What is it?
The Seal is BYD’s Flagship Saloon and the most recent model from the BYD Range to launch in the UK. This sophisticated fully-electric saloon has a sleek exterior, impressive range and is filled to the brim with great technology and standard features.
A rival of Tesla’s model 3, the BMW i4, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and the Polestar 2, the BYD Seal has some harsh competition. The brand encouraging customers to ‘Build Your Dreams’, has released a great option for electric vehicle driver’s looking for something new and exciting.
Our BYD experts say:
“The BYD Seal is the standard setter for electric saloons, thanks in large part to it’s extensive technology. BYD’s global rise has been meteoric and the Seal has been the car to make this happen.”
What’s new?
As the third model from BYD, after the Dolphin and Atto 3, the Seal has launched the brand to the next level, offering a more premium and luxurious choice. The Seal is BYD’s flagship model on offer and has two options available.
Firstly, the ‘Design’, which is the cheaper of the two trim levels, and has one single motor and rear wheel drive as standard. There is also the ‘Excellence AWD’ which features two motors and four-wheel drive.
What’s under the bonnet?
With the Seal being a fully electric vehicle, the only thing under the bonnet is the 55 litre front storage compartment which is perfect for storing the charging cables and equipment. The battery, fitted to the vehicle’s floor, is where all the power comes from.
BYD has fitted it’s innovative Blade Battery to the Seal, which has an impressive capacity of 82.5 kWh. This new battery design is compact in design, which optimizes space without compromising the power output or the range achieved.
The Seal is also capable of fast charging thanks to the 150kw Max DC charging power. This allows the battery to go from 10-80% charge in just 38 minutes.
Our BYD experts say:
“The Blade Battery’s durability and reliability are second to none, as can be seen from its 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating. The battery has incredible thermal management capabilities which help to drastically increase overall battery life. In fact, BYD are so confident in the Blade battery’s reliability that they come with an 8 year warranty!”
What’s it like to drive?
The BYD Seal is a very impressive car to drive. With either the Design or Excellence AWD, the steering is very communicative, and the handling is responsive. The Seal feels at home on all different road types, offering comfort from the driving seat.
What differs with the two options is the acceleration time. The range topping Excellence AWD can sprint from 0-62 mph in just 3.8 seconds! The dual motors and all wheel drive allows for instant, exciting acceleration and a thrilling feeling whilst driving. The expected range is slightly lower with the Excellence, achieving up to 323 miles on a full charge compared to the 354 miles which is expected of the Design.
How does it look?
Described by BYD as ‘a true masterpiece of ocean inspired design’, the Seal takes styling to the next level. The Seal follows the X design concept which can be seen through the headlight and front bumper curation. The exterior also features ‘gills’ behind the front wheels and ‘scales’ towards the C-pillar creating a fluid design that compliments the marine ethos.
The Seal is available with eye catching 19” Bi-colour alloy wheels and a choice from five stylish metallic paint colours: Indigo Grey, Shadow Green, Ice Blue, Polar White, Space Black and Atlantis Grey.
What’s it like inside?
The interior has been curated with lots of luxurious materials and features a great build quality. The seats are finished in a leather and are heated, ventilated and fully electrically adjustable ensuring maximum comfort. The Seal also features a panoramic glass sunroof as standard which feels premium, increases the amount of light into the car and doesn’t minimize headroom.
The highlight of the interior is the 15.6” full touchscreen display. The display swivels meaning that it can be viewed in either portrait or landscape mode allowing for more personalisation.
How does the BYD Seal compare with the Tesla Model 3?
The BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3 are natural rivals due to their incredible range.
The Model 3 will cover up to 390 miles on single charge, while the BYD Seal will manage up to 354 miles. However, reliability is where the BYD Seal has the edge.
BYD offer an 8 year warranty for their battery, while the Tesla comes with just 4 years or 50,000 miles whichever occurs first.
Verdict: Is the BYD Seal a good car?
In a word, yes. The BYD Seal is an impressive electric Saloon which is worthy of rivalling fierce competition such as the Tesla model 3. The Seal is comfortable to drive, has an impressive range and features lots of standard equipment and safety features. There is also a generous 6 year or 93,750 mile warranty for the whole car and 8 year or 125,000 mile for the battery, allowing for piece of mind.
Reliability and range are stand out strings to the BYD Seal’s bow but it is also an attractive car which adds a bit of spark to the BYD Range.
BYD’s Seal is a great car, at a great price and will be available to order from Crewe BYD and Chester BYD as of 1st May 2024.