New BYD Sealion 7: Five things we learned on our test drive of this large electric SUV

We got behind the wheel of the all-new BYD Sealion 7 to see whether the relative newcomer's large SUV is likely to make an impression in the UK. 

BYD has launched quickly and aggressively into the UK, having only started selling its cars here in 2023. It now has more than 60 dealers in the UK and sold 8,700 cars here in 2024, a figure it says is a 658% increase on 2023. The firm’s cars have been top sellers in China for several years and it has had a presence on UK roads in the form of electric buses for the better part of a decade. 

Fast growing or otherwise, all we really wanted to know was whether the Sealion 7 is a worthy rival to the Skoda Enyaq, Ford Mach E and Tesla Model Y (as its Seal is to the Model 3).

We attended the car’s UK launch event – taking place on the roads around Milton Keynes – to find out what it’s like. Here’s what we learned on our afternoon test drive ahead of a full lab test.

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1. It’s loaded with kit

As is often the case with BYD cars, the tech and safety kit supplied as standard is generous.

Standard features in the bottom-spec Comfort trim include a front and rear parking sensors 360-degree camera, intelligent cruise control with automatic lane keeping, blind spot detection, front and rear collision warning systems, keyless entry, a 15.6-inch touchscreen, wireless phone chargers, a heated steering wheel and a panoramic glass roof with a retractable sunshade. 

You might expect a car that starts from £47,000 to come with a lot of tech, but we’ve seen premium brands scrimp on these features and make them optional extras even at top-spec trim levels – as a buyer, your choice is pretty simple here. 

Design trim (£52,000) gets you all-wheel drive and upgraded wheels, while the top-spec Excellence model (£59,000) gets a bigger battery and a heads-up display that projects key information – such as speed – onto the windscreen in front of the driver. 

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2. It’s a stable and serene drive (but also whines)

Our initial impressions of this car’s handling were very positive. Despite being a large SUV – which you would expect to lumber and roll its way around corners – it demonstrated good roadholding ability and stability when cornering on country roads. There was very little uncomfortable body roll, and both driver and passenger were kept firmly in their seats. 

The suspension did a good job on potholed roads, too, and road noise was kept to a pleasant minimum even at higher speeds. 

While insulation from road noise is good, we did catch quite a bit of whining from the electric motor, which was most prominent under acceleration, but could also be heard throughout our testing. It wasn’t the most annoying of sounds, but other EVs we’ve driven were quieter on this front. 

3. It’s comfortable for the driver and passengers

This is a large SUV, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the passengers should be well catered for. The vegan leather seats are large, supportive and easily adjustable.

This is also the case in the rear; the outer rear seats have plenty of support and their backrests are adjustable; perfect for little ones (or, indeed, adults) who want to take a nap on longer journeys. 

What’s more, the outer rear seats are heated as standard, which is another unusual feature that is often reserved as an optional extra on more expensive cars. 

The boot is also massive and all three rear seats can be folded down to create a near-flat loading space. There’s also a front boot that’s big enough for a mid-sized piece of luggage. 

4. Lots of driver assist tech, but not all of it is good

This is something of a recurring theme for BYD; the company makes a big song and dance about its tech, but not all of it hits the mark.

There's plenty to like. The central touchscreen is bright and responsive and, as with other BYDs, can be rotated into either landscape or portrait mode. The latter is helpful if you’re using the navigation app and want to see further ahead. 

However, the instrument cluster display in front of the driver is the same as in other BYDs and isn’t great. Not only is it cluttered with icons and text, but it’s also not particularly nice to look at. 

And while there’s lots of driver assist tech – some of which is a legal requirement – we had some issues with it. The speed-limit detection was fairly slow in updating to the correct speed limit and sometimes got it wrong, even on our fairly short afternoon of driving. On the plus side, it’s easy to turn off this feature if it’s proving unreliable for you. 

Other driver assistance settings are harder to find and configure, which could be an irritation if you find they don’t work well on the roads you use most regularly and have to turn them off on every drive. 

5. Its electric range varies

The Comfort trim level has a claimed range of 300 miles from its 82.5kWh battery. Upgrading to Design sees a drop in mileage to 283 miles due to the AWD system consuming more power. Excellence improves the range to 312 miles due to an upgraded 91.3kWh battery. 

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Claimed charging times from public charging stations are fairly rapid as this car can accept up to 150kW from a DC charger (or 230kW for the Excellence model). 

The three trim levels, from cheapest to most expensive, have respective claimed charging times of 32, 32 and 24 minutes from 10% to 80%. If you’re at a slower streetside outlet, you can get up to 11kW AC, which will take around nine to 10 hours to charge. 

If you’re at a slower streetside outlet, you can get up to 11kW AC, which will take around nine to 10 hours to charge. 

First thoughts on the BYD Sealion 7

It’s BYD’s most expensive car in the UK, but you get plenty for your money. It’s well worth a test drive to see if it meets your needs; especially given that some of its idiosyncrasies won't be for everyone.

However, we'll reserve full judgement until we've put this car through our full set of lab tests.

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