since March on the back of the Atto 3 SUV and Dolphin hatchback. But it’s the Seal that is viewed as the vehicle to really attack the more mainstream brands thanks to its dynamic styling, wealth of on-board technology, impressive driving range and competitive pricing structure.

It will be taking on some big hitters though in the form of Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 and Hyundai Ioniq 6, so it will be quite an achievement when the newcomer to UK soil starts notching up the sales. And we think it will do rather well.