12 hours ago
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The BYD Seal 6 plug-in hybrid has been launched in the UK – will it come to Australia?
Family Cars
Could the station wagon be making a return?
Chinese new-energy vehicle manufacturer BYD has officially launched the BYD Seal 6 DM-i Touring in the UK. The car, engineered in right-hand drive, features the same 72kW 1.5-litre petrol engine and 145kW electric motor as the Australian-market Sealion 6 PHEV.
The UK market Seal 6 Touring is offered with either 135kW or 156kW combined power output (lower than the Sealion 6 which is rated to 160kW), and with either a 10.1 or 19 kWh battery pack.
As the brand’s first wagon, the Seal 6 Touring offers a 500-litre boot (although it is also noted at 675-litres in other European markets) that can expand to 1535-litres, making about the same size as a BMW 3 Series wagon (500L/1510L).
Like the Sealion 6, the Seal 6 Touring is rated to use its battery and electric motor for up to 80km of emission-free urban driving, and has a quoted combined range (assuming with the larger battery) of up to 1350km.
Speaking with Drive, a BYD spokesperson noted of the Seal 6 sedan and wagon, “as proved by the imminent and highly anticipated launch of four new vehicles, BYD is always looking at how it can provide more choice for Australian customers in key segments.”
| Audi | A5 e-hybrid S-Line PHEV | $92,900 |
| A5 TFSI S-Line | $92,900 | |
| S5 quattro | $117,900 | |
| RS6 Performance | $252,600 | |
| BMW | 330i M Sport Touring | $97,900 |
| Alpina B3 GT | $184,900 | |
| M3 Competition | $188,100 | |
| i5 M60 xDrive | $219,900 | |
| M3 CS | $253,900 | |
| M5 | $265,700 | |
| Cupra | Leon VZe PHEV | $69,990 |
| Genesis | G70 Shooting Brake Signature | $80,265 |
| Porsche | Taycan 4 Cross Turismo | $204,100 |
| Taycan 4S Cross Turismo | $229,800 | |
| Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo | $321,000 | |
| Skoda | Octavia 110TSI Select | (drive away) $43,990 |
| Octavia 110TSI Sportline | (drive away) $47,990 | |
| Octavia RS | (drive away) $64,490 | |
| Superb 195TSI Sportline | (drive away) $74,990 | |
| Subaru | WRX | $52,290 |
| WRX GT | $57,790 | |
| WRX tS | $63,290 |
Could a BYD plug-in hybrid turn family attention to the more streamlined form of a traditional wagon? The brand has seen sales skyrocket 147 per cent year on year so far in 2026, albeit driven heavily by the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute, which makes up over 36 per cent of BYD deliveries alone.
In the UK the Seal 6 DM-IiTouring is priced from £34,990 ($A70,330), but the rest of the BYD range is roughly 40 per cent more expensive than in Australia (Sealion 6 is priced from £33,315 or $A67,000 – whereas in Australia it starts from $42,990), which could position the Seal 6 wagon in the low $40,000 range, potentially making it the most affordable station wagon on the market – a position currently held by the 110TSI Skoda Octavia Estate at $43,990 drive away.
The most affordable plug-in hybrid on the market is currently the $37,490 Geely Starray, followed by the $39,990 Chery Tiggo 7.
Family Cars Guide
With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.
