BYD Seal 2024 review

Is the BYD Seal a Tesla beater? Is it the best value electric car on the market?

It certainly is if you calculate value in terms of dollars per kilowatt, because the Performance version has 390kW, and that means it can do 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds.

That's all well and good, but how the car drives (including some of its safety systems) is another matter altogether. You'll see what I mean if you watch the video.

But there's so much value on offer, and three grades to choose from, too. Honestly, I think I'd like to drive the lower-spec versions before making a 100 percent call on this, but it has the potential to be a game changer for the BYD EV brand in Australia.

Here's a few of the best alternatives you should be checking out if you're into the BYD Seal:

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00:00 Intro
00:19 Is it the right price?
02:13 What are the best alternatives?
03:37 Is it the right size?
05:10 Interior
11:00 Battery specs and charging
12:07 Under the bonnet
13:19 Driving
18:26 Efficiency
19:41 Is it safe?
20:40 Ownership
21:24 Verdict

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#byd #review #seal

[geoffdmck]

Overseas reviewers have absolutely praised the suspension and handling of the Seal, so I'm a bit surprised at the comments in this video. The general consensus is the model 3 is more direct with the steering and feels more nimble, but the Seal beats the model 3 (even the new Highland model) hands down in ride quality. I just watched a NZ review (Ecotricity NZ) of the Seal Performance and he gave it a huge thumbs up in the handling department. Also Electrifying (UK) had both reviewers choosing the Seal (overall) over the model 3, despite it being more expensive in the European market. I test drove the Seal Premium 2 days ago and was absolutely sold on it over the model 3. I drive a BMW 530d at work and the Seal Premium at less than half its price, is as good or better. BYD are kicking goals...

[ItsJonesy]

I’ve had my Seal Performance for 2wks now and I will say I agree that ELKA and ISLI are a must to turn off before each drive.

What I would disagree with is your comments on pushing it to its limits and it struggling. Obviously its not as nimble as its competitors at 200kgs lighter but I’ve taken it on several twisty mountains around Brisbane and the car just feels planted thanks to its cell-to-body technology and it hasn’t felt like letting go at any point.

FSD does its job perfectly well and soaks up bumps where it’s needed and has that firmness when it’s not.

As someone who was between this and a Model 3 Highland for so long, it took me all of 10mins in the Tesla to know the Seal was the right choice.

[uuydjou]

I was tempted by the Tesla however Tesla does not have V2L (Vehicle to Load) -nor indicator storks-
V2L is a must have if the power grid goes down. Basically the BYD can become a massive battery (around 6 x larger than a power wall) that can run your home if you stick to the 3KW limit. If you have an off grid system already then you could use the BYD to charge your house batteries for long periods of bad weather that cut solar production.

[justicebroker]

Blinker stalks, this car has it all 🤣.

[petervaughan]

We just need driver profiles with remembered settings. In our MG4 the lane keep assist is like an angry night nurse with a baseball bat...

[kerrwhatley]

I agree with most of the comments- test drove the new Tesla and seats were horrible/no indicator stalks are a joke and a pointless screen in the back that is sighted too low for comfortable use. Every other review praises the BYD ride and comfort. Tesla wouldn’t get my vote over Ioniq 6 or Seal

[rodsevler]

When you reviewed Tesla M3H you didn’t mention that you prefer bottoms. Also you forgot to mention the back seat space is smaller in Tesla M3 as you mentioned in your previous M3 review. Also, you didn’t address the exterior design of seal as you did in your Tesla M3 review. The exterior design of seal is much better than Tesla. The door handles of the Tesla look very cheap. The seats of M3 look very cheap. The panoramic sunroof of Seal is better than M3. You can hear more noise in M3 while driving. I agree about the driving assistance but BYD better than Tesla in a lot of aspects. For that price and specs is just no brainer. I general not a good review. 👎

[philipbatty]

Buttons are almost always much better than scrolling through a screen

[Peter-vnue]

Most of the safety systems have an option to turn off the audio warning, and any setting preferences that you change remain set no matter if you turn off the vehicle.

The LKA has options, I have mine set in the Atto 3, so it vibrates the steering wheel and does a slight correction and no audio sound is turned on.

The speed warning just flashes on the screen if you exceed the speed limit, again, I have the audio warning sound turned off.

The infotainment screen size is actually 15.6 inches.

The whole BYD company philosophy is to make their vehicles easier for owners who are transitioning away from an ice vehicle and for those owners who appreciate familiarity, they dont see OPD and FSD as a main priority but instead focusing on affordability.

If OPD and FSD are a deal breaker, then you will buy a different brand and pay a higher price for this technology.

11kw charging at home is only achievable if your house has 3 phase power, if its single phase only, like most homes, 7kw home charging will be your limit.

No matter which Seal variant you buy, the savings over the Tesla model 3 or any other brand of a similar spec'd and size electric vehicle will more than cover the servicing cost for the BYD Seal over the next 6 years of ownership.

[teslabot]

Premium is plenty enough-5.8 seconds to 100kms. I am in Australia and our speed limit is 100kmph. I couldn't justify the extra $10k for the performance model with less range

[mindfreeze]

I find it funny that the model 3 doesnt have top tethers yet it has a 5 star rating (EuroNcap gave the new Kona 4 stars for something similar).

Regardless the Seal is a no brainer for a proper EV sedan without the eccentricities of the Tesla and the cost of the Polestar.

[colvilletitus]

I think over time, owners would get accustomed to the driving safety modes. Love it.

[Audios]

Hands down. The BEST video on the Seal Performance! We have a Shark Grey Seal Performance on order. Can’t wait to pick it up. Your review was engaging, thorough and entertaining! Thanks for making our choice all the much easier!
Cheers from Sydney

[YSA]

A short test drive of the Premium Seal @ BYD Bentleigh showed it to be very quiet even with the windows down. In an urban setting the 230kW seemed quite fast, it piles on speed. Not quite as quick as an MG4 XPower but a lot more than say a BYD ATTO 3 that feels on the slow side until it reaches 30km/hr. Very much chalk and cheese finish wise between an ATTO 3 with its lairy interior and the quiet, classy Seal which feels more like a C Class Benz in side but with a Golf Mk 8 stubby gear shift. Keen to test drive a Performance, for my mainly urban driving not sure if i need a performance but would be good to get a feel of it from the seat of my pants. Not really a Tesla fan. My brother has a new Y. Don't like everything being on the central screen, no HUD, no drivers instrument panel. And has some loony like Andre Citroen come up with getting rid of the indicators stalks. Very Citroen-like this, change for complications sake Have a Seal Premium on order

[cmp]

Buttons and stalks are good and part of the reason why, for me, Tesla doesn't make the short list should I choose to go to EV.

[maverickau]

The odd brake feel comes down to how BYD blends the regenerative braking into the brake pedal - it's hard to judge when the purely regenerative braking ends and the physical braking begins which makes it feel odd. They haven't got it quite as smooth as Audi do with their brake blending. That pitter-patteryness you felt is a result of the FSD on the performance model I would bet, I've heard that it feels a bit unsettled compared to the RWD models from overseas reviews. Owning the premium now but having test drove the performance as well I genuinely think the RWD models are the better handling and more comfy rides, and several reviews comparing across the range seem to agree with that. I absolutely disagree with your comments on it feeling unconfident - at least as far as the RWD Premium goes, I didn't get a chance to push the Performance - on more twisty roads when pushing it. I live in rural NSW around a lot of technical and twisty (not to mention crap quality) roads and it feels every bit as confidence inspiring and dynamic as more expensive performance cars I've driven and owned around here (HSV, FPV, BMW, Audi).

I have a lot more tolerance for intrusive ADAS systems owning another Chinese car with fairly intrusive systems, so the Seal's ADAS feels pretty okay to me. It's honestly better than a number of other cars ADAS systems I've tried, but it's also worse than a lot too. I think it's mostly down to calibration and firmware for local conditions, rather than the actual system itself. If BYD give a shit about our market, they'll eventually iron a lot of that out with local tuning and OTA updates as they're starting to do in several markets on their vehicles - fingers crossed.

[samereid]

I’ve watched many many reviews about the seal, I went to the show room in Paris to check it and my opinion we can’t compare it to Tesla. That’s on another level, it’s closer to German brands…

[ThomasPax]

You can use the buttons on the steering wheel to control the aircon etc... So there are control buttons 😊

[tpolestarcyan]

It's no doubt that the BYD Seal is also one of a desirable kind of model to buy.

[dymehta]

Loved the george costanza referencee 😂😂😂