BYD Seal U review

Seals and petrol are not a great combination in the natural world, but when it comes to cars it can work – as the BYD Seal U DM-i shows.

Let’s explain. While the BYD Seal is an electric saloon rivalling the Tesla Model 3, the Seal U DM-i is a family SUV version available exclusively as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) in the UK. China and some European countries will get a fully electric Seal U, but no right-hand-drive models will be built.

It’s the first of many PHEVs that BYD is planning to bring to the UK and it looks like the Chinese car maker wants to make a statement.

Indeed, the Seal U’s official electric-only range is impressive, its pricing looks really competitive and its standard equipment list is long. Even entry-level cars get things like ventilated seats.

So it looks good on paper but how does the BYD Seal U fare in practice against the likes of the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and MG HS PHEV – not to mention our current favourite PHEV, the Mazda MX-30 R-EV? Read on to find out…

There are three power choices when it comes to the BYD Seal U DM-i, starting with the Boost model – which despite the name is the slowest option available.

It has front-wheel drive and gets a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine along with an electric motor and an 18.3kWh battery. Its maximum power output is 214bhp, delivering a 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds, and the official range when running on electricity alone is 49 miles.

Then there’s a Comfort model, which gets the same set-up but a bigger 26.6kWh battery offering a massive 77-mile range, similar to the MG HS PHEV. It can officially go further on battery power than even the Range Rover Sport P460e – a car that costs more than twice the price of the Seal U.

Topping the line-up is the Design model. That gets an extra electric motor on the rear axle, making it four-wheel drive, plus a turbocharger for its engine. In all, power adds up to 319bhp for a 0-62mph time of 5.9 seconds. The Design gets the smaller of the two batteries so the electric-only range drops to 43 miles.

Just remember that in the real world the range in all versions of the Seal U – and indeed even the best plug-in hybrids and electric cars – will be much less than the official numbers state. Still, even the Seal U Design’s lowest range figure is a match for the Kia Sportage PHEV. 

Better still, the system itself is quite impressive, switching between electric and petrol power remarkably smoothly as you drive. In fact, it’s only when you accelerate really hard that the engine noise becomes a little more coarse – something you’ll rarely have to do in the more powerful Design version. 

The rest of the time, the engines are hushed and the Seal U is a generally quiet thing to drive around in, save some wind noise at motorway speeds. 

Along with the regular Sport, Normal and Eco driving modes, there are also Hybrid and EV modes. EV forces the car to run on electric power if there’s enough juice in the battery, while Hybrid uses a mixture of electricity and petrol as and when it’s needed, with the car working out when to swap. You can also force the battery to keep a specified state of charge to use electric power later in a journey.

While many EVs and PHEVs end up with stiff suspension to compensate for the added weight of their battery, the Seal U is the exact opposite. As a result, the very soft suspension set-up causes the ride to be a bit of a mixed bag. 

You see, it glides around quite happily at low speeds around town, but as speeds increase on undulating country roads there’s a lot of float to the ride and it’s easily unsettled. That said, the Seal U is quite a comfortable motorway cruiser, only really becoming unsettled by large imperfections. 

Speaking of which, no matter what kind of road you’re on, sharp road imperfections (expansion joints etc) are the Seal U’s Achilles' heel, causing a loud thud and lots of body movements when you travel over them. None of that makes it properly uncomfortable, but other PHEVs – including the Mazda MX-30 R-EV – have better controlled rides.

The soft set-up also means it’s not particularly dynamic on a twisty road, with a lot of lean if you carry some pace around a corner.

The incredibly light steering does little to provide a sense of connection to the front wheels and doesn’t give you all that much confidence to push on. Unless you’re driving around town, where the light steering at low speeds is advantageous, you’ll want to switch the steering into its Sports mode to get a little more feel.

"The official electric-only range of the Seal U certainly is impressive and, while I doubt you’ll get the exact amount quoted, it should go further than rivals, based on our experience." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

If you like SUVs for their high driving position, the BYD Seal U DM-i won’t disappoint. It’s not Range Rover Sport high, but it’s elevated enough that you sit higher than in normal cars.

It’s really easy to get comfortable behind the wheel thanks to every Seal U getting electrically adjustable front seats as standard, with the driver getting eight-way adjustment. Our only real demerit is that the vegan leather seats could do with a little more side support through corners.

Another plus to the elevated driving position is that you have a great view out over the front of the car and at junctions.

Even though the rear windscreen is a little shallow, the standard 360-degree surround cameras mean parking is an absolute doddle. They offer multiple views out from various positions around the car, and you can easily swipe through and manoeuvre around the different camera angles on the touchscreen. You also get a handy head-up display on every Seal U.

As with many new cars, you’ll find that 90% of the functionality is hidden within the infotainment touchscreen, making on-the-move changes pretty distracting. Luckily, some of the functions have been made easier in the Seal U, with BYD including three finger gestures on the screen to make quick changes to the temperature or fan speed. You can also use the voice-control feature, but it’s a little hit and miss. 

Both are pretty handy to have, but we’d still rather have physical climate controls and shortcut buttons, like you get in the Hyundai Tucson. 

Speaking of infotainment, the Seal U gets the same 15.6in touchscreen as the BYD Seal with the same swivel functionality, allowing the screen to rotate 90 degrees and giving you the choice between portrait or landscape. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring comes as standard but strangely only runs in landscape mode.

The infotainment system itself is reasonably responsive and has been pretty well thought out. You see, while there are loads of menus and sub-menus, you can add shortcuts to your favourite sections within the pull down menu, making it easier to get around the system. Without that, finding whatever you’re after can be a bit of a mission, especially when driving.

The quality of the materials would not have you immediately assuming this is a plug-in hybrid at the budget end of the class. There are soft-touch finishes where you’d want them, the plastics that are used feel solid and the general ambience is better than you’ll find in the budget-focused yet impressive MG HS. The Mazda MX-30 R-EV is a cut above in terms of build quality though.

"Despite its price tag, I found the interior quality of the Seal U quite impressive, especially with it sitting at the cheaper end of the market. It’s a genuinely pleasant place to be." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The BYD Seal U DM-i's front seats are very accommodating even if you’re particularly long-legged, and the wide interior will mean you certainly won’t be rubbing shoulders with the front passenger.

Storage is impressive too, with a cavernous cubby under the central armrest, another generous compartment under the centre console – which includes wireless phone-charging for two smartphones – and good-sized door bins for drinks bottles.

The distance between the front and rear wheels is actually shorter than it is in the BYD Seal electric saloon – which therefore suggests interior space is ultimately less. But don’t let that put you off, because leg room in the back of the Seal U is still very good for tall adults.

Head room is a little less impressive. If you don’t have the rear seats reclined all the way back, a six-footer will likely find their head is very close to touching the roof lining. At least the rear is quite wide, making it pretty easy to fit three adults sitting side by side. Better still, the flat floor means the middle-seat passenger will have plenty of space to put their feet.

Overall, in terms of practicality the Seal U is leaps ahead of the cramped Mazda MX-30 R-EV and is also more spacious than an MG HS but isn’t as generous as the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. 

The Seal U's 425-litre boot space comes as standard with a height-adjustable boot floor – but don’t get too excited. The difference between the highest setting and the lowest setting is a matter of millimetres.

In its highest position, there’s no loading lip and with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats down the floor lies flush with them. The boxy, simple storage space offers a storage cubby on one side at the front but it’s a shame there isn’t much in the way of underfloor storage, even with the floor in its highest position.

The boot isn’t a match for the MG HS PHEV or the much more practical Kia Sportage PHEV but it’s still a practical space that can cope with a massive shop or a family holiday, offering greater storage than an MX-30 or Kia Niro PHEV.

"Considering the Seal U is an SUV that rubs shoulders with the Tucson and Sportage, rear space is a little disappointing. I’m not six feet tall and my head was close to the roof, especially with the seat upright." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

As a cash purchase, the BYD Seal U DM-i is pretty tempting, undercutting the equivalent Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage but costing a little more than a Mazda MX-30 R-EV or MG HS PHEV.

Better still, the Seal U is predicted to depreciate more slowly than all of those rivals, which can mean you’ll pay less per month if you’re a PCP finance customer. You can keep an eye on the offers available using our New Car Deals pages.

Company car drivers should especially take note of the Comfort model, because the excellent electric range and low CO2 emissions mean it sits in the 5% BIK tax bracket, which is below all its immediate rivals. A fully electric car will attract even less tax.

While the list price might still be a little more expensive than a couple of its rivals, the level of standard equipment you get with the Seal U DM-i is genuinely fantastic.

There’s no difference in spec between the trims available, which means even the cheapest version of the car comes with heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a 360-degree parking camera, adaptive cruise control with steering assistance and a head-up display.

You also get V2L as standard, so you can use an adaptor to turn the car into a power source to charge up a laptop or boil a kettle if you’re out camping.

The Seal U has lots of safety equipment, helping it secure the maximum five-star rating from safety experts Euro NCAP. You also get a competitive six-year or 93,750-mile warranty with all versions.

When it comes to charging up, the Seal U can accept a maximum charging speed of 18kW. That’s not particularly quick, but rapid charging speeds are not that common among PHEVs. At its maximum speed, a 30-80% top up takes 35 minutes, or 55 minutes if you’ve got the bigger battery in the Comfort model. From an 11kW home wallbox you can expect a 15-100% charge in two hours.

"You can’t argue with the amount of standard equipment you get with the Seal U. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an entry-level car at the BYD’s price that offered a 360-degree camera, heated and ventilated electric seats and wireless phone-charging as standard." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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