BYD Seal long-term test: report 1

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...

Published27 September 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 2084 List price £48,695 Target Price £45,936 Price as tested £49,571 Test range 322 miles Official range 323 miles Options fitted Indigo Grey paint (£876) and Tahitian Blue upholstery (no cost option)

27 September – Seal of approval?

We all own lots of things that bear the stamp ‘Made in China’. Yet until recently, Chinese-built cars were as rare a sight in the UK as giant pandas – and even now, driving a car from a Chinese brand remains novel. But not for long, if BYD has its way.

Founded in 1995 as a battery manufacturer, it launched its auto division in 2003, and has become so successful in its home market that late last year it overtook Tesla to become the world’s largest maker of electric vehicles.

True, it still has a long way to go before it’s as big as Tesla on these shores, having only introduced its first car here in spring 2023. However, BYD is certainly ambitious, as evidenced by the fact that in the last 18 months its added a further three models to its UK line-up.

Its original offering, the BYD Atto 3 SUV, has been joined by a family hatchback and a second SUV. But by far its most interesting car (at least for me) is the BYD Seal executive saloon, which is why I’m now running one of these.

Why is it the Seal that most appealed? Well, for starters it has the highest What Car? rating (four stars) of any BYD to date. Plus, on paper it seems to offer many of the same qualities as the BMW i5 that I’ve just swapped out of – despite costing around half the price.

In addition to their shared bodystyle, both models are fully electric and officially capable of covering more than 300 miles on a charge. And both combine this with seriously lively acceleration; in fact, the all-wheel-drive (AWD) version of the Seal that I’ve got actually accelerates faster than my old i5, dispatching the 0-62mph sprint in just 3.8sec.

That rises to a slightly less jaw-dropping 5.9sec if you go for the cheaper, single-motor, rear-wheel-drive (RWD) model. But both variants come with a long list of standard kit, including a powered bootlid, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, a 360-degree parking camera, adaptive cruise control, and heated and ventilated front seats with electric adjustment.

The Seal is actually so well equipped that BYD doesn’t bother with an options list; once you’ve chosen your model, you just need to decide which of the six paint colours you want and whether you prefer black or light blue upholstery.

I’ve gone for the latter, because it’s a rare treat these days to be able to have a car interior that doesn’t resemble a cave. And it’s not just the brightness that appeals; the mix of faux leather and suede on the dashboard looks and feels great, and although the seats are a little softer than I’d ideally like, the driving position is fundamentally sound.

Then there’s BYD’s signature feature: a huge, 15.6in infotainment touchscreen, which rotates between landscape and portrait orientation at the touch of a button. At first, I thought this was just a gimmick to impress first-time passengers (it certainly got my seven-year-old daughter oohing and ahhing). But I’ve since found that both modes have their advantages: landscape brings the controls within easier reach, while portrait lets you see farther ahead when you’re viewing the sat-nav map.

Usually, at this point, I’d moan about the fact that the vast majority of the car’s functions are controlled through the screen, including the climate control. However, in the Seal the key icons are so big that they’re actually pretty easy to hit on the move.

There are just two niggles with the car so far. First, it’s a pity that the separate instrumentation screen directly in front of you isn’t more configurable; it can’t show a map, for example, although the fact that there’s a second screen at all is still an upgrade on the Tesla Model 3. And second, there’s currently a slight smell of plastic inside my Seal, which seems strange given that its interior doesn’t look or feel plasticky; hopefully this is just BYD’s version of a ‘new-car smell’ and will fade over time.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying the interest that the Seal is currently generating due to its rarity, and looking forward to seeing if it deserves to become a far more common sight.

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