BYD only launched in the UK last year – but has already caused a stir with its three-strong line-up of electric cars.
Providing long ranges at competitive prices, the Chinese carmaker is the world’s largest maker of ‘new energy’ vehicles and is continuing to expand its reach across Britain.
However, it remains to be seen whether the company’s progress on these shores can continue unchecked amid rumours of possible tariffs in the UK.
This week, we got behind the wheel of the BYD Seal - the firm’s answer to the Tesla Model 3, a vehicle that has proved dominant in the electric saloon market.
The Seal was the third BYD model to be introduced in the UK, joining the Dolphin and Atto 3 crossover.
Buyers can choose between a rear-wheel-drive model, tested here, or an all-wheel-drive version, with both being powered by an 82.5kWh battery.
The rear-wheel-drive version, badged as ‘Design’ spec, has a single motor producing 309bhp, while the all-wheel-drive ‘Excellence’ benefits from a second motor that increases power to 523bhp.
The former has a 0-60mph time of 5.7 seconds, which feels plenty fast enough in most everyday situations, but those who crave brisker acceleration may opt for the latter, which performs the same sprint in just 3.6 seconds.
The car’s driving dynamics are impressive, with excellent agility and grip in the corners. It’s also very quiet and refined, with the hush in the cabin feeling almost eerie at times. The smooth pick-up when accelerating adds to the relaxing ambience.
On the B-roads, the suspension set-up can occasionally feel a bit fidgety and unsettled over surface imperfections, but it’s nothing to be too concerned about.
The Seal is the first vehicle to use BYD’s advanced Cell-to-Body technology and fully integrates the ‘Blade Battery’ into the entire vehicle structure for better safety, torsional rigidity, driving dynamics and space.
During my week in the Seal’s company, there were never any issues with so-called range anxiety, as the sizeable battery provides up to 354 miles of electric motoring, reducing to 323 miles on the all-wheel drive model.
Charging is fairly swift, with the car being capable of accepting a DC rapid charge at up to 150kW, so it takes 25 minutes to get from a 30 to 80 per cent charge.
It’s worth noting, however, that some key rivals are able to charge more quickly.
The cabin is notable for the amount of soft-touch material – and feels like a better offering than that found in the interior of the Tesla 3. Indeed, there are plenty of premium materials and you have to look hard to find anything that doesn’t look and feel high-end.
The dominant feature is the 15.6-inch touchscreen, which rotates at the press of a button so you can view it in either landscape or portrait form.
The BYD Seal pictures in the West Yorkshire Pennines
It’s a responsive and intuitive piece of kit, providing sharp graphics. Generally, I found it worked best for me in the landscape position, although it can be useful to use portrait when using the navigation.
Headroom and legroom in this five-seater is generous, mainly thanks to the cleverly-designed platform.
In terms of looks, the Seal is attractive from all angles, boasting athletic and aerodynamic lines in what BYD calls its ‘Ocean-X’ design language. During this week-long test, some friends pointed out that it resembled a Tesla from certain angles, which is no bad thing.
All in all, BYD has created an impressive package at a competitive price.
The BYD Seal Design
BATTERY: 82.5 kWh
DRIVE: Rear-wheel
RWD Design has
PRICE £45,695 OTR Price
DRIVETRAIN: full electric
POWER: 230 kW (309bhp).
TORQUE: 266 lb-ft.
PERFORMANCE: 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds. Top speed is 112 mph
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