That is the automotive that has come closest to knocking Tesla off the highest of the EV gross sales charts in Australia.
China’s BYD has been steamrolling into Australia with new fashions of late, and the Sealion 7 you see right here has been certainly one of its most profitable merchandise but – behind the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) dual-cab ute.
Right here, we’ve a 2026 BYD Sealion 7 Premium, essentially the most attainable model of the model’s mid-size electrical SUV vary and a direct rival to the top-selling Tesla Mannequin Y.
To the top of November this yr, 10,864 Sealion 7s have been delivered to Australian properties, which is about half the quantity of the Mannequin Y in the identical interval – although the BYD solely launched regionally in February-March.
Maybe extra telling is the actual fact the Sealion 7 has beat out the Mannequin Y in month-to-month gross sales numerous instances in 2025, even when its American-badged, China-sourced rival has it nicely beat when it comes to annual quantity.
We spent every week with the ‘base’ Premium to see what all of the fuss is about, because the competitors within the mid-size electrical SUV section continues to get hotter and warmer.
How did it fare? Learn on to seek out out…
How a lot does the BYD Sealion 7 price?
Pricing for the Sealion 7 vary kicks off at $54,990 plus on-road prices for the bottom Premium you see right here – if you need the dual-motor Efficiency, that’ll be one other $9000.
| Mannequin | Worth earlier than on-road prices |
|---|---|
| 2026 BYD Sealion 7 Premium | $54,990 |
| 2026 BYD Sealion 7 Efficiency | $63,990 |
The Premium undercuts the most affordable Mannequin Y by practically $4000, in addition to the China-made Kia EV5 (from $56,770). You possibly can throw in numerous different names too, however there’d be too many to listing.
That stated, the Sealion 7 is positioned at a extra premium level out there than another Chinese language EVs, specifically the Geely EX5 (from $40,990), alongside the European-sourced Skoda Enyaq (from $54,990 drive-away).
To see how the BYD Sealion 7 strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability instrument
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What’s the BYD Sealion 7 like on the within?
The Sealion 7 ushers within the model’s latest design language, which is rather more fashionable and premium in its presentation than say, the equally sized Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV.
BYD has retained a ten.25-inch digital instrument cluster forward of the driving force, although it’s now cleanly built-in into the dashboard to the purpose the place you barely see it when the car is switched off.
Whereas I applaud the Chinese language model for not going the Tesla route in relegating all of the driving data to the central touchscreen, the dearth of configurability and the massive quantities of clean area aren’t to my tastes.
There are a few totally different layouts, together with a driver help show in addition to a map choice, however personally I a lot choose the digital shows provided by rival makes and fashions – specifically the Europeans.
At the very least the multifunction controls on the steering wheel are bodily, clearly labelled and comparatively tactile, slightly than being fiddly touch-capacitive items which can be annoying to make use of on the transfer. Identical goes for the console-mounted shift-by-wire selector, which just about appears to be like like certainly one of Volvo’s crystal glass items – significantly better than a stalk-type one.
The huge 15.6-inch touchscreen takes centre stage, and it might probably rotate between panorama and portrait orientations, although should you’re utilizing smartphone mirroring, you may solely use the previous.
Headline options embody wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, embedded navigation, Spotify integration, an clever voice assistant, and over-the-air software program updates.
My consumer expertise with the touchscreen was largely advantageous, and my reliance on Apple CarPlay meant that was the point of interest. Whereas load instances are snappy, and display graphics and backbone sharp, I had a number of complaints in regards to the audio high quality of my microphone throughout telephone calls, and infrequently had points utilizing Siri integration.
The latter difficulty principally meant I couldn’t at all times dictate voice prompts or have messages learn out to me. Looks like a small factor, nevertheless it’s actually annoying when these are fundamental capabilities that ought to simply work.
Storage is a much less irritating subject, with a nifty cubby housing USB and 12V energy shops beneath the bridge-type centre console, decent-sized door bins, and a cubby beneath the front-centre armrest.
I additionally recognize the Tesla-style twin felt-lined telephone holders forward of the shifter, with one doubling up as a wi-fi telephone charger with a cooling vent to forestall overheating.
Whereas many car controls – together with HVAC – are embedded into the touchscreen, there are nonetheless bodily buttons and toggles on the centre console for stuff like quantity, drive modes and Auto Maintain. The identical can’t be stated for an growing quantity of recent vehicles, particularly Chinese language-branded ones.
Additionally value noting is the strong 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system. It affords full, clear sound with good depth and bass which you’ll be able to dial as much as your liking – not dangerous for what is taken into account an ‘attainable’ automotive.
The rear seat is fairly large, which is becoming given the Sealion 7 is definitely on the bigger aspect of the ‘medium’ section – at 4830mm lengthy and 1925mm large, it’s 230mm longer and 70mm wider than the Toyota RAV4.
At 6’1″, I had loads of room behind my very own most popular driving place, even with that sloping coupe-like roofline and high-ish (however flat) rear ground. Fortunately, the panoramic roof additionally doesn’t actually eat into headroom an excessive amount of.
The quilted leather-based trim – which BYD says is real leather-based – within the entrance and rear covers seats which can be comfy and fairly supportive, however their sporty and contoured design isn’t mirrored in how they really feel to sit down in.
If something, I typically felt the entrance bucket-style items have been a bit of missing in bolstering, and the rear pews are equally fairly flat and at instances slippery. Not a deal-breaker, however value noting.
In any other case, there’s good head, leg and knee room as talked about earlier, and oldsters with younger kids can utilise the ISOFIX anchors on the outboard seats and/or the top-tether factors behind all three.
You additionally get rear air vents, map pockets and bottle holders within the rear doorways, and stated rear doorways retain the tender, leather-look surfacing you rise up entrance – one thing that’s more and more much less frequent in mainstream vehicles.
Additional again, the Sealion 7 has a wholesome 500-litre cargo space with an adjustable ground, with a decrease space together with a recessed cubby that’s sufficiently big to retailer charging cables, and the car’s tyre restore package.
BYD doesn’t quote cargo quantity with the rear seats folded, however the area is properly sq. and fairly flat. There’s a 58L ‘frunk’ beneath the bonnet, too.
| Dimensions | BYD Sealion 7 |
|---|---|
| Size | 4830mm |
| Width | 1925mm |
| Top | 1620mm |
| Wheelbase | 2930mm |
| Cargo capability | 500L – rear 58L – entrance |
To see how the BYD Sealion 7 strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability instrument
What’s beneath the bonnet?
The Sealion 7 Premium will get a single-motor rear-wheel drive electrical powertrain, fed by an 82.56kWh ‘BYD Blade’ lithium iron phosphate battery.
| Specs | Sealion 7 Premium |
|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Single-motor |
| Battery capability | 82.56kWh |
| Battery kind | Lithium iron phosphate |
| Energy | 230kW |
| Torque | 380Nm |
| Drive kind | Rear-wheel drive |
| Kerb weight | 2225kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 6.7 seconds |
| Vitality consumption (claimed) | – |
| Vitality consumption (as examined) | 16.5kWh/100km |
| Claimed vary (WLTP) | 482km |
| Max AC cost price | 11kW |
| Max DC cost price | 150kW |
To see how the BYD Sealion 7 strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability instrument
How does the BYD Sealion 7 drive?
With the Sealion 6’s tender and wallowy dealing with making it really feel extra like a walrus, I hoped the Sealion 7’s sportier form would additionally translate to a extra dynamic drive.
Fairly rapidly, I realised the Sealion 7 – whereas not fairly as tender because the Sealion 6 – follows the type of most Chinese language autos in being tuned extra for consolation and ease of use slightly than driver engagement or dynamism.
Mild steering, a reasonably supple journey, and clean acceleration are all constructive traits for the every day grind, and play nicely into the Sealion 7’s goal demographic – mother and father and their households.
That stated, it’s missing a bit in soul and character, feeling a bit generic in its driving behaviour with a light-weight and assisted really feel to all the driving force controls – you may flick it into Sport mode for higher response, nevertheless it doesn’t do all that a lot within the single-motor Premium.
Most of my time behind the wheel of the Sealion 7 was spent driving to and from the Melbourne CarExpert workplace within the Docklands from my residence within the jap suburbs of Melbourne, mixing inner-city stints with about 18km of driving on the M3 Japanese Freeway – which is at the moment present process loads of development and roadworks.
The Sealion 7 Premium’s smaller 19-inch wheels (with staggered 235/50 entrance and 255/45 rear Continental tyres) provide a extra supple journey than the Efficiency with its 20-inch rolling inventory, and there’s first rate physique management. However over sharper hits and turns the Sealion 7 can really feel a bit of wobblier than I’d anticipate a car that appears like this to.
Holding in thoughts this factor weighs 2.2 tonnes, BYD has achieved an honest job of conserving the Sealion 7’s weight in examine for normal driving duties. Simply don’t anticipate it to wow you or make you smile should you dial up the warmth a bit of.
The steering really feel is gentle and at instances obscure, and as talked about earlier it’s a little top-heavy in corners, with a physique that may generally pogo or porpoise over successive bumps and undulations.
At the very least street and wind noise are properly insulated, even over a number of the damaged, patchy surfaces that at the moment line quite a few sections of the aforementioned M3 Freeway.
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Effectivity wasn’t too dangerous for such a big car, both.
The Sealion 7’s journey laptop displayed an indicated 16.5kWh/100km with its oddly quick ‘final 50km’ readout following combined driving, although it diversified between that and the 18-19kWh mark relying on the driving circumstances.
The Sealion 7 Premium’s claimed 482km of WLTP-certified driving vary can be achievable at that 16.5kWh/100km consumption price, however we have been seeing nearer to 400km on the 18kWh/100km price. Given Melbourne’s typically chilly and moist circumstances on the time, that’s not too dangerous, although loads of rivals can do higher.
BYD’s calibration of driver help methods is fairly good, particularly relative to different Chinese language manufacturers, and it’s the identical right here within the Sealion 7 – with some caveats.
The adaptive cruise management typically works advantageous, however there’s a feminine voice that shouts at you to verify it’s on if you flip it on, and once more sometimes if you flip it off – which generally causes telephone calls to disconnect.
Lively lane centring truly works, not like my expertise in a whole lot of Chery and Omoda-Jaecoo merchandise, although there are numerous annoying bings and bongs for the velocity restrict warning and driver consideration monitoring, which can grate.
Most of those are simply toggled by way of buttons on the steering wheel, although a couple of are buried within the touchscreen, which requires a couple of presses by way of sub-menus.
One large plus is the BYD’s normal encompass digital camera system, which affords crisp imaginative and prescient of the car’s environment and a trick 3D panoramic view to make sure you’re not scuffing wheels and bumpers.
To see how the BYD Sealion 7 strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability instrument
What do you get?
The Premium often is the ‘base’ Sealion 7, nevertheless it comes fairly comprehensively geared up.
2026 BYD Sealion 7 Premium gear highlights:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Tyre restore package
- LED headlights
- Panoramic glass roof
- Energy tailgate
- Energy-folding exterior mirrors
- Proximity entry with push-button begin
- NFC card key
- BYD digital key
- Rain-sensing wipers
- 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen infotainment system
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay
- Wi-fi Android Auto
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- Head-up show
- 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system
- 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A outlet (entrance)
- 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A outlet (rear)
- Wi-fi telephone charger
- Leather-based-wrapped steering wheel
- Leather-based upholstery
- 8-way energy driver’s seat
- 4-way energy lumbar
- Energy leg relaxation
- Driver reminiscence
- 6-way energy passenger seat
- Heated and ventilated entrance seats
- RGB ambient lighting with rhythm perform
- Twin-zone local weather management
- PM2.5 high-efficiency filter
The Efficiency provides:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Painted entrance brake calipers
- Heated steering wheel
- Heated rear seats
To see how the BYD Sealion 7 strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability instrument
Is the BYD Sealion 7 secure?
The BYD Sealion 7 acquired the utmost five-star ANCAP security score beneath 2025 testing standards.
| Class | BYD Sealion 7 |
|---|---|
| Grownup occupant safety | 87 per cent |
| Little one occupant safety | 93 per cent |
| Weak street consumer safety | 76 per cent |
| Security help | 78 per cent |
Normal security gear consists of:
- 9 airbags incl. front-centre
- Adaptive cruise management
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Driver consideration monitoring
- Lane-keep help
- Emergency lane-keep help
- Entrance cross-traffic help
- Rear cross-traffic help
- Clever velocity restrict help
- Secure exit warning
- Little one presence detection
- Encompass-view digital camera
- Entrance and rear parking sensors
To see how the BYD Sealion 7 strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability instrument
How a lot does the BYD Sealion 7 price to run?
BYD affords a six-year/150,000km bumper-to-bumper guarantee, whereas the BYD Blade battery pack is roofed for eight years or 160,000km.
| Servicing and Guarantee | BYD Sealion 7 |
|---|---|
| Automobile guarantee | 6 years, 150,000km |
| Excessive-voltage battery guarantee | 8 years, 160,000km |
| Roadside help | 12 months complimentary, then service-activated |
| Service intervals | 12 months, 20,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | 10 years |
| Whole capped-price servicing price | $4538 |
To see how the BYD Sealion 7 strains up towards the competitors, try our comparability instrument
CarExpert’s Tackle the BYD Sealion 7
The bottom Sealion 7 does a whole lot of issues nicely sufficient to justify its sturdy gross sales efficiency, and I don’t assume I’d be dropping an additional 9 grand for the sooner one.
It goes onerous on worth and appears, with a whole lot of gloss and sparkle within the areas that matter for purchasers seeking to maximise their return on funding within the type of screens, trimmings and creature consolation.
The driving expertise is once more ‘simply advantageous’ for the kind of every day commuting most consumers might be utilizing it for, however whereas it does all the things nicely sufficient, it’s hardly a standout in the way in which the a lot cheaper Seal sedan is.
Not helped by the actual fact there are much more rivals within the SUV area, the Sealion 7 is going through more and more stiff competitors from all corners of the globe, a lot of which provide higher tech, a greater drive, or a combination of each.
Whereas the BYD is a strong choice on this section, the bottom Mannequin Y bests it in lots of areas, and I’d even be intrigued by sharply priced entry variations of the Skoda Enyaq and the upcoming Toyota bZ4X facelift if I have been buying on this section.
CarExpert can prevent 1000’s on a brand new BYD Sealion 7. Click on right here to get an excellent deal.
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