2025 BYD Sealion 7 Performance review

BYD’s rival to the Tesla Model Y has only been in Australian showrooms for a few months. Still, it has already become the country’s second-best-selling electric car, behind its aforementioned competitor, and has even outperformed it in some months.

As with the Seal sedan on which it is based, the Sealion 7’s model range is crowned by an all-wheel-drive Performance grade, with a power output close to 400kW, and a claimed zero to 100km/h acceleration time of 4.5 seconds.

That’s serious performance for a circa-$65,000 family SUV, but being quick in a straight line doesn’t guarantee it can take corners well enough to justify the lofty Performance badge.

So… does it? Read on to find out.

On test in this review if the top-of-the-range, all-wheel-drive (AWD) Sealion 7 Performance priced from $63,990 plus on-road costs.

It uses the same 82.56kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and 230kW/380Nm rear electric motor as the rear-wheel-drive, $54,990 Sealion 7 Premium, but adds a 160kW/310Nm front motor for 390kW/690Nm combined, and 456km of claimed driving range in European WLTP testing (vs 482km in the Premium).

Our test vehicle is optioned in $1500 pale blue paint – which, for reasons we can’t explain, BYD calls Atlantis Grey – for a drive-away price in NSW of $69,173 at the time of testing, according to the BYD website.

It lines up on price with the Kia EV5 Earth AWD ($64,770 plus on-roads or $68,990 drive-away in most states), and undercuts other similarly sized AWD electric SUVs such as the Tesla Model Y Long Range ($68,900), Volkswagen ID.4 GTX ($69,990) and Subaru Solterra ($69,990, all before on-road costs).

Performance grade extras include 20-inch alloy wheels, red brake calipers (but identical disc and caliper hardware to the regular variant, just a coat of paint), a heated steering wheel, and heated outboard rear seats.

It builds on features from the Premium, including LED headlights and tail-lights, a 15.6-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 10.25-inch instrument display, leather upholstery, power-adjustable heated and ventilated front seats, a head-up display, glass roof with power sunshade, and 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system.

The interiors of other BYD vehicles range from quirky to rugged, but the Sealion 7 exudes a high-quality feel that belies its price.

It feels expensive in the showroom, with a door that closes with a loud thunk, good perceived build quality, and soft leather or neoprene-like materials most places you can touch, including on the lowest extremities of the dashboard.

The 15.6-inch touchscreen dominates the dashboard, in front of gloss black panel spanning the cabin’s width that integrates the instrument display and some colour-adjustable ambient lighting.

It looks good in photos, and when clean in the showroom, but it attracts fingerprints and dust easily, so it can be hard to see small text on the instrument display on a sunny day.

The front seats are comfortable and supple, with genuine leather upholstery, heating, ventilation, and memory. They are power adjustable on both sides, including eight ways for the driver – with lumbar and under-thigh control, the latter rare for a Chinese car – and six ways for the front passenger.

There is a similar leather wrap on the steering wheel, with heating included, but the wheel is large and angled away from the driver, so it feels a little too much like driving a bus for my liking.

The BYD uses a small electronic gear selector on the centre console – with a glass-like finish to the lever – surrounded by physical buttons for select functions, including a volume dial.

Amenities include a panoramic sunroof with power sunshade, multi-colour ambient lighting, keyless entry via a key fob, card or phone app, dual-zone climate control with a PM2.5 filter, as well as a wireless phone charger that’s ventilated, though it is placed in such a way that it will catch solar rays and heat up your phone.

Below the wireless charger is a storage area which, while hard to access while driving, adds useful extra space, and houses the one USB-A, one USB-C and one 12-volt socket.

Combined with a deep centre console box, it helps make up for small door pockets and an average-sized glovebox.

The Sealion 7 is the roomiest for rear-seat occupants, with excellent leg room for a 186cm-tall passenger, plus ample head room and toe room. Occupants sit low, and the seatback is well bolstered, with a manual recline function allowing you to stretch out.

The soft materials continue to the second row – on the rear seats and door panels – and passengers get two USB ports, multi-slot map pockets, storage and cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest, and in the Performance, heated outboard rear seats.

Outboard-seat ISOFIX anchors and three child-seat top tethers are also fitted.

Boot space is quoted at 500 litres – respectable but not standout for a family SUV of this size. It’s sufficient for suitcases and some larger items, but isn’t as generous as a Tesla Model Y’s cargo area.

There’s a lot of bodywork around the load area opening to limit its width, plus a high load lip with the floor set low, but there is a tyre repair kit under the floor, pockets on the side of the cargo space, and a further 58L under the bonnet for charging cables.

Standard in the Sealion 7 is a 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, which is big, quick to respond, and can rotate between portrait and landscape.

It runs software based on the Android system used in smartphones. There are quite a few menus to learn, but it’s easier to navigate than the tech in some rival Chinese electric SUVs, and across the BYD range it has become easier to use than with over-the-air software updates.  

The air-conditioning controls run through the screen, but there is a row of shortcut buttons for climate control and other vehicle functions always pinned to the bottom of the screen.

Drivers can swipe with three fingers up and down for temperature, or left and right for fan speed, while in any app.

It can be a bit finicky to use on the move – as you need to be precise with your finger movements to avoid turning the cabin into an industrial freezer or a Finnish sauna – and traditional dials and buttons would be better, but it’s much better than nothing.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and work reasonably well, though we experienced a few stutters and disconnections in using the former, particularly when passing toll gantries. These also work in landscape mode.

Voice control with a ‘Hi BYD’ prompt, FM radio, and in-built navigation are also included.

The 10.25-inch instrument display can show a full-screen map, but the layout is busy and some of the text can be small. A head-up display is, fortunately, standard, which is what drivers will use most of the time.

Sealion 7 owners can access a smartphone app with vehicle tracking, control of the car’s lights and locks, cabin preconditioning, and the ability to use your phone as a key, among other features.

The 12-speaker Dynaudio stereo delivers sound quality in the upper half of the class, but it’s not as powerful – or crisp at the highest volumes it can achieve – as a Tesla or XPeng system.

Audio quality from the 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system is great, though it’s not quite as crisp or loud as the stereo in even the cheapest Model Y.

The BYD Sealion 7 is covered by a five-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on 2025 testing conducted by its European sister organisation Euro NCAP.

It earned category scores of 87 per cent for adult occupant protection and 93 per cent for child occupant protection.

Its performance in the other two pillars of assessment – 76 per cent for vulnerable road user protection (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles), and 78 per cent for safety assist technology – were less impressive, but still enough to clear the 70 per cent minimum scores needed in each category for five stars overall.

The rating is due to expire after December 31, 2031.

The BYD Sealion 7 ticks all of the boxes for crash-avoidance safety features expected of a new car, and while the tuning of these systems is better than earlier BYD models, there’s still room for improvement.

The lane-keep assist and lane-centring assist systems are smoother in their operation than they used to be, but the latter continues to wander between the white lines too much for our liking, especially compared to the tech in a Tesla Model Y or VW ID.4.

The traffic sign recognition feature includes an overspeed warning, which sounds when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit it has detected. It doesn’t always pick up the right limit, however – as with other systems of its type – and struggles to understand school zones.

Fortunately, it only beeps after the vehicle has exceeded the detected limit by a few kilometres per hour, rather than only 1km/h, and waits a few seconds before doing so.

The driver attention monitor’s tuning is acceptable, beeping at the driver for a perceived lack of focus more than we’d like, but it is not as keenly tuned as other new Chinese cars we’ve driven.

The fitment of front cross-traffic alert is unique among its peers, and an uncommon but mostly useful – good for tight car parks, but annoying when the car beeps at roundabouts to warn of cars the driver can clearly see – inclusion.

Since it arrived in Australian showrooms earlier this year, there have been a few changes to the BYD Sealion 7’s ownership package.

It continues to carry a six-year/150,000km warranty – whichever comes first – but asterisks limiting warranty coverage on certain parts of the vehicle, such as the touchscreen and shock absorbers, to shorter periods have finally been dropped.

That six-year warranty now covers the whole vehicle – bar consumable parts that typically have less coverage under a new-car warranty (e.g. the 12-volt battery), as well as the high-voltage 82.56kWh battery pack, which wears eight years or 160,000km of coverage.

Servicing costs have also risen in recent months, from $898 over three years/60,000km and $1648 over five years/100,000km at launch in February, to $995 and $2019 respectively today. Intervals remain set at 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first.

For context, a Kia EV5 costs $1535 over five years/75,000km when prepaid, a Toyota bZ4X costs $900 over five years/75,000km, and there is no set cost for a Tesla Model Y, as it quotes condition-based maintenance, rather than linked to a service schedule.

A year of comprehensive insurance coverage with a leading provider is quoted at $2261, based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

For context, even a Tesla Model Y RWD costs $3433, and the RWD-only XPeng G6 quotes $2215 in Standard Range trim.

The 82.56kWh battery pack in the Performance grade is claimed to deliver 456km of driving range in European WLTP lab testing, or 542km under the far more lenient (and not at all realistic) NEDC lab test.

Energy consumption – under slightly different lab tests to those used to derive the range claims – is claimed as 17.9kWh per 100 kilometres NEDC, or 21.4kWh/100km WLTP.

BYD vehicles do not let you run a ‘since reset’ trip computer – just a cumulative energy consumption read-out since the vehicle was produced, and a ‘last 50km’ readout which, even if you reset it manually, will switch back to a rolling count once 50km is reached.

In general terms, we saw consumption dip as low as 16kWh/100km in optimal conditions, but it generally hovered in the 18 to 21kWh/100km range, which is thirsty for a vehicle of this type. A Model Y AWD can achieve 14 to 17kWh/100km in similar conditions.

It equates to a real-world driving range of about 390km to 460km – not miles off the claim, but not great for a vehicle in this class with such a large battery.

On a 110km/h highway range-test loop we use for other electric cars that pass through the Drive garage, the Sealion 7 Performance consumed 68 per cent of its battery over 254km, which equates to (based on the 82.56kWh quoted capacity) 22.1kWh/100km.

Even accounting for the possibility BYD’s listed figure is the battery’s gross capacity, not usable capacity, highway consumption still sits around the 21.5kWh/100km mark.

It means highway range is in the realm of 380km – or, if you keep the battery between 20 and 80 per cent charge (as you would on a long drive), only about 230km, or a little over two hours, between charging stops. That may prove limiting for some buyers.

BYD claims DC fast charging at up to 150kW in the Australian Sealion 7, which uses an 82.56kWh battery in place of the 91.3kWh pack – and more capable ‘Evo’ electrical architecture – available overseas, capable of a much higher 230kW.

It means the charging performance is below average. We timed the Sealion 7 from 10 to 80 per cent on a 350kW DC charger in 35 minutes and 35 seconds, at a peak of 152kW on the charger, or about 148kW according to the car’s read-out.

A Tesla Model Y RWD (which peaks at 175kW) requires just under 24 minutes to cover the same charge, a VW ID.4 Pro (175kW peak) needs 29 minutes and 50 seconds, and a Model Y AWD needs 32 minutes and 35 seconds, though a Kia EV5 Earth – which uses a BYD battery, albeit capable of only 146kW DC in our testing – needed close to 41 minutes.

For the BYD fans in the comments wondering how we got our number: we ran our charge test immediately after the highway range test (in other words, following a few hours of sustained highway driving), with a preconditioned battery, and as the car’s first rapid charge of the day, as that latter point can affect how the car charges.

Something not immediately obvious from the spec sheet is that, as with a BYD Seal Premium/Performance, the Sealion 7’s battery is not limited to 400 volts like most other electric cars on sale, instead quoting 550V. It means that you may not get the advertised 150kW on a charger branded as 150kW if it cannot support the required voltage.

The Sealion 7 is the first BYD sold in Australia with 11kW three-phase AC charging, rather than 7kW single-phase charging only.

It’s unlikely to shock many readers that a vehicle named Performance is fast, but if straight-line performance is a priority – and your budget doesn’t stretch beyond $70,000 – the flagship Sealion 7 offers plenty to like.

With 390kW and 690Nm on tap from dual electric motors its pace is, unsurprisingly, ferocious, dispatching overtakes on country roads at higher speeds with ease.

BYD claims 0–100km/h in 4.5 seconds – not as quick as you might expect for a vehicle this power, thanks to its immense mass (2340kg is heavier than most Ford Ranger utes) but still faster than you’d ever need for a family SUV.

There is a surprising amount of lag before unlocking that power, though. There is a split-second of hesitation between pressing the accelerator pedal and the car starting to build speed – and then upon lifting off, the car will keep the power on for a moment.

The former is annoying, the latter is slightly unnerving, and neither has a reason to exist given how responsive electric cars can be.

As with a new Tesla Model Y, the Sealion 7’s suspension includes frequency-selective dampers, which react differently to bumps depending on their size.

They are not adaptive – the driver cannot control the dampers’ firmness – and it is a shame, because the Sealion 7’s suspension is not as well tuned for comfort or handling as its key rivals.

Speed bumps are soaked up in a supple manner, but the ride is busy on rough roads, the 20-inch wheels reacting harshly to potholes and smaller bumps in the bitumen that the suspension should iron out.

At higher speeds, it is more settled and composed than other BYD models, but it can still wallow and pogo over undulations and big bumps on country roads, unsettling the car’s composure at a time when drivers want to deploy its incredible power.

Body roll is not excessive, but on a winding road it feels as big and heavy as it is on paper, and there’s not a lot of agility or feel transmitted through the steering.

All-wheel drive and Michelin tyres help put the power down, however, assisting confidence in wet weather. On a smooth, flowing country road – without too many nasty bumps or tight corners – we can imagine the Sealion 7 would be an easygoing cruiser.

Around town, the steering’s lightness and accuracy are welcome, and there is a soft feel to the brake pedal that makes it easy to modulate in traffic, although lacking in confidence in an emergency stop.

No one-pedal mode capable of bringing the car to a full stop is offered, only Standard and Larger settings for the regenerative braking – neither of which is very strong.

There is some tyre roar on rough roads, but it is generally well insulated from the outside world, while the good forward visibility is met by limited, letterbox-like vision out the rear.

City drivers purchasing a Sealion 7 to potter around the suburbs will find it an easygoing and comfortable car to drive, but we would steer clear of this Performance version, because it writes straight-line cheques the suspension, steering and brakes cannot cash.

The BYD Sealion 7 is rated to tow up to 1500kg braked and 750kg unbraked in this all-wheel-drive trim, and braked in Premium trim, and it has plenty of power to match its (modest) capabilities.

Much more limiting is its payload – the maximum mass of passengers, cargo and accessories the vehicle is legally allowed to carry before it’s deemed overweight and illegal to drive on the road – which is only 410kg.

It will be ample for four passengers and some cargo, but should you want to load up every seat, occupants would need to weigh no more than 82kg on average – and pack no luggage. It is an attribute that diminishes its fitness for purpose as a family car, but it can be used as a five-seater with kids only.

It’s easy to understand why the BYD Sealion 7 has found early success in Australia.

It’s competitively priced, well equipped, spacious and luxurious inside, offers plenty of technology, and makes a good impression in the showroom.

However, it has a short real-world driving range, uses a lot of energy for its size – even compared to all-wheel-drive rivals – would benefit from further tuning of its safety features, and lacks the blend of a compliant ride and confident handling expected of a vehicle this powerful.

It’s one of the most compelling mid-size electric SUVs in the class at this price, but there’s more work to be done to topple the best in segment.

Just how close does it get? Click here to see us put it head-to-head with its closest rivals.

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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