Test BYD Seal – best Chinese electric car to date

Uhm BYD, yes of course… help me?

BYD, which stands for Build Your Dream, is one of many Chinese newcomers this decade. You are slowly starting to see the brand on Dutch roads, especially in the form of the Atto 3 of which 800 were delivered. And it may be one of the many Chinese, but one of the brands that is mentioned most often when you ask importers from the old guard which newcomers they are most concerned about. Because unlike relatively young car manufacturers such as Nio and Xpeng, BYD has quite a history and has been a global player for a very long time. Perhaps not on the European car market, but a large part of the Netherlands, for example, will have taken a bus ride in a BYD vehicle. And the company supplies electronics for almost all smartphones and tablets in the world.

BYD Seal

It has been clear for a long time that Build Your Dream (what BYD stands for) intended to enter the demanding European car market, and the brand has clearly been patient. Don’t rush in with one car that may not make it, but take the time to set up a European organization with dealers and then present a complete range in a short time. Today we drive the Seal, the fifth electric car from the Chinese brand on the Dutch price lists after the Han, the Tang, the Atto3 and the Dolphin.

And what kind of car is this seal?

The Seal is a D-segment sedan, which is clearly aimed at the Tesla Model 3, which just happened to have had a major update this week. Even so brazen that they cannot give us prices on the spot “because Tesla changes its prices so often”. But in the end it is clear that the version with AWD and 530 hp will cost just under 50,000 euros. Not surprisingly, very close with the price of 49,995 for a Tesla Model 3 Longe Range. It better be clear which part of the market you are targeting!

In terms of design, the Seal, besides the other water creature Dolphin, is the second car with the Ocean Aesthetics design, with wavy water-like lines and drop design, including on the rear lights. It doesn’t necessarily make the car super sleek to look at, but in any case it is less a dime a dozen than many other Chinese. On the inside we find the same wavy lines. It creates a very Asian vibe.

BYD Seal

And what does it look like on the inside?

The use of materials is excellent, as is the finish, especially compared to other Chinese brands. However, the chair does not offer enough lateral support and the seat is noticeably too short for the average European. The large multimedia screen houses almost all options. The system looks modern and works quickly, but hides too many functions too deep in the system. For example, you cannot adjust the air vents manually, but you have to do this via the climate menu. This means you miss a turn on the navigation system, which is then out of the picture, and it is also unsafe to take your eyes off the road unnecessarily for so long. Throughout the car we see more than those ergonomic flaws that are not a reason to leave the car at home, but will often cause annoyance if you buy the car. Not to mention the many annoying beeps and warnings for every line on the road and every km you drive too fast. Fortunately, most of it can be done. The space on the back seat is better than in a Model 3, and the finish is noticeably of a much higher level. Here too, the bottom is too high because of the batteries, so you don’t sit very comfortably. The trunk measures 400 liters and you get a frunk with 53 liters.

Are the specifications okay?

That is certainly not disappointing. The Seal is currently available with one battery, with 82 kWh. A 64 kWh version will follow later. You can choose between a RWD version with 313 hp or an AWD version with two motors and 530 hp. This will take you 520 to 570 km on paper, but you can count on at least 450 in practice. Nice scores! Fast charging is possible with 150 kW, which is sufficient, but not groundbreaking compared to Hyundai or Tesla.

BYD Seal

So fast with 530 hp. But how does it proceed?

Remarkably good. Partly thanks to the blade battery. The battery cells are packaged in such a way that the entire battery pack is part of the bodywork. This makes the battery stiffer than it already is. Not only good for safety, but also for driving characteristics. Because the Seal drives surprisingly well and catapults BYD to one of the best car manufacturers from China at the moment, next to perhaps Zeekr. The mere fact that BYD dared to launch the car in Germany says a lot, because many newcomers fear an Autobahn shakedown. With 530 hp, the car is of course fast and you can easily reach the limited top of 180 km/h. At that pace the car feels European. The handling is really good and the silence on board is impressive. This is something that plenty of European brands cannot even manage at this level, let alone Chinese newcomers. BYD presents the Seal itself as a sports sedan, but that is a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, the car handles well and is fast, but the steering is far too distant and indirect and the car as a whole is far too well-behaved to be considered anything dynamic. Apart from the incorrect marketing, this is not necessarily a bad thing, because the Seal is noticeably more comfortable and less bare than a Model 3 (which is really much more fun to drive), making it a nice alternative to the successful Tesla. There is a hint of aloofness throughout the car that we often see with non-European car makers who attempt to create something dynamic. But if BYD had not used that term sports sedan, we would only have seen a high-quality electric car.

BYD Seal

So a sales blast in the making?

Well… Something that does bother me is the lack of personality: the Seal lacks a real USP. It is not the car with the most range, fast charging can be done faster elsewhere and it is nicely finished, but it is no Polestar 2. It drives very well, but not inspiring. Moreover, sedans are not that hot in the Netherlands anyway. However, an SUV version with the name Seal-U will be available later. The pricing is decent, but not overwhelmingly cheap. 50,000 euros for a new brand in this segment remains a lot of money. And Lexus has been showing for years that objective quality is not enough to sell many cars, you have to know how to tickle buyers. The fact that your car is stiffer than most competitors is not something that the average car buyer has at the top of his list of requirements. However, BYD is currently performing at a noticeably higher level than new brands such as Aiways, Xpeng or MG and it is aiming for a more realistic part of the market than Nio and Zeekr, which rate themselves very highly. If the 62 kWh version is priced a little more competitively, the brand may be able to make some big improvements.

BYD Seal