BYD Seal review (UK): price, range, charging, verdict

The BYD Seal is a fully electric four-door saloon that costs £45,730 for the rear-wheel-drive Design and £48,730 for the all-wheel-drive Excellence in November 2026, with an 82.5 kWh battery and up to 354 miles of WLTP range. It is quick, comfortable and comes with almost everything as standard, but UK testers find it dearer than the Tesla Model 3, slower to rapid charge than the best rivals and costly to insure. EV Compared has not driven the Seal; this review rests on BYD’s published figures, Euro NCAP’s results and the UK reviews named below.

Verdict: who should buy the BYD Seal and who should not

Buy a BYD Seal if you charge at home, drive long distances on motorways and want a fast, well-finished electric saloon without an options list. The rear-wheel-drive Design is the one to choose: it goes 354 miles on the WLTP test, does 0 to 62mph in 5.9 seconds, and on a 6.5p/kWh overnight tariff each mile costs about 1.5p on our sums. BYD’s six-year car warranty is longer than the three years Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz give in our table.

Do not buy one if you need a big, easy-to-load boot, because the saloon opening and shallow load bay are a complaint in all three UK reviews we cite. It is also the wrong car if you want the most range for your money: the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai IONIQ 6 both cost less and, on our list price per mile of range figure, give you more miles per pound. And if you rely on public rapid chargers and are often in a hurry, the BMW i3 and Mercedes CLA charge from 10 to 80% in 21 and 20 minutes, against the Seal’s 37.

The all-wheel-drive Excellence makes sense only if you want its 3.8-second acceleration or its head-up display and semi-adaptive suspension; it costs £3,000 more and goes 31 fewer miles on the WLTP test.

How much is the BYD Seal, and what trims are there?

The BYD Seal costs £45,730 on the road for the Design and £48,730 for the Excellence in November 2026, according to BYD UK. Those prices did not change when BYD launched the 2026 model year car in February 2026, and our BYD Seal price, specs and trims guide breaks down the two versions in more detail.

Version	Price (November 2026)	Drive	Power	0 to 62mph	Range (WLTP)	Kerb weight	Braked towing
Seal Design	£45,730	Rear-wheel drive	230 kW (308bhp)	5.9 seconds	354 miles	2,055 kg	1,000 kg
Seal Excellence	£48,730	All-wheel drive	390 kW (523bhp)	3.8 seconds	323 miles	2,185 kg	1,500 kg

Both versions use the same 82.5 kWh Blade Battery, a cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack that BYD builds into the car’s structure, and both have a 112mph top speed. The Design’s single rear motor makes 360 Nm of torque; the Excellence’s two motors make 670 Nm.

BYD’s finance offer for orders placed between 7 October and 31 December 2026 is a PCP at 1.9% APR over 49 months with 6,000 miles a year. On the Design, that is a £4,999 deposit and £439 a month with a £17,457.38 optional final payment; on the Excellence, a £5,999 deposit and £449 a month. The offer includes a retailer discount of £2,401.66 on the Design and £2,502.35 on the Excellence. The Seal is also popular on personal leases, as our report on Chinese brands’ rise in UK car leasing shows.

The Seal is not on the GOV.UK list of cars eligible for the Electric Car Grant; no BYD model is in either band.

What equipment and interior does the Seal have?

Every Seal comes with a long list of standard equipment. BYD lists these on the Design:

• a fixed 15.6-inch touchscreen
• a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system
• a panoramic glass roof
• electrically adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats trimmed in Nappa leather
• two 15-watt wireless phone charging pads
• LED headlights with High Beam Assist
• a powered tailgate, a driver monitoring system and a Bluetooth phone key

The Excellence adds a head-up display and semi-adaptive suspension with variable frequency dampers. Autotrader notes wireless smartphone mirroring, and Carwow lists a heat pump as standard.

The 2026 model year car replaced the rotating screen of earlier Seals with a fixed one. Whatever its orientation, the screen is where most UK reviewers’ criticism lands. Carwow’s tester found it too hard to navigate on the move, with too many functions buried in menus, and Auto Express disliked the lack of physical climate controls. Auto Express praised the build quality and the Dynaudio system, while Autotrader found the cabin plusher than a Model 3’s but marked down the rubber footwell mats and a noticeable odour in the test car.

How far does the BYD Seal go on a charge?

The Seal Design has an official WLTP range of 354 miles and the Excellence 323 miles, according to BYD. That works out at about 4.29 miles per kWh for the Design and 3.92 for the Excellence on EV Compared’s sums. Our method divides the WLTP range by the 82.5 kWh capacity BYD publishes; BYD does not say whether that figure is usable or gross, and we ignore charging losses, as set out in our methodology.

UK testers recorded less in daily use. Carwow’s testers averaged 3.1 miles per kWh in the all-wheel-drive car, which they worked out at about 256 miles of real-world range. In a group test, Auto Express recorded 3.0 miles per kWh in the Excellence against 3.8 miles per kWh for the Tesla Model 3. Neither publication gives a measured figure for the rear-wheel-drive Design.

The Seal’s slippery shape helps: BYD quotes a drag coefficient of 0.219. Range still drops in winter, as it does on every electric car, and our explainer on why electric cars charge more slowly in cold weather explains what happens to the battery. For a fuller breakdown, see our BYD Seal real-world range and charging times page.

How long does the BYD Seal take to charge?

On a DC rapid charger, the Seal peaks at 150 kW and BYD quotes 37 minutes to charge from 10 to 80%. At home on a 7 kW wallbox, a full charge of the 82.5 kWh battery takes about 11.8 hours on our sums, so the car fills up overnight.

Charging	Power	Time	Source
Home wallbox, 0 to 100%	7 kW	about 11.8 hours	EV Compared’s sums
Three-phase AC or public AC post	up to 11 kW	slower posts limit the car	BYD
DC rapid charger, 10 to 80%	up to 150 kW	37 minutes	BYD
Miles added in 10 minutes of rapid charging	up to 150 kW	about 67 miles Design, 61 miles Excellence	EV Compared’s sums

The miles in 10 minutes figure assumes the car adds 70% of its battery evenly across BYD’s 37-minute time.

Auto Express measured the Seal reaching 123 kW only briefly in its test, with 20 to 80% taking 32 minutes and 80 to 100% another 56 minutes. Its testers found the Volkswagen ID.7 noticeably faster. Autotrader’s view was kinder: the Seal does not charge as quickly as the Hyundai IONIQ 6, but tops up at a motorway charger in roughly the time it takes to buy a coffee.

Public charging costs vary by network. Our guide to the Octopus Electroverse card and app explains how one card covers many networks.

What does the BYD Seal cost to run?

The Seal is cheap to run if you charge at home on an off-peak tariff, and its list price keeps it clear of the road tax supplement. Here is what a full charge and 8,000 miles of driving cost in November 2026, on EV Compared’s sums.

Where you charge	Price per kWh	Full charge	Per mile, Design	Per mile, Excellence	8,000 miles, Design	8,000 miles, Excellence
Home, Intelligent Octopus Go off-peak	6.5p	£5.36	1.5p	1.7p	£121	£133
Home, standard tariff at the Ofgem price cap	26.32p	£21.71	6.1p	6.7p	£491	£538
Public rapid charger, Zapmap October 2026 average	82p	£67.65	19.1p	20.9p	£1,529	£1,676

The off-peak rate is Intelligent Octopus Go’s 6.5p/kWh, the standard rate is Ofgem’s 26.32p/kWh average for 1 October to 31 December 2026, and the rapid rate is Zapmap’s October 2026 average of 82p/kWh. A Design driver who charges only on public rapid chargers pays more than 12 times as much per mile as one charging at home overnight. To get the home figures you need a wallbox and a smart tariff, and Best Chargers covers choosing and installing a home charger.

Road tax. A new electric car pays £10 in its first year and £200 a year from the second, GOV.UK says. The £440 expensive car supplement applies to electric cars with a list price over £50,000, so the £45,730 Design and £48,730 Excellence both avoid it.

Company car tax. The Seal sits in the 4% benefit-in-kind band for 2026 to 2027, the rate for all zero-emission cars.

Insurance. This is the Seal’s weak spot. Auto Express lists the Design in group 48 and the Excellence in group 50 out of 50, against group 36 for the Hyundai IONIQ 6 and group 38 for the BMW i4 and Volkswagen ID.7.

Warranty. The car is covered for six years or 93,750 miles and the battery for eight years or 155,350 miles, BYD says.

List price per mile of range. The Seal Design costs £129 of list price for each mile of WLTP range and the Excellence £151, on our sums; we compare those figures with rivals below.

How big is the BYD Seal, and how practical is it?

The Seal is a mid-size saloon, 4,800 mm long, 1,875 mm wide and 1,460 mm tall with a 2,920 mm wheelbase, according to BYD. It seats five. The 2026 model year update raised the boot from 400 to 485 litres and the front storage area from 53 to 72 litres, which BYD says is big enough for the charging cables or a carry-on case. A powered tailgate is standard.

Bigger numbers do not fix the shape, though. Auto Express found the saloon opening limits access and the boot smaller than the ID.7’s; Autotrader called it shallow next to SUVs and crossovers; and Carwow listed the boot among the car’s drawbacks. In the back, Carwow found rear legroom good but the low roofline awkward for tall passengers getting in and out, and Auto Express noted taller adults may touch the roof lining.

The Excellence can tow up to 1,500 kg braked and the Design 1,000 kg, so the all-wheel-drive car is the one to choose for a small caravan or trailer.

Is the BYD Seal safe, and has it been recalled?

Euro NCAP gave the BYD Seal five stars in October 2023, with 89% for adult occupants, 87% for child occupants, 82% for vulnerable road users and 76% for safety assist. Euro NCAP noted that the Seal has child presence detection fitted.

On 10 November 2026, DVSA’s vehicle recall checker listed UK safety recalls for BYD buses and coaches only; the Seal did not appear, so DVSA had published no UK safety recall for it. Before you buy a used Seal, check its registration on the same service.

What the testers say

UK reviewers agree that the Seal is quick, well equipped and well made, and that it falls short on boot practicality, touchscreen controls, ride over rough roads and price. Here is what three published UK reviews found; none of these findings are EV Compared’s own.

Autotrader, 4 out of 5 (July 2026). Dan Trent called the Seal “a fundamentally impressive and appealing all-electric saloon” and said it arguably does a better job of being a Model 3 than the Model 3 itself. He found it fast and effortless to drive and the cabin refined and comfortable, but the soft suspension bucked and weaved over crests and dips on a twisty B-road, and he judged it better suited to motorways and town driving.

Carwow (September 2026). Mario Christou found the Seal comfortable yet fun to drive, with minimal body lean, and refined on the motorway, though bumpy country roads unsettled it and the brakes could feel grabby at low speed. His main complaints were the touchscreen, the boot and that the Tesla Model 3 outguns it on range. His verdict: “It’s a shame the BYD Seal is quite so expensive.”

Auto Express, 3.5 out of 5 (March 2026). Shane Wilkinson and Richard Ingram called it “a well-built, efficient EV that’s great to drive”, with excellent range and performance, but said it does not undercut its closest rivals on price the way BYD’s other models do. They preferred the rear-wheel-drive car, found the stability control intrusive and the switch between regenerative and friction braking abrupt, and noted that rivals charge faster and are more fun to drive.

How does the BYD Seal compare with its rivals?

The Seal Design sits in the middle of this group on price and range, but its 150 kW peak charging speed is the lowest of the cars here that list one. The table lists the nearest electric saloons by list price.

Model and version	List price	Range (WLTP)	Peak DC charging	Boot
Hyundai IONIQ 6 Premium 84kWh RWD	£36,990	422 miles	not listed	401 litres
Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive	£37,990	332 miles	175 kW	594 litres
Mercedes-Benz CLA Electric CLA 200 Sport 58kWh	£39,150	331 miles	200 kW	405 litres
MG IM5 75 Standard Range	£39,950	304 miles	153 kW	457 litres
BYD Seal Design RWD 82.5kWh	£45,730	354 miles	150 kW	485 litres
BMW i3 40 xDrive	£47,925	441 miles	300 kW	420 litres
BYD Seal Excellence AWD 82.5kWh	£48,730	323 miles	150 kW	485 litres
Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match Plus 77kWh	£51,445	368 miles	185 kW	532 litres

On our list price per mile of range figure, the Seal Design costs £129 for each mile of WLTP range, against £88 for the Hyundai IONIQ 6, £109 for the BMW i3, £114 for the Tesla Model 3 and £118 for the Mercedes CLA. The MG IM5, at £131, the Volkswagen ID.7, at £140, and the Seal Excellence, at £151, cost more per mile.

Tesla Model 3. The Model 3 is the car most testers measure the Seal against. The Rear-Wheel Drive costs £7,740 less, goes 332 miles and has a 594-litre boot. Our Tesla Model 3 vs BYD Seal comparison sets the two side by side.

Hyundai IONIQ 6. The cheapest car here at £36,990 has the second-longest WLTP range in the table, 422 miles, and charges from 10 to 80% in 18 minutes. Its 401-litre boot is smaller than the Seal’s.

BMW i3. The new i3 40 xDrive costs £2,195 more than the Seal Design, but goes 441 miles, charges at up to 300 kW and does 10 to 80% in 21 minutes against the Seal’s 37. Orders are open.

Mercedes CLA Electric and MG IM5. The CLA 200 costs £6,580 less, charges from 10 to 80% in 20 minutes and goes 331 miles from a 58 kWh battery. The MG IM5 costs £5,780 less with 304 miles of range and a seven-year warranty.

Volkswagen ID.7. The ID.7 costs more than either Seal, goes 368 miles and has a 532-litre boot, 47 litres more than the Seal’s, which addresses the Seal’s main weakness.

Our ranking of the best Tesla alternatives in the UK compares more of these cars by price per mile of range.

Is the BYD Seal the same as the Seal 6 or Seal U?

No. The Seal reviewed here is BYD’s fully electric saloon. The Seal 6 DM-i is a separate plug-in hybrid saloon and estate with a petrol engine; UK orders opened in November 2025 at prices from £33,990, Motoring Research reported. The Seal 6 DM-i saloon plug-in hybrid has up to 65 miles of electric range and the Touring estate plug-in hybrid up to 62 miles. The Seal U is an SUV. Our guide to BYD’s full UK model range and prices lists every version.

Should you go fully electric instead of a Seal 6 plug-in hybrid?

If you can charge at home and most of your journeys are within the Seal’s range, the fully electric Seal is the better buy for running costs: it uses no petrol, sits in the 4% company car tax band, and costs about 1.5p a mile to charge off-peak on our sums. The Seal 6 plug-in hybrid, with up to 65 miles of electric range, suits a driver who covers regular long trips where rapid chargers are scarce, or who cannot charge at home every night and wants a lower purchase price. Without regular plugging in, a plug-in hybrid runs as a petrol car carrying a heavy battery.

Should you buy a BYD Seal?

Yes, if you charge at home, drive long distances, and want a quick, comfortable electric saloon with a long equipment list and a six-year warranty. The Design is the version to buy: it costs £45,730, goes further than the Excellence on the WLTP test, and Auto Express’s testers preferred driving it. BYD’s PCP offer, with retailer discounts of £2,401.66 on the Design and £2,502.35 on the Excellence, also brings the real price down.

No, if you need a practical boot, depend on rapid chargers to keep to a timetable, or want the best value per mile of range; the Hyundai IONIQ 6 and Tesla Model 3 cost less and give you more range for your money, and the Seal’s insurance groups of 48 and 50 will push premiums up. Most buyers should test drive the Seal alongside the Model 3 before deciding. EV Compared has not driven the Seal; this verdict rests on BYD’s figures, Euro NCAP’s results and the three UK reviews above.