road test: BYD Sealion 7 Excellence

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Sealion 7’s wheelbase is 10mm longer than the BYD Seal, and combined with a completely flat rear floor, this makes plenty of space in the rear cabin for three adults.

Greater attention has been placed on interior quality, with extremely good fit and finish and very comfortable seats. Rear seats have plenty of padding and rear headroom is generous, despite the coupe-style roofline. The Sealion 7 has double-layered laminated glass in the front doors and privacy glass in the rears. There’s plenty of natural light from above, thanks to a large, full-length electric panoramic sunroof.

The driving position is good, with a four-way adjustable steering wheel and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat with ventilation and heating as standard.

As with the Seal, the Sealion 7 has BYD’s centrally mounted rotatable 15.6in touchscreen, as well as a 10.25in digital dash. The touchscreen takes some getting used to, with some fiddly menus though thankfully there is a bar below it for accessing often-used functions such as climate control or radio. Please allow a onetouch “turn off the bings and bongs” option too!

On the road the car has a “big car” feel. There’s plenty of power, with 0-62mph acceleration of 4.5sec on the twin-motor versions (6.7sec on the Design version). On the downside, it suffers, like a lot of tall, SUV-style EVs with drive-by-wire systems, from a rather unengaging driving experience. It’s at its best as a cruiser on motorways or dual carriageways.

Sealion 7 has wireless smartphone charging, a pair of USB ports for both front and rear passengers, and Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology that allows you to power domestic items (up to 3.3 kW) such as a small fridge or even a coffee machine.

Boot capacity is a useful 520 litres with the rear seats in place. There’s also a 58-litre ‘frunk’ that’s ideal for storing charging cables or car-cleaning kit, while the cabin itself has more than 20 cubbyholes for keeping smaller items secure yet accessible, including an area for smartphones, at the base of the dashboard, that includes a wireless charging pad.

Verdict

BYD means business. This powerhouse Chinese automaker has only been in the UK for two years, yet it has already made a big impression.

The BYD Seal was very deservedly Professional Driver’s 2025 Car of the Year, and its big sister is arguably an even better vehicle, with loads of interior space and impressive build quality.

Electric range is good if not earth-shattering at just over 300 miles, though given BYD’s advances in battery tech and charging infrastructure, range anxiety is unlikely to be an issue in the future.

On the downside, the touchscreen system is rather fiddly and we’d like to spend longer with the car to get used to it. Like all modern electric SUVs, there’s plenty of acceleration and not enough handling feel, though the Sealion 7 is a very comfortable motorway cruiser.

Better than a Tesla Y? Yes, in just about every department. And it comes with a lot less baggage!

Data

Price as tested £58,990 OTR

Specification

Powertrain Dual-motor EV

Transmission Single-speed auto, all-wheel drive

Battery pack 91.3kWh Blade (LFP)

Power 530hp (308hp rear, 215hp front)

Torque 690Nm

Top speed 133mph

0-62mph 4.5sec

Electric range 312 miles (WLTP combined)

Charging time 9hr 36min AC (11kW 3-phase, 0-100%) 24min DC (230kWh rapid, 10-80%)

CO2 emissions 0g/km (WLTP)

Charge port CCS2

Length 4,830mm

Width 1,925mm

Height 1,620mm

Wheelbase 2,930mm

Loadspace 520 litres (rear) 58 litres (front)

Turning circle 5.85m

Vehicle warr'y 6 years / 93,750 miles

Battery warr'y 8 years / 125,000 miles

Drive warranty 8 years / 93,750 miles

Body warranty 12 years

Insurance Gp 49E

VED Band A