BYD Seal review

The BYD Seal might have a name that makes you smile, but this sleek electric saloon promises to be a serious contender in the executive car class. Indeed, globally, BYD now sells more electric vehicles (EVs) than any other brand.

Positioned above the BYD Dolphin, BYD Atto 2 and BYD Atto 3 in the Chinese company's range, the Seal has its sights set on toppling the Tesla Model 3. And it has some impressive numbers to help its cause.

BYD Seal video review

For example, the entry-level version has an official range of more than 350 miles, while the range-topper can accelerate from 0-62mph in less than four seconds.

Beyond the Model 3, rivals include the BMW i4, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Polestar 2 and Volkswagen ID 7. So can the BYD Seal hold its own against the best electric cars for performance, range, charging speed and more? Read on to find out...

There are two versions of the BYD Seal: a single motor, rear-wheel-drive model, badged Design, and one with twin-motors and four-wheel drive, badged Excellence.

The latter has an official range between charges of up to 323 miles, yet it's quicker from 0-62mph than most versions of the Tesla Model 3, with an official time of 3.8 seconds. As a result, when you put your foot down, it takes off immediately and with vigour, forcing you back into your seat.

As enjoyable as it is to have that sort of pace available, though, we suspect the entry-level Design model will be more than quick enough for most buyers. At our private test track, we clocked one accelerating from 0-60mph in a very respectable 6.1 seconds – 0.3 seconds faster than the rear-wheel-drive Model 3 we tested on the same day. That’s still the kind of performance that makes overtaking slow-moving traffic a breeze.

In addition, going for the Design boosts the official range to 354 miles. However, it's worth noting that in our real-world winter range test it covered just 255 miles before running out of juice, compared with the 293 miles achieved by a Model 3 Long Range.

The Seal Excellence comes with semi-adaptive dampers, while the Design gets a passive set-up, but in truth they deliver a similar feel. There's enough plushness to take the sting out of bumps and potholes, and enough control to stop you floating around over undulations.

Our only issue with the ride is that patched-up surfaces cause the car to fidget around more than the Model 3 and Volkswagen ID 7. But you'll still be more comfortable than you would be in a Hyundai Ioniq 6 or Polestar 2.

All Seals also drum up more road noise than a Model 3 or ID 7 over coarse surfaces, but you're well isolated from wind noise, aided by standard double-glazed front windows.

As for handling, body lean is nicely contained and the Excellence even gets a torque-vectoring system to help increase traction. But, like the Model 3, the Seal doesn't particularly involve you in the driving process. For an electric saloon that really engages, you need to look to the far pricier Audi E-Tron GT or Porsche Taycan.

The main issue in the Seal is steering that feels quite numb and slow around the centre point before suddenly causing the nose of the car to dart into corners – at least when you're in Comfort mode.

We'd recommend switching the steering to Sport, because this brings greater consistency of response (if not greater feedback).

“Like the steering, I think the brakes are much better in Sport mode than Comfort, because this makes them more progressive and so it's easier to slow the car smoothly.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor

When you slide behind the wheel of the BYD Seal, you quickly appreciate that the driving position is fundamentally sound and easy to tailor to your shape.

The supportive seats are electrically adjustable with a memory function and adjustable lumbar support as standard, and there's four-way manual steering-wheel adjustment. Our one gripe is that the wheel tends to cut off your view of the top of the instrumentation screen if you're tall.

Visibility could also be better. True, the view out of the front is fine, but the sloping roof and small rear windows conspire to limit over-the-shoulder vision, making it a challenge to see what’s in your blind-spot. 

To make up for this and make parking easier, every Seal comes with a 360-degree camera that can display a video feed and a digitised version of the Seal on the 15.6in infotainment touchscreen. It allows you to drag your finger across the screen to rotate your virtual car and see what’s around you.

Front and rear parking sensors are also standard, although these don’t provide an audible warning when you’re approaching an object – just a visual one on the screen.

That screen can be electronically rotated between landscape and portrait configurations, and features big icons that are pretty easy to hit on the move, but it’s not especially responsive. And while the voice control understands most commands, it seems to lack confidence, invariably questioning whether or not it heard you correctly. Overall, we much prefer the infotainment system in the BMW i4.

You do at least get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard in the Seal, although these can only be used when the screen is in landscape orientation.

The Seal's designers didn’t hold back when it came to the interior styling. It looks very futuristic, with heavily contoured surfaces and an eclectic use of materials. It’s more pleasant to sit in than the austere Hyundai Ioniq 6, but not quite up there with the i4 for outright build quality.

For example, there are some harder and cheaper-feeling plastics lower down in the interior, while the shut line between the internal door panel and dashboard is cavernous. Then again, the screen doesn’t wobble when you press it – something we’ve experienced in some very expensive Mercedes car models.

“I wish the digital screen in front of the driver could show a sat-nav map, but the fact that there’s a second screen at all is still an upgrade on the Tesla Model 3.” – Doug Revolta, Head of Video

Like the Tesla Model 3, the BYD Seal comes with a panoramic glass roof that ditches the traditional head room-robbing shutter. However, the Seal's is actually better than the Model 3's, because it lets you turn the glass opaque at the touch of a button to shield occupants from strong sunlight.

This design is combined with generous leg room front and rear, and a flat floor in the back of the car. So, it's all the more disappointing that a lack of under-thigh support compromises rear-seat comfort on long journeys. A Model 3 is much better in this respect, while if you want a true limo-like passenger experience, we’d point you in the direction of the Volkswagen ID 7.

More positively, there's loads of storage in the front, with occupants treated to good-sized door bins, a wireless charging pad that holds two mobiles phones, a deep cubby beneath the central armrest and a large hollowed out area between the front seats. There are also two cupholders built into the centre console with variable depth, allowing you to raise and lower them depending on the size of your drink.

The Seal has 400 litres of boot space – just about matching the Hyundai Ioniq 6 for volume but lagging behind the Model 3 and ID 7. It's hardly surprising, then, that we managed to fit seven carry-on suitcases in the Seal's boot versus eight in the ID 7's and nine in the Model 3's. Still, that’s big enough for a family holiday, and you do get space under the floor for your charging cables – freeing up the 53-litre front boot for other items.

Indeed, the main problem with the Seal’s boot is that, as in the Ioniq 6 and the Model 3, it has a small opening, making it hard to load bulky items of luggage. The BMW i4 and the ID 7 feature hatchback-style boots that provide a bigger aperture.

“I think it's crazy that so few electric cars have under-bonnet storage, so the fact that the Seal does feels like a real bonus.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

As a cash purchase, the entry-level BYD Seal (called the Design) will cost you slightly more than the equivalent Polestar 2. That makes it quite a bit more expensive than the Tesla Model 3 and means it only just undercuts the Hyundai Ioniq 6, although the BMW i4 and Volkswagen ID 7 are quite a bit more expensive again.

BYD also gives you lots for your money; standard equipment includes 19in alloy wheels, a powered bootlid, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, a heat pump (to improve efficiency), adaptive cruise control and keyless entry.

The Seal’s battery has a maximum charging rate of 150kW, so if you can find a really quick public charger you should be able to top up from 10% to 80% in around 38 minutes.

That’s slower than the i4 (200kW), the Ioniq 6 (220kW), the ID 7 (175kW) and the Model 3 (up to 170kW for the RWD and 250kW for the Long Range) – plus, the Model 3 get cheaper access to the dependable and fast Tesla Supercharger network.

We don’t have any reliability data for the Seal or BYD as a brand yet, so we’ll have to see how it fares over the next few years. But reassuringly, it does come with a generous six-year/93,000-mile warranty, and the battery has its own eight-year/124,000-mile warranty.

The Seal scored a full five stars in its Euro NCAP safety test, although the Ioniq 6 did a slightly better job of protecting adults in a front impact.

The Seal also benefits from a comprehensive suite of standard safety aids to stop you from getting into a crash in the first place. These include automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot detection, active lane assist, front and rear cross-traffic alert, and traffic-sign recognition.

“Just a few years ago, I would have been impressed by a 150kW charging speed, but these days it feels slow, which shows how fast electric cars are progressing.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

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