Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD – Build Your Dreams – sold more electric cars in the final quarter of 2023 than Elon Musk’s Tesla company.

Latest figures show that BYD shifted 526,000 battery-only cars in the final three months of last year, while Tesla sold 484,500, which is still a decent amount, but it’s significant that a new entrant to the electric car market has hit the ground running and moved to number one.  

Firstly, a bit of background.

BYD was founded in 1995 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, but it didn’t start life as a car manufacturer. It kicked off by making the sort of rechargeable batteries found in stuff like smartphones, laptops etc. This gave the company an immediate advantage when, in 2002, it bought a state-owned car manufacturer. The batteries which are fitted to electric cars are vastly expensive, making your own keeps costs to a minimum. BYD even produces its own motors and semiconductors.

So, like a lot of car firms that first arrive on our shores, the one thing that sells them is the price. It’s the classic ‘you get a lot of car for your money.’ Just ask SKODA, Hyundai, MG, Nissan and KIA for example. However, it’s important that the product moves with the times which is why other firms like Lada and Proton disappeared.

And it’s also why BYD needs to keep improving its cars.

So, this is the latest offering from BYD - the Seal - which comes hot on the heels of their first car, the family–sized Atto 3 SUV and, more recently, the compact Dolphin hatchback.

The big difference is that the Seal is aimed at more up-market products such as the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3 and Beemers like the i4. It won’t be the biggest seller in the BYD armoury, but it shows intent.

If you go by looks alone, I reckon the BYD Seal is already off to a flyer.

Under the sleek body, you’ll find the same platform as the Atto and Dolphin, but the battery is different, increasing in size to 82.5kWh. If you go for the single-motor Seal, the rear wheels are the ones which are driven. You can also go for a dual motor version which gives you all-wheel drive. 

Power outputs are healthy. The single motor BYD Seal Design model gets 309bhp which means a 0-60mph time of 5.9 seconds and the potential for 354 miles in range. The dual motor BYD Seal Excellence gets 523bhp and a 0-60mph time of 3.8 seconds. BYD reckon that both models will easily exceed 300 miles on a full charge (354 miles for the Design model and 323 for Excellence). If you find a rapid 150kWh charger, you can charge from 30% to 80% in around 24 minutes.

Spending £45,695 gets you into the single motor Seal. Add a further £3k for the AWD Excellence model. A cheaper version, probably called Comfort, will arrive later this year.

The interior is dominated by a huge 15.6-inch touchscreen. Its party trick is that it rotates. Okay, this may seem like a gimmick but it’s handy when switching from adjusting climate and audio to giving you a landscape view for the sat nav. It works well, but as with a lot of infotainment gadgets, there are too many sub menus to scroll through. Perhaps familiarity will make things easier to find. The driver display screen is excellent and crystal clear.

There’s no doubt that the interior has a seriously premium look and feel. It’s better than the Tesla 3 and comfy too, although the sloping roofline does eat into the rear headroom slightly. The panoramic glass roof is really smart as well.

Out on the road, you have a choice of Eco, Normal, Sport or Snow driver settings. The first thing you realise is that once you get over the slingshot performance of the Excellence model, the cheaper Design version is just as good to drive and cheaper too. Both come fully loaded with kit and both are good to drive. The ride is surprisingly cushy and quiet. If you hit Sport mode it sharpens the steering and brakes but, to be honest, I just left it in Normal and let the car look after everything.

The biggest compliment you can give the BYD Seal is that it feels as though it was designed for the European market. It really is that good. And because BYD produces so much of the car in-house, it is predicted that if you order a car from the BYD factory, you should have it on your driveway within a matter of weeks as opposed to several months from most other manufacturers.   

Oh, and if you want everyone to know that you’re in the quick Seal, not a problem. The 3.8 seconds 0-60mph time can be found on the boot lid badging - BYD SEAL 3.8S.

Bearing in mind that BYD is still a newcomer to the electric car market in Europe, the Seal already shows that this is a company to watch very closely. The established brands won’t admit it, but they’re concerned. The BYD Seal really is that good.

words: Graham Courtney
pictures: BYD