BYD Seal Review 2024 | Top Gear (2025)

The third fully electric model from Chinese firm BYD – aka Build Your Dreams – to make it to the UK. The first was the Atto 3 crossover, the second the more attainable, £25k Dolphin hatchback. Now we get a sports saloon that might not prove the biggest seller of the trio, but which adds some much-needed zest to a range that’s so far felt rather bland.

It looks smart. The proportions are neat and the overall aesthetic is one that ought to appeal to European buyers. Not least because it has overtones of cars we’re already familiar with, including, most notably, the Hyundai Ioniq 6.

It’s not as striking as that, though.

It isn’t, nor nearly as accomplished an all-rounder, as we’ll find out. BYD cites the Tesla Model 3 as a key rival too, and that feels more like the car they had in mind when the Seal was developed. To drive, both feel like they’re just going through the motions.

The company knows it won’t snare Tesla customers in an instant but hopes a focus on build quality and comfier dynamics might just do its magic over time. We don’t doubt the former – this feels a match for anything coming from Japan or Korea – but BYD isn’t there with chassis dynamics yet.

It’s a young company, right?

Yep, set up in 1995, and not even a car company originally, but a battery producer for phones and gadgets. That didn’t mean that when it moved into automotive production in 2005, it would only build electric cars: it’s built hybrids and ICE as well. And it’s huge, shifting 1.86 million cars in 2022 and employing some 600,000 people across its electronics, new energy, automotive and rail sectors.

Ok, back to the Seal. What have we got?

It launches in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive iterations, each using the same 82.5kWh battery. The former is £45,695 and offers a 354-mile WLTP range alongside a 308bhp peak for 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds. £3,000 more will get you a dual motor, AWD version whose power peaks at 523bhp, taking a chunk out of both its range figure (323 miles) and 0-62mph sprint (3.8s).

It's not a cheap car coming from a largely unknown brand: pricing is broadly in-line with the Hyundai and exceeds the Tesla, demonstrating that this Chinese marque isn’t interested in being perceived as a budget alternative.

What about the interior?

There’s more originality inside, with the same curious steering wheel design BYD has used elsewhere, alongside a rotating 15.6in touchscreen – press a button on the steering wheel or screen and it turns 90 degrees between portrait and landscape.

There’s a full-length panoramic roof to help increase the sense of space inside. Something BYD claims is already strong thanks to its ‘blade battery’, assembled onto the frame of the car to both increase body stiffness (the equivalent of a supercar’s, we’re told), keep the floor low and boost legroom for passengers (though it’s not noticeably generous).

Any tech to speak of?

Too much, if anything. Each one has three driving modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – and a whole plethora of active safety systems as standard. They’re pretty standard stuff – lane keep, crash detection, speed limit warnings – but prove a dominant part of the driving experience. In exactly the way you’re expecting.

The interior feels incredibly well screwed together and with standard quilted leather seats (heated and ventilated, too) there’s a genuinely premium feel to the cabin. Whether you’re brave enough to go for Tahitian blue trim is another issue.

It’s also refined, with double laminated glass working alongside the silent powertrain to provide low noise levels. Until those active safety bongs fire into life, of course. However, a lack of body control and a slightly scruffy ride means the Seal falls short of delivering a proper luxurious waft about the place.

Charging is up to 150kW, which is hardly industry leading, but at least snares you a 10-80 per cent charge in under half an hour. Oh, and customer feedback has led to UK cars getting a subtle ‘BYD’ badge on the back rather than the full ‘BUILD YOUR DREAMS’ script titillating those sat behind you in traffic. Phew.

The Seal is a solid entry in the EV saloon market, but doesn’t have a strong personality and grates as much as it soothes. Consider its rivals: the Tesla Model 3 is affordable, and (oddly) cool and desirable, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Polestar 2 represent well-priced, individually styled and distinctive alternatives, while the BMW i4 staunchly defends driving thrills.

While nowhere near as packed as the EV crossover marketplace, the plug-in saloon pack are all much more talented and BYD doesn’t have competitive enough pricing to upset the applecart. You can tell it comes from a firm that is trying to find its feet in the European market and hasn’t quite figured out what works for its potential audience yet. Don’t bet against BYD figuring it out in short order, but in the meantime this is a car that lacks the charm or character to win your heart; and doesn’t quite stack up for the head either. Overall it's a bit Beta.