BYD Seal long-term test: report 3

Can a brand that's relatively new to the UK show established names a thing or two in the highly competitive executive car class? We're finding out...

Published06 November 2024

The car BYD Seal 390kW Excellence AWD Run by Steve Huntingford, editor

Why it's here To see if BYD's flagship electric car is a worthy alternative to the Tesla Model 3 and prestige German saloons

Needs to Combine comfort and refinement with cutting-edge tech and a good real-world range

Mileage 4836 List price £48,695 Target Price £45,936 Price as tested £49,571 Test range 240 miles Official range 323 miles

6 November 2024 – Reality check

For me, having a clear idea of how far I can go in an electric car before I’ll need to recharge is at least as important as a big battery, because it banishes range anxiety. Unfortunately, it’s becoming clear that my BYD Seal’s range readout is somewhat (how can I put this?) ‘optimistic’.

For example, I recently had to get to a new car launch at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon. Yet, despite this being 84 miles from my home in West London, the Seal lost 127 miles of range over the course of the drive.

BYD Seal LT over-the-shoulder driving pic

True, much of the route was on the motorway and, because I’d set off early, traffic was light enough for me to cruise at 70mph. But in similar circumstances, other electric cars that I’ve run have remained accurate to within a handful of miles.

Adding to my increasing discomfort was the fact that I’d actually not started with a full battery (the Seal had been on 86%). However, I reckoned I’d still make it back without stopping if I kept to 60mph on the return journey. And, sure enough, this did improve the Seal’s efficiency, even though the estimated range I'd have left when I reached my destination continued to drop.

Then my parents – who were at my flat, looking after my daughter – phoned to say that they needed to pop home, so could I pick her up from their house. It was a detour of less than 20 miles, but with that added in, I decided I really would be pushing my luck if I tried to get all the way back to London without a top-up.

The solution: a quick stop at Beaconsfield Services, just off the M40. Or, at least, that was the plan, but when I pulled in, I found all nine chargers on the site were occupied. And then, when one of the ultra-rapid Ionity units at Beaconsfield did eventually become available, it refused to start pumping electricity.

I called the Ionity helpline, where a nice lady called Sara tried to get the unit working. But ultimately, after almost half an hour of attempts, she had to admit defeat.

Instead, I moved over to one of the older, Gridserve chargers at the services, which had since become available, and here a swipe of my credit card immediately got the electricity flowing. The trouble was it was coming in a trickle rather than a torrent; at a speed of 22kW versus the 60kW the unit was supposedly capable of, and a fraction of the Seal's 150kW maximum.

At the rate I was getting, I’d have had to wait almost two hours to get the battery up to 80%, although fortunately I didn't need that much on this occasion.

On reflection, I’d probably become a bit blasé about using public chargers, after not experiencing any significant problems for a while. But this trip was a reminder that there are still some major issues with the network that the Government needs to get to grips with if it's serious about bringing the ban on new petrol and diesel cars back forward from 2035 to 2030.

And BYD? Well, as in all walks of life, my advice to it would simply be 'honesty is the best policy'.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here