BYD Sealion 7 should make a splash in Ireland's hottest EV segment

2025

Electric

Verdict: Spacious and stylish, leaning more to comfort than performance. Definitely worth the test-drive shortlist if considering a crossover EV.

BYD just dropped another EV into the mix – time to check how China’s car game is basically running the world. Remember, it’s only two years ago last month since the brand arrived in Ireland with its Atto 3.

This year it is outselling Tesla and sitting between Opel and Volvo on the sales tables. Globally, China produced 31.3 million vehicles last year, ahead of 19.2 million for all of the Americas, and 17.2 million for all of Europe.

Narrow that down a bit, and the US produced 10.6 million, Japan 8.2 million, while Germany made just over four million cars, according to figures compiled by the OICA (International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers).

Admittedly, most of that Chinese production goes to the home market and, for all its modern plants, it is still some way behind South Korea in terms of automation in its production processes. The Chinese production is also spread across more than 100 companies, weakening the impact of its volume.

You can see why Europe’s auto executives are worried – and encouraging EU officials to stem the tide.

The problem is that many of the arrivals are just very good. BYD’s Seal is a sleek saloon, not without flaws, but certainly capable of challenging what Europe has to offer.

Its Sealion 7 enters one of the toughest segments of the market, up against the bestselling EV out there at present, the Volkswagen ID.4, plus pitching against the likes of the Hyundai Tucson and Toyota RAV4.

Yes, it’s a silly name, but not much sillier than the rest of the coterie that’s out there. BYD’s naming department may be watching Blue Planet on a loop, but is that any different from VW’s previous focus on winds and weather, from the Scirocco and Bora to the Passat?

The Sealion 7 is basically an SUV crossover version of the Seal saloon. It comes in three flavours: single-motor rear-wheel-drive Comfort and dual-motor all-wheel-drive Design. Both use the 82.5kWh battery pack, delivering a claimed range of 482km for Comfort and 452km for Design. Then there is the Excellence version we tested, with its 91.3kWh battery pack and a claimed range of 502km.

The smaller battery can take a charge at speeds of up to 150kW, while the larger battery can cope with 230kW. All versions have pep, but the larger battery and AWD set-up give the Excellence a 0-100km/h time of just 4.5 seconds. That means it will outrun most of its EV rivals, never mind the regular or hybrid set, even leaving many premium counterparts in its rear-view mirror.

That figure might suggest a taut racer, but this is anything but: it’s soft and pliable, tending towards comfort over outright performance. Getting that balance of power and comfort right is really hard, and it’s where the Sealion 7 shows some weakness. By keeping the steering and suspension soft and gentle, it can’t deliver the confident handling to make the most of those performance stats.

Which is why the Sealion 7 is better suited to the comfort of everyday motoring. This is a natural cruiser, not an edgy racer.

If you manage the range – in reality closer to the low 400km than the stated 502km – this can have you complete cross-country runs with little effort.

That level of comfort is reflected in the cabin, which is whisper quiet. Material choices match the likes of Tesla, if still not quite on a par with some Europeans, but they are getting close.

Meanwhile, the big talking point as you waft along in this electric-powered livingroom on wheels will be the rear legroom, which is so spacious that it would seem a viable option for taxi drivers.

Inevitably we turn to the electronics and gadgetry, and once more the Chinese have thrown every whizz-bang feature at this car. Some are useful, some smart, many irrelevant. It’s confusing at first, but give it five minutes and you’ll be swiping like a Gen Z on TikTok.

One admirable feature is the ability to turn off the speed-limit alert with the touch of a little icon on the top right of the screen.

However, it’s going to be a steep learning curve for many motorists getting out of older cars, and many will be driven demented by the multiple safety warnings and beeps for relatively inconsequential risks.

The infotainment system, controlled from the 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen, remains overly complex for simple features. Take the sliding cover for the panoramic roof. You need to engage the car feature from the menu, then rotate the admittedly smart graphic of the car until a small dot appears above its roof; touch on that, and then when a new graphic of the roof appears, you get the option to open or close the roof.

Seriously: would one actual button kill them? It makes you wonder whether the software engineers who devise these sleek graphic controls spend much time on the road, driving a family around and having to open or close the roof blind while on the move.

These are minor gripes, but ones to consider when you weigh the price against rivals: starting at €45,435 for the Comfort version and rising to €56,490 for the Excellence we tested.

Tesla’s Model Y with 500km range starts at very nearly the same price – €45,058 – while the long-range AWD version – claiming 586km – tops out at €52,990.

Meanwhile, the VW ID.4 starts at €39,675 for the 52kWh battery with a range of 360km, while the 77kWh GTX comes in at €56,385, with a claimed range of 526km.

Going up against the ID.4 means the Sealion 7 is now swimming with the big fish, but it’s no minnow. It could get a better balance between performance and comfort, but none of its rivals have really managed to nail that either.

There are better-handling crossover EVs out there for this money, but weighing up the ample space, smart interior and comfort, if you’re EV-curious and tired of the usual suspects, the Sealion 7 deserves a spin.