BYD Sealion 7 long-term test: report 2
Our high-mileage video editor wants to go electric, but needs a car capable of covering big miles – can the long-legged BYD Sealion 7 fit the bill?...
The Car BYD Sealion 7 Excellence AWD
Why it’s here To prove that an electric car can be a suitable choice for a high-mileage, luggage-loading videographer
Needs to Provide comfort on long journeys, easily transport people and equipment on long shoots and convince a die hard combustion engine user that ICE isn't the only way to go
Mileage 1650 List price £59,000 Best price £52,490 Price as tested £60,100 Official range 312 miles Test range 270 miles
5 November 2025 – Going up the country
The BYD Sealion 7 is my first fully electric car (EV) and it’s been a long time coming. As I talked about in my last report, I’ve held off out of fear. I had all the worst-case scenarios floating around in my head, and they were all way beyond simply not being able to get to my destination on a single charge.
But now that I have an EV, I’m more than willing to face my fears and take my car out of its comfort zone as much as possible. And that’s exactly what I did for my latest trip, which involved a big weekend away in Dorset.
I live in London, meaning a 272-mile round trip: my Sealion 7 has a 312-mile official range. I knew that, even if all went swimmingly, it would be a close one at best and that I might have to charge at least once. I also knew that there was one (yes, just one) public charger at the hotel I had booked. If it were to be unavailable, I'd probably have to charge at a service station instead – and using those chargers ain't cheap.
I planned as much as I could, but it soon became time to load the boot and get on the road. In London, the indicated range was decreasing slowly, but the motorway then flipped the script and the miles I had left disappeared much faster. But hey, at least I was comfortable and, on top of that, road and wind noise was minimal. The Sealion 7 was proving a relaxing long-distance cruiser.
Eventually my mates and I made it to our hotel. The Sealion 7’s remaining range was 140 miles (45%), meaning the chances of getting back home without charging were near-enough zero. I'd anticipated this, but up until our arrival there was an optimistic little voice in my head saying it'd do the whole trip on one charge.
As it turns out, the 11kW public charger at our hotel was indeed available, and we managed to top up the battery overnight, so when it came time to leave the Sealion 7 had a blissful 100% charge.
We got back to London with no issues whatsoever, almost making me feel like a fool for worrying in the first placxe. Sure, my EV fears haven’t completely disappeared, but they are certainly fading, with this trip having proved a great success.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
Buy a new car with What Car?
Like the sound of the BYD Sealion 7?
If so, check out our New Car Deals pages to see how much you could save on a BYD Sealion 7.
We’ve got the biggest selection of discounted new cars available in the UK.
