2025 BYD Seal Dynamic review

• Doors and Seats

  

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• Engine

  

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• Engine Power

  

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• Fuel

  

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• Transmission

  

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• Warranty

  

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• Ancap Safety

  

  5/5 star (2023)

Electric Cars Guide

The BYD Seal sedan made a splash when it arrived in Australia just over 12 months ago, as the closest rival on space and price to the top-selling Tesla Model 3.

More than 6000 examples have been reported as sold since then, and it has become the country’s third-best-selling sedan behind the Model 3 and all-conquering Toyota Camry.

But we had not been able to drive the base-model Dynamic – until now.

It is arguably the most tantalising variant of the three, with a price below $50,000 plus on-road costs that undercuts the cheapest Model 3 – without losing much equipment.

Note: the car on test is technically a Model Year 2024 (MY24) example. A handful of MY25 upgrades have been announced for Australia, but they are only minor equipment additions, and do not change the way the entry-level Seal drives or charges.

The major updates announced in China – with faster charging and a new interior – are yet to be introduced locally. Click here for more details on what the Australian model does and doesn't get for 2025.

Is the entry-level BYD Seal any good? Let's find out.

The BYD Seal Dynamic is the most affordable model in the line-up – with a 61.4kWh battery, 150kW rear-mounted electric motor, 460km claimed driving range, and claimed 0–100km/h acceleration time of 7.5 seconds.

At the time of testing, it was priced from $49,888 plus on-road costs for MY24 stock, but MY25 versions have received a cut to $46,990.

The Premium costs $5910 to $6000 more ($55,798 for MY24, $52,990 for MY25) with an 82.6kWh battery, 230kW motor, 570km range and 5.9-second 0–100km/h time.

Meanwhile the Performance ($65,748 for MY24, $61,990 for MY25) has dual motors developing 390kW, and the 82.6kWh battery for 0–100km/h in 3.8sec, and a 520km range.

The Seal Dynamic on test is optioned with Cosmos Black paint for $1500. It equates to $51,388 plus on-road costs, or about $54,350 drive-away in NSW for MY24 – or $48,490 plus on-road costs and $51,259 drive-away in NSW for MY25.

Changes for MY25 include the addition of power-operated sunshade for the glass roof, plus a sunglasses holder, a PM2.5 cabin air filter, and according to BYD, an NFC and Bluetooth digital key.

Under $50,000 before on-roads is an exceptionally sharp price for a car of the Seal’s shape – it’s the most affordable electric sedan on sale in Australia, in fact – and is cheaper than a top-of-the-range Toyota Camry Hybrid ($53,990 plus on-roads for the SL grade).

The Tesla Model 3 RWD is its closest rival, starting from $54,900 plus on-road costs – with a 60kWh battery, 194kW motor, 513km claimed range and 6.1-second 0–100km/h time.

All other electric sedan rivals cost significantly more – a Hyundai Ioniq 6 starts from $66,500, and a Polestar 2 opens from $62,400 – while an MG 4 electric hatchback could be considered, priced from $50,990 plus on-road costs in Long Range 77 rear-wheel-drive trim.

Standard equipment in the Seal Dynamic includes 18-inch alloy wheels with Giti tyres, LED headlights, a 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.25-inch instrument display, synthetic leather-look upholstery, power-adjustable heated and ventilated front seats, a 12-speaker stereo, glass roof, power tailgate, and a suite of advanced safety systems.

Compared to more expensive models, the Dynamic misses out on 19-inch wheels with Continental tyres, upgraded brakes, frequency-selective dampers, a head-up display, genuine leather seat trim, power driver’s seat lumbar, a heated steering wheel, and memory for the driver’s seat and side mirrors.

Hop inside the BYD Seal Dynamic, and you would struggle to pick this out as the base model. Compared to the minimalism of a Tesla, there is design flair to the Seal’s cabin – though some passengers we had in the car found it overstyled – with plenty of funky shapes.

Leather-like materials are used on most touchpoints – including kneepads on the centre console, not a common sight on a $50,000 car these days – contrasted by super-supple suede-like accents that feel like they’re from a more expensive car.

The front sports-style seats are soft and comfortable, with quilted synthetic leather-look upholstery that looks and feels good, as well as heating, ventilation and power adjustment (eight-way driver, four-way passenger), including under-thigh support for the driver.

Drivers sit low in the car by EV standards – though the big battery under the floor means the seat does not go as far down as a petrol-powered sedan – and there is more tilt and reach adjustment in the steering column than most other Chinese cars.

The synthetic leather-look wrapping on the steering wheel feels good too, though it’s not as soft as real leather – and the buttons on the wheel take some time to learn.

Most of the car’s functions run through the 15.6-inch touchscreen – including the air temperature and fan speed – but there is a stubby gear shift lever (unlike a Tesla Model 3), and physical shortcuts for audio volume and parking sensors.

Amenities inside include dual wireless phone chargers, multi-colour ambient lighting, keyless entry and start with an NFC card you can tap on the driver’s door mirror to lock or unlock, dual-zone auto climate control with a PM2.5 filter, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Also standard is a glass roof, which is prone to heating up the cabin considerably on warm days. MY24 cars have a two-piece, pop-in sunshade, which has been replaced by an electrically-operated sunshade in new MY25 builds, a handy change.

Storage is respectable, too, with a small glovebox and modest door pockets with space for bottles, but a deep centre console storage box, and more space under the gear shifter beside front occupants’ knees.

The two USB ports (one USB-A and one USB-C) and single 12-volt socket are located in this area, but they’re towards the passenger side so they’re hard to access from the driver’s seat.

Rear-seat space is decent, with ample knee room for a 183cm (six-foot) tall person behind a similarly sized driver – though head room will be limiting for those taller than 186cm (6ft 1in), and toe room is tight with the driver’s seat set low. The rear floor is flat, but also high, which reduces under-thigh support.

Passengers in the rear have access to one USB-A and one USB-C port, plus air vents, map pockets on the front seatbacks (with phone pockets), bottle holders in the doors, a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders, and three top-tether anchors and two ISOFIX points for child seats.

BYD quotes 400 litres of boot space, which is small for a sedan of this size, not helped by a letterbox opening and chunky boot lid struts that can get in the way when loading – plus a further 50L under the bonnet.

The cargo hold includes a small underfloor area we found useful for pizza boxes, plus a netted area on the side, a light, and a power-operated tailgate. There is no spare wheel, only a puncture repair kit, but it is included in the purchase price, along with a home charging cable.

The focus of the Seal’s interior is a 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, FM and digital DAB radio, embedded satellite navigation, over-the-air software updates, and a voice assistant that can be activated by saying ‘Hi BYD’.

As with other BYDs, the screen can rotate from landscape to portrait and vice versa, though Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are only available in landscape mode, so chances are most owners will leave it in that orientation.

The system is based on the Android operating system in phones and tablets, so it is snappy, quick to respond and high resolution, though there is no shortage of menus and settings to get your head around when you take delivery of the car.

It is prone to sun glare, though, and even on full brightness, the screen can’t shine bright enough to overcome a sunny Australian day shining through the glass roof.

Most vehicle functions run through the screen, though BYD has worked to make key features more easily accessible with recent software updates.

Vehicles running the latest software can now adjust the climate control from any app with three-finger swipes – up and down for temperature, left and right for fan speed. Unfortunately, BYD did not load the latest firmware on this particular Seal test car, but based on our experiences with other new BYDs running software with this feature, it is a big step up over digging through menus to adjust basic controls.

However, it is still not as intuitive as turning a dial or pressing a button, as there is no haptic feedback on these shortcuts, so you need to look at the screen to prevent overshooting and turning the cabin into a home freezer, Scandinavian sauna, or vice versa.

Features such as the recirculating air still require taps into the screen, mind you, and while you can swipe up from the bottom of the display to access a row of shortcuts, there is no physical home button for the infotainment screen.

The 10.25-inch instrument cluster ahead of the driver can be customised between a few graphics styles, and it can show vehicle metrics such as energy use or tyre pressure. But the amount of information presented to the driver, and the way it is shown, is a little fussy and overdone for our tastes.

BYD offers smartphone app connectivity with remote vehicle tracking, control of its lights and locks, cabin preconditioning, and a slew of other features, including the ability to use your phone as the car’s key, akin to a Tesla.

The 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system delivers plenty of punch, though it’s not as good as the in-house stereo of a Tesla.

The BYD Seal is covered by a five-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted in Europe last year by sister organisation Euro NCAP.

Tested to the latest and most stringent criteria, the Seal earned scores of 89 per cent for adult occupant protection, 87 per cent for child occupant protection, 82 per cent for vulnerable road user (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) protection, and 75 per cent for safety assist technology.

The BYD Seal offers all the advanced safety features expected of a modern car, including intersection support for the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, and a slew of cameras and sensors to help with parking.

BYD has worked on the tuning of its advanced safety systems in recent months, and the Seal’s features tested here are better calibrated than they were at launch 12 months ago. But there is still much room for improvement.

The biggest frustration was an exceptionally overeager autonomous emergency braking system, which slams the brakes to prevent a supposedly imminent crash. We left the AEB on its middle setting during our time with the car, but we still noted multiple false activations of the system when there was no imminent danger.

Lane-keep assist is not as snatchy as it was in our first test of a Seal Performance in 2023, though it may still be a little too intrusive for some tastes.

The same goes for the lane-centring assist, which has been improved compared to earlier BYDs, but still has the tendency to wander between the lane markings rather than confidently holding the centre of the lane, as it is meant to.

Adaptive cruise control still only adjusts in 5km/h increments, which is frustrating.

As with other new cars, there is a traffic sign recognition system that beeps if the vehicle exceeds the speed limit it has detected – even if it has misread the sign, picked up a speed limit on a side road the Seal isn’t on, or noticed a lower school zone speed outside of hours, as it often does.

This technology can be turned off, but it requires multiple taps through the touchscreen – and must be done every time the car is switched on.

Overall, the safety systems are not as intrusive as they were before – but there is still much work to do.

The BYD Seal is covered by a six-year/150,000km warranty on the vehicle, whichever comes first, with eight years/160,000km of coverage on the high-voltage battery.

However, as with other BYD vehicles, digging deeper into the terms and conditions of the warranty reveals many core components are not covered by the headline time and distance limits.

For example, the touchscreen, shock absorbers and even the interior USB ports only have three years/60,000km of coverage, the tyre pressure monitoring system has a four-year/100,000km warranty, and the bulbs inside and outside the car have six months or 20,000km of coverage.

Service intervals are set every 12 months or 20,000km – whichever comes first – amounting to $875 over three years/60,000km, and $1805 over five years/100,000km.

These prices are high, no matter whether by petrol or electric car standards. A Toyota Camry Hybrid costs $1275 to service over five years/75,000km, while five years of servicing for a Polestar 2 is free.

Maintenance for a Tesla Model 3 is condition-based – where it is only required when the vehicle’s systems detect a fault – but the car maker lists some “recommended” service items for its cars, including tyre rotation and cabin filter replacements, which will cost some amount of money but not as much as the BYD’s services.

A year of comprehensive insurance coverage with a leading provider costs $2174, based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

For comparison, the same insurance quote calculator and parameters return $1748 for a Mazda 6 G35 GT SP turbo sedan, a steep $2484 for a Toyota Camry SL Hybrid, and an even more expensive $2613 for a Tesla Model 3 RWD.

The Seal Dynamic claims 460km of driving range in European WLTP testing from a 61.44kWh battery pack – as well as energy consumption of 13.8kWh per 100 kilometres based on a slightly different testing procedure.

BYD makes it difficult to determine energy consumption in its cars, showing you cumulative energy use in the lifetime of the car, or over the past 50km. But with some maths, we calculated an average of 17kWh/100km over 650km on city, highway and country roads.

That is significantly higher than the claim, though we weren’t trying to hypermile the car. And in optimal conditions (flowing suburban roads), we got the past 50km energy use readout below 12kWh/100km, and the cumulative trip readout was showing 14.3kWh/100km when we picked up the car.

On a 110km/h highway range test loop we use for other cars that pass through the Drive garage, the Seal Dynamic consumed 57 per cent of its battery in 198km, translating to a circa-350km highway range – and energy consumption of 17.7kWh/100km based on the quoted 61.44kWh battery capacity.

That is very ‘thirsty’ for a low-slung, single-motor sedan like this. We’ve returned consumption of 14.3kWh/100km from a Tesla Model 3 Long Range – with two motors, not one – and 15.4kWh/100km from a single-motor MY25 Polestar 2.

BYD claims the Seal Dynamic can charge at up to 110kW DC, or 7kW AC. It does not quote any charging times for this variant, only more expensive Seals with 82.5kWh batteries.

Our real-world testing shows that as with most BYDs, charging performance is in optimal conditions, acceptable – and at worst, slow and inconsistent.

We fast charged the Seal multiple times during our assessment. At the start of our range testing day, we used a 165kW DC socket to charge the car from 28 to 82 per cent in 27 minutes, which is on pace or a few minutes faster than what a Tesla Model 3 RWD can achieve.

Yet after completing our range test and connecting to an 150kW DC charger – which should have no trouble delivering the car’s 110kW peak, with no other cars plugged into the station – three hours later, the Seal took about 37 minutes to complete the same task.

In the industry-standard charge metric – from 10 to 80 per cent – the Seal Dynamic took 41 minutes and 40 seconds, about 12 minutes slower than a Model 3 RWD, and making it the slowest-charging EV we’ve ever tested (matching a BYD Atto 3 Extended Range).

But subsequent testing in better conditions – at a slightly lower temperature, and as the first fast charge of the day – returned a 10 to 80 per cent charge time of 38 minutes and 25 seconds, which we believe to be more representative of what the car is capable of.

Whereas in the second fast charge the BYD held 113kW until 29 per cent – before reaching a low of 41kW at 65 per cent – the third charge was far more consistent, as illustrated in the graph above.

This is far from the first BYD we’ve tested to charge erratically (click here to read our Atto 3 review) – and these results are representative of what you can expect if you take this car on a road trip, and need to fast-charge multiple times in a day.

As with most BYDs sold in Australia, the Seal Dynamic is limited to 7kW AC fast charging, and will not benefit from an 11kW or 22kW outlet with three-phase power.

The BYD Seal Dynamic is the cheapest model in the range, but it doesn’t leave drivers wanting for more performance.

The electric motor’s 150kW/310Nm outputs in a 1.9-tonne car do not make for a powerhouse, but an as-tested 0–100km/h acceleration time of 7.7 seconds (against BYD’s claimed 7.5sec) shows performance is perky, and on par with a Toyota Camry Hybrid.

There are two caveats. The first is an odd delay in the accelerator pedal, as the car waits about half a second after the driver calls for power before the vehicle rockets forward. It is a bizarre design choice given instant response is a calling card of an EV, though we learned to drive around it.

The other is the BYD only delivers its best performance in Sport mode. In other cars, Sport modes sharpen the accelerator pedal response, but still dish out full power if the driver pushes the right pedal to the floor.

In the Seal, the instrument display shows Sport mode dishes out a maximum of 160kW – slightly higher than the car’s rated power – yet Normal and Eco are limited to 145kW.

It means that if you put your foot down to complete an overtake in Normal mode, the car will not accelerate as quickly as if it was in Sport. It is evident on our GPS timing equipment; Normal mode limits the 0–100km/h time to 9.2 seconds, which is below average for an EV.

The Seal Dynamic’s biggest strength is the way it deals with bumps in the city. The suspension is exceptionally soft, so it irons lumps in the road around town like they’re not there, and is one of the most supple sedans on the daily commute we’ve driven recently.

However, the suspension can be too soft for its own good. It can thump over potholes, and the wheels will bash into the bump stops – the end of the suspension’s travel – if you hit a speed bump too quickly.

Hit undulations in the road at higher speed – as are common on Australian country roads and motorways – and the Seal needs a few up-and-down movements of the body for the suspension to settle. At times, this can cause the regenerative braking system to bite as the load on the wheels changes, unsettling the car’s composure.

Many drivers will appreciate the Seal’s soft suspension – it is great to drive around town, provided you don’t treat speed bumps like an F1 circuit – but it isn’t the best fit for country motorists. A Tesla Model 3 delivers a much better balance of comfort and control.

On a winding road, the Seal is pleasant to drive, with good balance in corners, a feeling of agility despite its weight, and steering that is linear, direct and reasonably well weighted, if not very communicative.

It’s not as composed as a Model 3, with some body roll, and a tendency for the car’s nose to dip noticeably under brakes due to the soft suspension.

The Dynamic is the only Seal variant with Giti tyres, which are fine in daily driving but can struggle when the car is driven enthusiastically. Braking performance was better than expected, however, pulling up from 100km/h in 38.8m – average for a car of this size and weight, and much better than other cars on the same tyres.

As with other BYDs, there is no one-pedal mode, just a choice between Standard and High regenerative braking settings. It means you need to bring the car to a stop with the brake pedal, which has some weight to it at low speeds, but lacks bite in an emergency stop.

There is also some tyre roar on coarse-chip roads, but the outside world is otherwise well insulated.

The BYD Seal Dynamic has a tow rating of 750kg, both braked and unbraked, which would be enough for a small box trailer or a bike rack, but will struggle with camper trailers.

A 422kg payload – the maximum weight of passengers, cargo and accessories the vehicle is allowed to carry – is quoted for the vehicle, which is enough for four people and their luggage, but may struggle with every seat filled.

On paper alone, the BYD Seal Dynamic is hard to beat. Less than $50,000 before on-road costs for an electric mid-size sedan that’s spacious inside, offers plenty of technology, a solid driving range, and wants for little equipment.

In person, there’s plenty to like. It’s easy to drive, supremely comfortable around town, the interior is well presented for the price, and BYD is listening to feedback on the user-friendliness of its infotainment screens while on the move.

No car is perfect, though. The warranty has too many conditions and clauses, the safety systems would benefit from further refinement, and it does not fast-charge as quickly or consistently as it should.

And while it is supple around town, the suspension would benefit from greater control and confidence on country roads.

But on value, space and refinement alone, the BYD Seal Dynamic is hard to argue with in the sub-$50,000 electric-car market.

You can order a BYD Seal through the company’s website here, or visit one of its showrooms – find your nearest one at this link.

It’s likely you’ll need to place a fresh order, as BYD’s online stock search tool shows no new Seals in stock in most states at the time of writing in late December 2024, but this may change by the time you read this.

We recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ, as well as test-driving rival vehicles including the Tesla Model 3 and MG 4, as both took home prizes at the 2024 Drive Car of the Year awards.

If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.

Electric Cars Guide

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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