2025 BYD Sealion 7 Performance review

The BYD Sealion 7 is a new fully electric mid-size crossover SUV that enters into the highly competitive EV market.

There are dozens of players in this part of the market, and the Sealion 7 hits hard when it comes to standard equipment, pricing and style.

It’s a little larger than some of its rivals, and in dual-motor all-wheel drive Performance spec as tested here, it packs a wallop when it comes to speed, too.

So, is it the best pick if you’re looking for a new electric SUV? Read on and find out.

How much does the BYD Sealion 7 cost?

There are two versions of the BYD Sealion 7 available in Australia and they both have the same battery pack. However, there are differences between the entry-level single-motor rear-wheel drive Premium and the dual-motor all-wheel drive Performance configurations.

Both variants have similar standard equipment levels – all the details are listed down below – though the Performance includes a few extra niceties like heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel.

To see how the BYD Sealion 7 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What is the BYD Sealion 7 like on the inside?

It’s not as outlandish as some of the models that have come before it from this Chinese brand, and that may appease some customers by making it a bit more approachable for them. 

But the Sealion 7 does still have some bling-bling elements to it, including configurable ambient lighting, and obviously there are digital screens for the driver and infotainment as well. 

The driver’s instrument cluster is a 10.25-inch display with a bit of configurability to it. The menus there might take a little bit of getting used to by way of steering wheel buttons – which are shiny and reflective, but thankfully not piano black. And there’s a volume scroller, which is a nice bonus, while the other side of the tiller has your cruise control buttons, and a shortcut to your camera there as well. There is a head-up display, too.

Then there’s the 15.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system, which can rotate if you want it to. I don’t know why you’d want it to, but some people do. I had a weird issue with it not understanding which orientation the screen was in when the surround camera was operating. 

There are a bunch of controls on the centre screen, plus a built-in sat-nav system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and multiple other media controls, not to mention all of your adjustments for climate control and fan settings – there are no physical buttons or dials for those.

However, it’s a very deep software set, with multiple different menus to adjust different elements of the car. You can adjust your driving settings, instruments, seats, locks, notifications and more; there’s so much stuff that you can adjust to basically tailor it to how you prefer it to be.

You can configure a number of safety driving systems too, and there’s one you might not want on all the time: the pesky driver monitoring camera. However, there’s also a little handy dropdown box at the top, so you can quickly jump in, rather than wading through screens.

The main screen also shows you more data on your energy consumption, battery charging settings and more. Of course, there’s a smartphone app to remotely control other elements directly, including keeping an eye on your car’s charging system and adjusting interior temperature and seat heating/cooling. 

As for comfort, there are multiple different ways to adjust this front seats, including a seat squab extension for the driver – so if you have really long legs or you like a lot of under-thigh support, that will be handy. There are also multiple different controls including lumbar adjust.

It has a traditional glovebox with a handle (not a screen button!), plus bottle holders in the doors, and there’s nice soft elbow padding where there should be, too. There are also normal air vents – you don’t have to muck around with the screen to adjust them.

There’s an NFC card reader, which can be used as a key, or you can use your phone or a physical key. Alongside that reader there’s a 50W wireless charger for your phone with ventilation, so it won’t overheat your phone.

There’s a toggle-style gear selector and park brake button, and nearby is a regen braking adjustment button, as well as drive mode selection controls, and the ‘start’ button is nearby.

Some of those controls can be glared out by the massive glass roof, which does have a shade – thank goodness. 

Grab handles for all four seats is a nice touch, and there are illuminated vanity mirrors and an auto-dimming rear vision mirror as well, but no sunglasses holder.

The back seat is extremely roomy, with more legroom than most rivals, meaning parents with tall teens will be able to fit them in with ease. There are ISOFIX child seat anchors and three top-tethers, too, so if your kids are younger, they’ll have space in the back too. 

There are directional air vents, decent door pockets, a flip-down armrest with cupholders, and rear-seat riders also get charging ports and ambient lights.

It’s not necessarily class-leading in terms of the amount of space in the boot, with a claimed 500 litres of cargo space. There’s a pop-down shopping bag hook there, and under-floor storage where you could keep smaller odds and ends. There’s a tyre repair kit there – but no spare. 

But this car also has a frunk, which is a decent 58-litre capacity. There’s no drainage hole, if that matters, but it’s a great spot to store your charging cables. You get a Mode 2 cable and a vehicle-to-load (V2L) power adapter included, too.

To see how the BYD Sealion 7 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

As mentioned above, there are two different grades of the BYD Sealion 7 on offer. The powertrains separate them, and there’s a sizeable gap in terms of the power and torque on offer, thanks to the addition of an additional front motor in the Performance model.

The Sealion 7 has V2L functionality, so you should be able to run some electrical appliances or devices from it.

The top-spec variant has a claimed range of 456km (WLTP), and its claimed efficiency 21.4kWh per 100km, which is high for an SUV of this size – no doubt due to the fact it’s also a heavy vehicle.

On test, I couldn’t match the claim. In fact, I was disappointed by the real-world range I saw on a drive from the lower Blue Mountains to Canberra, where I averaged a staggering 26.3kWh per 100km.

Admittedly, that’s mainly uphill, and at highway speeds. Around town, in a second urban drive test, I saw 21.2kWh/100km.

So, on average, I saw 23.4kWh/100km, which means a theoretical range of just 352km. Not great.

To see how the BYD Sealion 7 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

How does the BYD Sealion 7 drive?

Don’t go thinking that you’re getting a ‘performance’ SUV if you’re buying this EV. Not in the traditional sense, at least.

There’s no doubt this is a fast car. It even states the claimed 0-100km/h time on its boot lid – which is 4.5 seconds, thanks very much.

Make no mistake: this is a speedy machine, and it’ll do the ‘throw you back in your seat’ thing over and over again, if you want it to.

But the Sealion 7 Performance doesn’t have the driving manners you might expect of a fast car.

You might read the spec sheet and think the double wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear-end, as well as ‘Frequency Selective Damping’ shock absorbers, would make this thing a bit of a weapon in the bends.

But not really. The suspension is clearly calibrated more for comfort than agility, and in that way this EV delivers. It is a very cushy and comfy drive on urban streets and freeways alike, but when you find a set of corners to carve, it feels a bit blunt.

The body control is nowhere near as taut as a new Model Y (trust me, I drove them back to back on the same day!), and likewise the steering is hard to judge, with inconsistent response as you try and link bends together – at least the Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres offer exceptional grip. 

There’s less of a problem with the steering in city settings or on the open road, where you can flow some bends together more easily. At least it’s not as fidgety as the Model Y.

At least it stops well enough, but it is a matter of getting used to the brake pedal.

There are configurable regenerative braking modes, but no ‘one-pedal’ driving mode. And the brake pedal feel takes some adjustment, because it’s a bit soft before getting bitey as the pedal pushes in.

Refinement levels are good, though, with limited road noise intrusion to contend with. It is a comfortable experience overall, with effortless pace on offer. I just don’t think it’s really that ‘performance’ focussed more generally.

To see how the BYD Sealion 7 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What do you get?

As mentioned, the two different versions of the Sealion 7 have almost identical levels of standard equipment, making it hard to ignore the value equation for the base model.

2025 BYD Sealion 7 Premium equipment highlights:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Tyre repair kit
• LED headlights
• Panoramic glass roof
• Power tailgate
• Power-folding exterior mirrors
• Proximity entry with push-button start
• NFC card key
• BYD digital key
• Rain-sensing wipers
• 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system (rotating)
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Wired Android Auto
• Satellite navigation
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• Head-up display
• 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system
• 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A outlet (front)
• 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A outlet (rear)
• Wireless phone charger
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Leather upholstery
• 8-way power driver’s seat
  • 4-way power lumbar
  • Power leg rest
  • Driver memory
• 6-way power passenger seat
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• RGB ambient lighting with rhythm function
• Dual-zone climate control
• PM2.5 high efficiency filter

Performance adds:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Painted front brake calipers
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated rear seats

To see how the BYD Sealion 7 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

Is the BYD Sealion 7 safe?

The BYD Sealion 7 received the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating under 2025 testing criteria.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Driver attention monitoring
• Lane-keep assist
• Emergency lane-keep assist
• Front cross-traffic assist
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Intelligent speed limit assist
• Safe exit warning
• Child presence detection
• Surround-view camera
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Dual front airbags plus a driver’s far-side airbag
• Side airbags and curtain airbags for both rows

The Sealion 7 has nine airbags fitted, including dual front, front side, rear side, front centre and full-length curtain coverage. 

To see how the BYD Sealion 7 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

How much does the BYD Sealion 7 cost to run?

BYD recently adjusted its warranty program to be a six-year/150,000km bumper-to-bumper guarantee, meaning you shouldn’t need to read the terms and conditions anymore.

Beyond that, the brand has an eight-year/160,000km warranty for the vehicle’s battery system – on par with the majority of brands.

As for servicing considerations, BYD requires the vehicle to have a free checkup at three months or 5000km, but thereafter the intervals fall every 12 months or 20,000km – out to 10 years/200,000km. There is a capped-price program for that period, with the average maintenance fee averaging out at $454 per visit. 

And if you service with BYD’s approved workshops, the brand will top up your roadside assistance each time you go back.

To see how the BYD Sealion 7 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the BYD Sealion 7 Performance

There is a lot to like about the BYD Sealion 7 Premium AWD. It is powerful, packed with kit and plenty fast.

It isn’t as dynamically potent as you might hope for, given the name of this variant, though. Serious enthusiasts won’t get their thrills here. 

But as an effortless and enjoyable electric SUV, it is one of the best in the business.

Interested in buying a BYD Sealion 7? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

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