BYD Sealion 7 long-term test

The Car BYD Sealion 7 Excellence AWD Run by Jonty Renk, video production manager

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 9124 List price £59,000 Best price £52,490 Price as tested £60,100 Official range 312 miles Test range 205 miles Private price now £33,986 Dealer price now £38,590 Running costs £1583 (charging)

17 March 2026 – Seven for seven

My BYD Sealion 7 is the first electric vehicle (EV) I’ve ever owned. In effect, it has acted as a litmus test for whether an EV can suit my lifestyle, and I’ve put more than 7000 miles on the clock over the past six months in pursuit of an answer.

So, have I found one? Well,  I’ll come to that in a moment. But first, I have seven points (appropriately) to make about my Sealion 7 – starting with range.

Sure, my 18-mile round-trip commute was never going to prove a challenge; it would barely challenge a golf cart, let alone a family electric SUV with a 312-mile official range. Still, considering the fact that I don’t have a home charger and regularly cover long  distances for video shoots, I’m relieved to say I rarely experienced range anxiety and had to make unscheduled stops only a handful of times, thanks to my car’s real-world average of 205 miles between top-ups.

Second, I’d like to talk about the charging process itself. Being a range-topping Excellence model, my Sealion 7 can take on electricity at a maximum rate of 230kW.  And while I never actually saw it achieve that sort of charging speed, on numerous occasions I got more than 150kW, which is the maximum rate offered by lesser Sealion 7s (the Comfort and Design versions).

Third, there’s the interior’s lack of physical buttons. At first, I found it quite frustrating having to use the touchscreen every time I wanted to change a setting. However, I soon got used to this, thanks in part to the Sealion 7’s intuitive software and handy shortcuts. For example, you can drag three fingers across the screen to adjust the fan speed, and drag three fingers up and down to adjust the temperature. It’s similar to using a tablet or mobile phone and, in the end, I found the screen no more distracting than physical controls.

Next up, a word on performance. My Sealion 7 can crack 0-62mph in 4.5sec, which is on a par with our reigning Sports Car of the Year, the Porsche 911 Carrera T. However, what I kept being reminded of was just how immediately the Sealion 7 picks up speed when you plant your right foot. There’s no waiting for a gearbox to shift down or a turbocharger to spool up. It just goes, quickly and effortlessly, thanks to all of the pulling power from its electric motor being available at any speed.

Another good thing is that my car came with a few cables: a Type 2 connector, a three-pin transformer and a V2L (vehicle to load) adapter – all as standard. I was surprised at how much I used the V2L function (which essentially turns the Sealion 7 into a massive power bank). I charged laptops, cameras, microphones and more using it.

Sixth on my list is the BYD app. I spoke a bit about the strengths and weaknesses of this in an earlier report, but I would now genuinely miss the freedom of not having to carry a keyfob around. Functions like pre-heating the interior in the morning and being able to quickly check the vehicle’s location have been really useful, too. Being connected to my car from my pocket is a luxury that would be tough to give up.

Finally, as subjective as this is, I’d like to talk briefly about the Sealion 7’s design. In short, I really like it; it’s sleek yet muscular, and reminds me of a Porsche Cayenne Coupé. Meanwhile, the interior is smart, and I’m glad I went for the darker of the two colour options, because this aged well. By contrast, when Editor Steve Huntingford ran a BYD Seal a year ago, its light blue interior was all too easily marked and ended up looking quite grubby.

So, to my overall conclusion: does an EV suit the lifestyle of someone like me? Actually, yes. Life with the Sealion 7 hasn’t been without its hiccups, including the seemingly everlasting software update I experienced early on in our time together. However, generally, this car has been a stress-free and practical choice, and I’ve loved its quiet cruising manners. In short, test passed.

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