BYD SEALION 7

BYD is one of the fastest-growing car brands in Australia and has just launched a feature-packed electric family SUV that is priced directly to compete with other best-sellers in the country.

Starting with that price which has been set to start at $54,990 before on-roads, making it thousands cheaper than the refreshed Tesla Model Y at the time of its launch.

Looking at the Sealion 7 in a bit more detail, it's offered in two variants, Premium and Performance. 

The entry-level Premium rear-wheel-drive (RWD) variant starts at $54,990. At this price it's packed with features but for those looking for more, the top-spec Performance variant adds two motors, an all-wheel-drive system which bumps up to $63,990 before on-road costs.

Both variants come with an impressive 82.56 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) BYD blade battery pack that can offer up to 482 km of WLTP range on the Premium variant. 

Given that the performance model features two motors, the range is cut slightly to 456 km on a single charge.

Charging the Sealion 7 is also fairly quick with DC charging speeds of up to 150 kW on the right DC charger. This means a 10-80% charge in around 32 minutes, which is quite quick compared to other electric SUVs from BYD.

There is also an 11 kW AC charging on offer which can fully charge the battery overnight or just under 9 hours. That’s granted, you have 3-[hare power at home and have the right charger to support this charging speed.

The 11 kW AC charging is quite a big deal given many other BYD models in the market only offer single-phase 7 kW AC charging which increases charge times by hours when charging at home.

One other nifty feature of BYD’s battery system is that you can use the car’s battery to power other equipment when the car is parked. This could be to power a BBQ, a coffee machine or just to have power while camping. That’s thanks to the vehicle-to-load (V2L) feature which is standard on Sealion 7 like many other BYD cars. 

A V2L discharge adapter is also available to help owners power these devices when the vehicle isn’t being used and can come in handy.

Moving onto the powertrain, the Sealion 7 Premium comes with a 230 kW rear-mounted motor delivering up to 380 Nm of torque. This would help get the car from 0-100 km/h in 6.7 seconds which is fairly respectable for a spacious family SUV.

For the thrill-seekers, the Performance variant packs a punch, coming in with 390 kW of power thanks to a 230 kW rear motor and a 160 kW front motor. 

The Performance variant gets the car from 0-100 km/h in just  4.5 seconds, shaving more than 2 seconds off the Premium variant’s time.

It also can reach a top speed of 215 km/h, which exceeds BYD Seal, the company’s electric sedan which was also one of its best-selling models in 2024. 

Interestingly, the Seal is capped at at 180 km/h, around 35 km/h under the top-speed on the new Sealion 7 SUV.

This powertrain on both variants allows for towing a trailer with the Performance variant, having a 1,500 kg of braked towing capacity. For comparison, the Tesla Model Y offers slightly more at 1,600 kg.

When it comes to wheel options, the Premium variant comes with 19-inch wheels while the Performance has bigger 20-inch wheels.

Moving onto the inside, there is a large 15.6-inch infotainment screen that can be rotated - it’s very own party trick. 

This screen also features a much-loved feature for many drivers - Android Auto and Apple Carplay that’s standard on the Sealion 7. While Apple Carplay is wireless, Android Auto is wired-only.

When it comes to sound, the 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system will offer an immersive sound experience for a range of music preferences - whether you like Pop, Rock of anything in between.

Another nice feature on the inside that gives the car a much more roomier feel is its panoramic glass roof. This also has a sunshade which can be activated with voice whenever you’d like more space of an airier feel.

One thing with the Sealion 7 that stands out is the impressive amount of standard equipment on the car. This includes all the safety and security features that are at times not available in entry-level models. 

The only exception to this is the heated steering wheel and heated rear seats which are a bonus on the Performance model. That may not be too important for many buyers living in warmer parts of Australia.

Although there hasn’t been an official ANCAP safety rating for the car because of how new it is, it’s likely to receive full five stars, making it one of the safest cars on the market.

As mentioned earlier, the Sealion 7 is packed with space on the inside which also includes its impressive 550-litre boot. Although the SUV has a coupe-like back, it’s still fairly reasonable when it comes to delivering on the boot space for families.

There is also a frunk with 58 litres on the Sealion 7, making it quite a practical option. Just remember to double-pull the latch underneath the steering wheel to open this frunk.

The Sealion 7 is available in four colours which include Atlantis Grey, Aurora White, Cosmos Black and Shark Grey. 

This car will help put BYD on the radar for many family SUV buyers and given the pricing that’s been set to undercut many of its rivals, it’s likely to do very well for the brand, and we recommend it being on your shortlist to drive too. 

For help with choosing the right BYD model or to see how much you can save if you lease a new Sealion 7, talk to the team at Novated Lease Australia.