BYD Seal Premium – Is this the best of the bunch?

There are three versions of the BYD Seal; Dynamic, Premium and Performance, but which has the best bang for buck?

In this video, Gav puts the Premium model through its paces to see how it compares to the other two Seal models in terms of gadgets and performance, as well as taking it on a road trip to learn whether its range estimation of 570 km per charge is anywhere near accurate.

Sure, it's obviously going to be better equipped than the entry-level Dynamic in terms of range and performance, but is it worth the extra eight grand? And should you buy this instead of the more expensive Performance model? Press Play to find out, and while you're at it, please help our channel grow by pressing that big, friendly Subscribe button!

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[jimi-w]

Had my Seal Premium for about 2.5 months and 4000km’s. Very happy with all of it! Earlier in the week there was an update to improve the driver assistance/safety systems, and today they released digital keys for iPhone/Android

[manofleisure]

Picked up my Premium a week ago today and I love it. My first EV so I'm still learning but it's a lot of fun so far.

[rob]

😂 1:25 "1 American child" lighter. LOL.

[TassieEV]

Love the Seal, it looks beautiful and the range on the Premium spec is amazing. 490km my bladder wouldn't be able to run that without at least one stop.

[rayhughes]

My older brother has this car in Australia - absolutely loves it -- and is delighted with the accelaration

[ImperatorTFD]

I've had my Seal Performance since April and it still puts a stupid smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel. Amazing specs and speed for a great price! Having said that the advertised range never meets reality, especially with the heater or ITAC enabled.
Also, regarding the audio noise levels, were you using a phone connected via Bluetooth or radio/spotify?

[BurntFaceMan]

I love your reviews so much I really wish they gave your access to more cars so we could hear your humour more =) one of the best modern car reviewers online. =)

[adamdukat]

--- to me it is! I have been in the Premium since December last year -- and am still in love with it. Wouldn't drive anything else. I like the style of Your Review -- together with the spuds. Love NZ too! Thank You. Adam from Adelaide. Bye.

I tested this model for 1 week and I was very impressed. The power is more than enough. I drove it in Eco mode because this gave me a smoother ride. Unfortunately it is too big for me and I don't like the trunk. BYD should make an estate from the Seal.

[walterxu]

Courtesy seating is actually really useful for someone short. My wife is 153cm tall, need to have separate preset seating position as her driving position is too close to the wheel.

[dingbatt]

Nice review, especially since you avoided saying the “T” word by way of comparison. If rumours are to be believed, there is a facelift for the Seal coming. Tweaking things like battery (not Blade 2.0 unfortunately), motor(s) and the interior (dashboard mainly). The Seal is the likely successor to my TM3 although, having test driven the BYD Sealion 6 recently, I might wait to see if the fully electric Sealion 7 is coming to NZ.

[CThienV]

Owners seem to love theirs which is bad for me. Im waiting for a used one

[karinahall]

I have to laugh when people say they don't want a chinese car. This is exactly what was said when the koreans entered the market. Now look how much they charge and the loyalty their brands get.

[gregb]

Stats for BYD new car sales in July in NZ if interested. Atto 3: 59 sold new, Dolphin: 23, Seal: 15 and Sea lion Phev: 20. The Atto 3 is having a clear out of the old model, so good discounts.

Please not this is not a dig at BYD, all EV have suffered this year mostly because of the introduction of RUC.

[rcast]

Wow 70k 🥶

59k on road in Victoria, AU

Good reason to move here 👌

[CT-wqje]

I hope you do an update on the charging. No use paying this much if the fast charging doesn't work!

[Audios]

In real world, the Premium honestly didn’t have that much more real world range versus the Performance. Hard to pass up the Perf with 390kw. When we were in the market for our first EV, we had to choose the 390kw version. It’s an M3 Killer, and that’s not an understatement. You get genuine leather seats, the iTACS, AWD (always good in the wet and snow) and the real world range was just about 40kms less than a mates Premium. And the heated wheel was a must so, as our BMWs of the past have had this and it’s something we didn’t want to go without.

[cb-nz]

Does it have an electric sunroof cover? Having been in an MG ZS I reckon they are vital in NZ

[stormlands]

Am waiting for the 2025 model that have more things and also even less price, but a tiny tiny bit smaller battery also it get an 800v up form 400v electrical platform. 10 to 80 at 25min

[peterjackson]

I wonder why BYD have a protocol charging issue? It's not as if DC charging is a new thing.