BYD Sealion 7 review

The name of the BYD Sealion 7 we're reviewing here might seem a bit odd, but then it’s no weirder than an SUV called a Puma or a sports car called a Cayman. Lots of cars are named after animals, so why should pinnipeds be left out?

Likewise, the number 7 in the Sealion's name doesn’t really mean anything at the moment. You can't buy it as a seven-seater but it suggests smaller Sealion models might arrive later on.

Enough about the name – what exactly is the Sealion 7? Well, it’s an electric SUV and is probably best thought of as a taller, slightly longer take on the BYD Seal. That makes it a direct rival to the big-selling Tesla Model Y as well as the lower-riding and slightly smaller Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.

BYD Sealion 7 video review

So is the BYD Sealion 7 good enough to take on the best electric SUVs and win? Read on to find out how we rate it in all the important areas...

BYD describes the Sealion 7 as a performance SUV and there’s no doubt it’s pretty rapid in a straight line. Even the entry-level Comfort version, which has a single 308bhp electric motor driving its rear wheels, can officially sprint from 0-62mph in a respectable 6.7 seconds.

The Design and Excellence models have a second motor driving their front wheels, giving them four-wheel drive and a total of 523bhp. They can rocket to 62mph from a standstill in just 4.5 seconds – something BYD is so proud of that it’s written that time on the back of the car.

While it’s undeniably rapid in a straight line, the Sealion 7 doesn’t quite accelerate with the same ferocity as some rivals (the Ford Capri AWD Extended Range for example). It’s also very keen to restrict power if there’s any chance of losing traction.

It falls short of the performance SUV billing on twistier roads too. There’s more body lean than in a Kia EV6 or Tesla Model Y and the steering fails to weigh up consistently when you turn in to corners – even when you select Sport mode. In short, it's not much fun to drive.

However, we’d argue that most electric SUV buyers are more concerned about ride comfort. And while the Sealion 7’s suspension is good around town, it becomes unsettled by even small bumps and cracks at 60mph. 

On motorways you notice yourself being jostled around in your seat as ripples and other minor imperfections pass beneath you. It’s rarely extreme enough to annoy you, but the EV6 and the pricier Audi Q6 e-tron are more composed.

More positively, the Sealion 7 is pretty hushed at a 70mph cruise, with only a small amount of road or wind noise disturbing the peace. The standard double-glazed side windows no doubt help to keep out too much unwanted noise. 

In fact, it’s a pity you can’t cruise for longer periods: the Sealion 7 doesn’t have a particularly amazing range. The entry-level Comfort can officially travel 299 miles on a full charge, dropping to 283 miles for the heavier four-wheel-drive Design.

Both those versions have the same 82.5kWh (usable capacity) battery, whereas the range-topping Excellence gets a 91.3kWh battery and an official range of 311 miles. That’s not bad, but the Tesla Model Y is available with 311-387 miles of official range (depending on your chosen variant).

"The Sealion 7’s brakes aren’t perfect but I found them less grabby than in a lot of electric cars." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

Sitting in the BYD Sealion 7's driving seat, you feel higher up than in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6 and the driving position is more natural than in a Tesla Model Y. The Model Y's seat is mounted on a plinth to lift you further from the road, whereas in the Sealion 7 the whole car feels bigger and taller.

Electric adjustment for the driver’s seat (including lumbar support) is standard on all versions, and while we’d ideally like a bit more side support from the seat to hold you in place when going around corners, it’s comfortable in other respects.

In fact, the only slightly odd thing about the driving position is that the steering wheel sprouts from fairly low down on the dashboard, meaning it’s angled more towards your face than your chest. That does at least give you a clear, unobstructed view of the digital driver's display.

All versions of the Sealion 7 have a 15.6in infotainment touchscreen which is bright, quick to respond to presses, and can rotate from landscape to portrait at the touch of a button (or icon). The operating system isn’t quite as user-friendly as a Model Y’s, but it’s still fairly intuitive. You get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard, along with a punchy 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Sealion 7 is the quality of its interior. It doesn’t just feel solidly screwed together, it’s also finished with some upmarket materials, especially in the range-topping Excellence.

Lots of ambient interior lighting and a light pattern on the face of the dashboard help make the Sealion 7's interior feel more special inside than a Kia EV6 or Tesla Model Y. The Genesis GV60 is even classier inside.

"I found the 360-degree camera that comes on all versions of the BYD Sealion 7 very handy, and it makes up for the poor rear visibility." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

The BYD Sealion 7 is a big car – it’s slightly longer than an Audi Q6 e-tron or a Tesla Model Y – so it’s no great surprise that there’s plenty of space inside.

In the front, even really tall occupants are well catered for. The seats slide back a long way and there’s no shortage of head room. There are also no fewer than 20 storage cubbyholes dotted around the Sealion 7’s interior, including a deep one under the central armrest and a large tray under the centre console that runs between the driver and front passenger.

It’s in the back where the Sealion 7’s length really pays dividends because it means there’s absolutely loads of knee room. Head room is less generous (blame the coupé-esque roofline) but there’s still just about enough for a six-footer, and the rear seats themselves are more comfortable and supportive than those in a Tesla Model Y.

You can recline the angle of the backrest for a more upright (or laid back) seating position, but you can’t slide the seats back and forth like you can in some electric SUVs, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Mind you, the Sealion 7 has a bigger boot than an Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6. There’s 520 litres of storage space below the parcel shelf, including a huge well under the main boot floor – a useful spot to stow the charging cables.

All versions have a height-adjustable boot floor, but the difference between the highest and lowest settings is only about 4cm. There’s also a useful 58-litre storage area under the bonnet for the charging cables.

"I had to reach forward a long way to fold down the rear seatbacks from the boot. It’s a pity you don't get levers on the side of the boot to make the process easier." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

The BYD Sealion 7 is competitively priced, costing a similar amount to buy outright to the BMW iX1, Skoda Enyaq Coupé and Tesla Model Y. The rival Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are cheaper, but all Sealion 7s undercut the Audi Q6 e-tron.

Whichever trim you choose you get loads of standard equipment, including heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control and vehicle to load (V2L), which allows you to turn your Sealion 7 into a portable battery and run appliances off it.

The range-topping Excellence adds real Napa leather seats (instead of faux leather) and a head-up display that projects your speed and other information on to the windscreen in front of the driver.

There’s plenty of safety kit on all versions, including traffic-sign recognition, forward and rear-collision warning, front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning and blind-spot detection. At the time of rating, Euro NCAP had not crash-tested the Sealion 7 so we don't have a safety rating for it yet.

BYD is one of several Chinese car brands to have launched cars in the UK recently, and reliability data is limited at the moment. You do get a six-year warranty on most components though, with eight years on the battery and motor.

The range-topping Sealion 7 Excellence has a maximum charging rate of 230kW. In ideal conditions with a fast enough charger, a 10-80% top-up can take as little as 24 minutes – roughly the same time that you’d be waiting for a Model Y to charge.

The Comfort and Design versions can accept 150kW of power, so a 10-80% charge of their smaller batteries takes at least 32 minutes.

"I think it’s a pity cheaper versions of the BYD Sealion 7 can’t charge all that quickly. All versions of the Model Y can accept the same ultra-faster charging rate." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

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