2025 BYD Sealion 7 Premium Review

Chinese brand’s mid-sized electric SUV puts Tesla’s Model Y on notice

By carsales.com.au

The Tesla Model Y has had a relatively rival-free run in the mid-sized, electric SUV niche.

But the competition is closing in quickly with new arrivals like the highly anticipated BYD Sealion 7 we’re testing here.

Squarely aimed at the Model Y with more equipment and sharper pricing, the Sealion 7 is positioned above the brand’s popular Atto 3 as a high-riding version of the Seal sedan.

With a spacious cabin, upscale finishes, solid build quality and punchy performance, it’s not totally without its quirks, but the Sealion 7 looks set to make waves.

How much does the BYD Sealion 7 cost?

The 2025 BYD Sealion 7 has officially landed in Australia priced from $54,990 for the single-motor Premium and $63,990 for the dual-motor Performance.

This means it undercuts the Tesla Model Y (starting from $55,900) but not the XPeng G6 ($54,800). All pricing is before on-road costs.

Some other Chinese-built battery-electric mid-size SUV rivals with their elbows out include the impressive Deepal SO7 ($53,900), the affordable Leapmotor C10 ($45,888), and the mainstream Kia EV5 ($56,770).

Another alternative could come from within, given the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV is roughly the same size, similarly equipped, has more range and comes in at $43K, some $11,000 below the Sealion 7. Food for thought.

What standard equipment does the BYD Sealion 7 feature?

Whether you go for the entry-level Sealion 7 Premium or the flagship Performance model, BYD has thrown in plenty of standard kit covering tech, comfort, and safety, with the rotating 15.6-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto the cabin’s centrepiece.

This is joined by two other digital screens, a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display and an impressive large head-up display, while both models also get a rather strapping 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system.

A 50W wireless phone charge pad is a nice touch, as is a powered tailgate for hands-free grocery loading.

Power-operated leather front seats with heating and cooling functionality, 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and taillights, embedded satellite navigation, ambient cabin lighting (with rhythm function!) and a karaoke mode are in there too, along with dual-zone climate control.

Step up to the Sealion 7 Performance model and the extra $9000 buys you a far more potent powertrain – a dual-motor setup versus the single motor – but not much more in the way of features, which is interesting.

The extra cash brings 20-inch alloy wheels, a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats as the only other additions. Oh, and painted red brake callipers, which add at least a liberal dose of street cred.

Only four exterior colour options are available and they’re all fairly passive – Atlantis Grey, Cosmos Black, Aurora White, and Shark Grey. If you want something more eye-catching, you’ll want an aftermarket wrap.

There are no interior colour options either, with black the only choice. Again, this is a bit disappointing when some rivals offer multiple choices in more radical hues. But hey, you’ll never be paralysed by choice when it comes to the colour palette.

What safety features does the BYD Sealion 7 have?

On the safety front, both Sealion 7 model grades are stacked with a comprehensive suite of advanced crash avoidance and driver aids, including:

• Nine airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane keeping assistance
• Driver attention monitoring
• Blind spot monitoring
• Rear cross traffic alert with auto braking
• Safe exit warning
• Traffic sign recognition

The car hasn’t been tested by ANCAP yet, but European NCAP gave the SUV (which is called the BYD Seal-U overseas) a five-star safety rating in 2023. Every other BYD sold in Australia thus far has snaffled a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

What is the BYD Sealion 7 like inside?

There’s a distinctly premium feel to the finishes in the cabin and all the touchy-feely bits, although how well they last under the hot Aussie sun is yet to be determined.

Mercifully, however, the large panoramic glass roof has a solid power-operated sunshade.

Otherwise, there’s an impressive amount of space with excellent headroom all round and generous leg room for back seat passengers.

The seats are comfortable, the leather is sumptuous and the organic shapes in the dashboard design are interesting. There’s also excellent vision with a commanding view from the driver’s seat, which provides plenty of adjustment to suit all sizes.

The boot is easy to access with 580L of cargo capacity, with an extra 58L under the bonnet in the front trunk. There’s no spare tyre though which, while becoming increasingly the norm, is still unacceptable for a family vehicle.

What is under the bonnet of the BYD Sealion 7?

Well, like most EVs, there’s no oily bits to maintain, but instead enough space to house the charging cable or a small bag.

In place of an internal combustion engine, the entry-level BYD Sealion 7 Premium has a single rear-mounted electric motor that produces 230kW and 380Nm that gives it the ability to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds.

The flagship Performance has an additional motor on the front axle that generates 160kW and 310Nm for maximum combined outputs of 390kW/690Nm which lowers the sprint to triple figures down to 4.5 seconds.

Both versions share the same 82kWh Blade battery pack that can deliver 482km and 456km of driving range respectively and is capable of upto 150kW fast charging.

Both Sealion 7 models also feature Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality that allows users to tap into the battery’s stored energy to remotely power portable devices such as laptops, outdoor lights, e-scooters and more.

What is the BYD Sealion 7 like to drive?

After taste testing the BYD Sealion 7 in China late last year, our first impression was watered down by several question over its dynamic character.

The good news is that most of the issues have been addressed with BYD executives admitting that Australian models have received numerous adjustments to the chassis before arriving in local showrooms.

The proof is obvious, as it is now certainly one of the more compliant and controlled Chinese EVs to land on local shores in recent times.

Bump absorption is very good in the Premium model with its 19-inch alloy wheels and still above par in the Performance version with its sporty 20-inch rims shod with stiffer (and grippy) Michelin tyres.

The way the SUV soaks up manhole covers and potholes is commendable, keeping occupants fairly isolated from bigger hits. On a short dirt road detour, the Premium AWD model grade also showed a clean pair of heels, managing the bumpy gravel surface with remarkable poise.

In any case, the Sealion 7 has confident driving dynamics despite the fact it weighs as much as a beluga whale, at 2225kg for the Premium and 2340kg for the Performance.

The way the double wishbone front and multilink rear independent suspension work in tandem with the (semi) passive frequency selective dampers is commensurate with some of the more dynamic family SUVs on sale today.

Both models accelerate smoothly but with purpose, even the single-motor Sealion 7 Premium. But it’s the dual-motor Performance that makes the biggest impact, firing away from the traffic lights with serious venom.

The 4.5 second 0-100km/h acceleration claim is eminently believable. The 6.7 seconds for the Premium less so.

Around the Adelaide ‘burbs at more pedestrian speeds, the setup is also quite good, with well-weighted but direct steering making T-intersections, three-point turns and car-parking a cinch.

The lack of super-annoying and in-your-face safety nannies is another pleasant surprise.

There’s also loads of drive data right in the line of sight thanks to a large digital driver’s display and a good head-up display that provides clear navigational instructions. If you don’t like the single screen jobbie like in the Tesla Model Y, this will be worth a closer look.

As mentioned, the BYD Sealion 7 is a quiet cruiser… until the road surface gets a bit ragged and patchworked. In these scenarios the noise of the (admittedly accommodating) dampers pounding in and out of potholes and across lesions in the road is very noticeable.

Throttle calibration is also a little touchy at slower speeds and when you let off the throttle there’s a second or two where it feels as though it ‘sticks’. Drivers can dial up the regenerative braking to overcome this but if you’re not a fan of one-pedal driving it could be a sticking point (no pun intended).

How much does the BYD Sealion 7 cost to maintain?

Capped price service costs are competitive at an average of $317 per annum, which works out to just over $1900 across six years. Service intervals are pretty handy too, set at 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first.

Warranty provisions sound good on paper at six years/150,000km for the vehicle, but read the fine print and there are lot of caveats. For instance, the multimedia system (screen etc), AC/DC charging port assembly and USB charging ports are only covered for three years/60,000 kilometres.

The battery pack, however, is backed by a fairly standard eight year/160,000km warranty.

Should I lease a BYD Sealion 7?

If you’re in the market for an EV, there are a lot of reasons to consider the 2025 BYD Sealion 7 very seriously. It’s sharply priced, generously equipped and impressively engineered.

Simply put, the positives far outweigh the negatives and the hype appears well-earned.

BYD insists the Sealion 7 is not just a Tesla Model Y and XPeng G6 rival but a vehicle to take on all mid-size SUVs, from high-end versions of the Toyota RAV4 to low-end models in the BMW X3 range.

While the latter might be a stretch, there’s no denying it adds another appealing option to BYD’s expanding product portfolio.

2025 BYD Sealion 7 Premium at a glance:

^{Disclaimer: Images supplied by BYD}