BYD Sealion 6: is this Australia’s best-kept hybrid SUV secret?

More Australian families, singles, couples and even empty-nesters are buying hybrid SUVs – attracted by their space, practicality and, in an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the ability to save them money. 

Hybrid sales were up 76 per cent last year, with 172,696 vehicles sold. And compared to this time last year, in 2025 they’re up 18 per cent again year-on-year. 

But another type of hybrid is on the rise – in an even bigger way. In 2024, sales of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) doubled from 11,572 to 23,163 and so far in 2025, they’re up another 208 per cent year-on-year. 

More Australians are realising the ability of the plug-in hybrid to save serious money – and one vehicle is leading the proverbial charge. 

While plug-in hybrid vehicles have traditionally cost more than conventional hybrids, BYD’s Sealion 6 mid-size SUV is Australia’s most affordable plug-in SUV, priced approximately the same as a conventional hybrid. This is huge news. 

Compared to regular hybrid, when plugged in at home, it can save its owner more than $1000 a year in petrol, or even up to $2000 compared to a non-hybrid SUV. That could be $10,000 over five years – for many, a family holiday. 

And for many Aussies, it will be the perfect family SUV. Two models are available, the $42,990 (plus on-road costs) entry-level, front-drive Sealion 6 Essential, and $52,990 top-spec, all-wheel-drive Sealion 6 Premium. Both come loaded with standard equipment, have five-star ANCAP safety ratings, offer a smooth and quiet EV-like drive, as well as plenty of comfort and technology. 

In this article, we explore how the Sealion 6 can save you money when plugged in at home, introduce its high-tech DM-i Electric Hybrid System and ground-breaking Blade battery, and why it’s never been better value than right now. 

The Sealion 6’s ability to recharge from a home powerpoint and drive up to 92km in ‘EV mode’ could save you a small fortune each year. 

The average Australian drives 12,100km annually, and the average daily Aussie commute is 32km. Let’s say you have a family and you use your car often. Every day, on average, you drive approximately 50km and can park your car within reach of a powerpoint. 

With its onboard, 18.3kWh Blade battery, combine your Sealion 6 with an overnight EV electricity plan – providing a rate of 8c/kWh between midnight and 6am – and it will cost you approximately $1.50 to recharge up to 92km. You can schedule your Sealion 6 to start charging from midnight, and total recharging costs for the year would be approximately $550. 

Even compared to a best-selling hybrid, mid-size SUV using just 4.7L/100km, by plugging in the Sealion 6 as described, you could be saving $1100 a year in petrol bills. 

At petrol prices of $2/litre, the hybrid SUV would cost $1700 a year in fuel to cover 50km each day. A popular, non-hybrid mid-size SUV model using 6.9L/100km would cost $2500 – nearly $2000 a year more than the plug-in hybrid. Over five years, that’s $10,000. 

Charging your Sealion 6 with a home solar system will pay off both even faster. Even better if you can recharge the car at work during the day, especially on your employer’s tab. 

Running in EV mode also means no tailpipe emissions when waiting at the school pick-up, and a quieter, smoother and more responsive drive. With vehicle-to-load, you can also use your Sealion 6 as a giant portable powerbank, recharging laptops on the go and powering household appliances from hair dryers to coffee machines. And using the BYD app, you can pre-heat the interior on cold days, and pre-cool it on hot ones, before you get into the car. These are all things many conventional hybrids cannot do. 

And as well as reduced petrol costs, the Sealion 6 is affordable to service. With 12-month, 20,000km service intervals, the BYD Sealion 6 can cost as little as $1593 to service over five years. BYD offers an eight-year, 160,000km warranty on the battery and a six-year, 150,000km warranty on the vehicle itself. 

With a full battery and full petrol tank, the BYD Sealion 6 has a range of up to 1092km. And unlike a pure EV, if you don’t want to, you never have to plug in your BYD Sealion 6 – it can run entirely, and only, on petrol, as a conventional hybrid. And a very efficient one at that. 

Both variants come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, large central infotainment screens, panoramic sunroof, 19-inch wheels, LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, electric driver’s seat, and adaptive cruise control with active lane-centring which can reduce fatigue on a long journey. 

In the Sealion 6 Essential, a 1.5-litre engine combines with a single permanent magnet synchronous electric motor to send up to 160kW/300Nm to the front wheels.  

The Premium version pairs a turbocharged, 1.5-litre engine with dual electric motors to give the security of all-wheel drive and a whopping 238kW and 550Nm. A sprint from zero to 100km/h takes just 5.9 seconds. 

The BYD Sealion 6 is optimised for Australian conditions by the brand’s local engineering team, comprising 25 engineers across Sydney and Melbourne. An Extended Range variant with even larger battery is also imminently arriving in Australia. 

Part of the Sealion 6’s advantage over rival hybrid SUVs is its industry-leading Blade battery. The Blade’s lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry means it can be recharged to 100 percent capacity repeatedly without long-term degradation. The nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries popularly used in other plug-in hybrids are often recommended to not recharge past 80 per cent unless you need to. 

“Unlike competitors that rely on third-party suppliers, BYD produces its own LFP batteries, which are cheaper, safer and less prone to degradation compared to NMC batteries,” says a BYD Australia spokesperson. 

BYD’s battery expertise will come as no surprise to those who know a little bit about the brand’s history. Founded by an engineer in chemical and materials science, Wang Chuanfu, more than 30 years ago, BYD is a battery specialist that started making cars in 2003. More than 20 years later, BYD is now the world’s largest automotive manufacturer of ‘new energy’ vehicles, selling 4.27 million vehicles globally last year alone. 

Compared to most car manufacturers that rely heavily on third-party suppliers, BYD owns most of its supply chain – including even roll-on, roll-off ships that transport cars to their new homes around the world. That results in significant manufacturing savings which are passed directly to new owners. 

Thanks in part to having total control over its value chain, BYD has been able to position the Sealion 6 as Australia’s most affordable plug-in hybrid vehicle – without compromising on safety, comfort, technology or performance. 

And it’s even better value again – right now – thanks to several generous end-of-financial-year deals from BYD. 

For vehicles purchased and delivered by July 31, 2025, BYD is offering the Sealion 6 Essential and Premium with $4000 cashback for eligible customers. Available only for in-stock vehicles and retail customers, contact your local BYD dealer to learn more – but hurry, as stock is limited.