BYD Seal U PHEV review

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Chinese EV purveyor expands into PHEV market with large family SUV

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After a year of selling EVs in the UK (the Atto 3 crossover, Seal saloon and Dolphin supermini), the Chinese manufacturer is now entering the plug-in hybrid market with the BYD Seal U family SUV.

It's the first of several PHEVs that it will introduce over the next few years, but this isn't new ground for the brand. 

In Boost spec, the Seal U can travel 671 miles on a full tank of petrol and a 100% charge. The larger-battery version ups range to 699 miles
Jack Warrick
Staff Writer

Back in 2008, it was the first manufacturer to mass-produce a PHEV. Called the F3DM, it was a bit of a commercial flop. But the game has moved on a great deal since then, and now PHEVs are in the mainstream.

The Seal U is very much aimed at family SUV owners who aren’t quite ready to make the full switch to electric cars just yet. Rivals include PHEV versions of the Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV4, all of which are produced in Europe - can the Seal U convince the public that it's one of the best Chinese options out there? 

BYD Seal U DM-i range at a glance

The Seal U faces some stiff competition from the PHEV versions of the Ford Kuga, MG HS and Toyota RAV, and it has a big claim to live up to: BYD says it’s the most economical car in the class.

All Seal U DM-i models are plug-in hybrid, with single- and dual-motor options, ranging from 215bhp to 319bhp. Each version uses a smart single-speed transmission.

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VersionPower
Seal U DM-i Boost215bhp
Seal U DM-i Comfort215bhp
Seal U DM-i Design319bhp
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DESIGN & STYLING

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BYD Seal dynamic side

Despite looking like a BYD Seal that has eaten too many fish, with the same ‘ocean aesthetics’ design language (highlighted by a beltline that extends from headlights to tail-lights) and tech-filled cabin, the Seal U technically sits on a different platform from that electric saloon. 

Mechanically, it’s pretty interesting. The front-wheel-drive Boost model comes with a 1.5-litre normally aspirated Atkinson-cycle petrol engine, an 18.3kWh battery and an electric motor at the front. 

Meanwhile, the four-wheel-drive Design model combines a four-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo Miller-cycle petrol engine with an 18.3kWh battery, an electric motor at the front and an electric motor at the rear. (The Miller cycle is meant to be more efficient at high speeds, and the Atkinson cycle at low speeds.)

The petrol engines can power the front wheels or the front electric motor, but the rear motor in the four-wheel-drive model can be powered by the battery only.

The car is ostensibly fitted with a single-speed transmission, a bit like with an EV, but in reality, there’s one gear for the electric powertrain, one gear for the engine and a reduction gear to mesh the two together.

INTERIOR

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BYD Seal U full cabin

All Seal Us come with the same amount of kit. Trim levels are largely about hardware.

Inside, it’s mostly soft-touch surfaces, with the seats, dashboard, door panels and centre console upholstered in vegan faux leather.

It's dominated by BYD's unique 15.6in rotating infotainment touchscreen, but apart from that it’s fairly nondescript. 

There are a few useful shortcuts to things such as heating controls and speed warnings on the screen, but ultimately we would prefer some physical heating controls.

At least there are two wireless phone chargers and four USB ports.

Plus it comes with vehicle-to-load charging capability as standard, so you could use it to run, say, a coffee machine or a games console.

Up front, there’s plenty of space for driver and passenger not to bump knees and it’s similarly good in the rear.

Boot space is 425 litres, or 1440 litres with the 40/60-split rear seats folded flat. That's slightly smaller than the PHEV versions of the Tiguan and RAV4.

Refinement is outstanding: we can believe BYD’s claim that it’s the quietest in the class, and this combines well with the material quality to make it a relaxing place to sit.

 

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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byd seal u review 2024 22 engine

We've driven each version of the Seal U DM-i, apart from the incoming Comfort model.

The Seal U DM-i Boost can get from 0-62mph in 8.9sec, so it won’t blow your socks off, but it’s competitive with most of its rivals. Power is delivered smoothly and quietly. 

The Seal U DM-i Design uses a more powerful dual-motor set-up. The motor at the front has 201bhp and the motor at the rear 161bhp.

The engine makes 129bhp, and total power is 319bhp because they can’t all be used in conjunction with each other. 

In both models, the transition between electric and petrol power is pretty seamless and often so quiet that you wouldn’t even notice when the petrol engine had kicked if it wasn't for the extra performance on stream.

Even as you accelerate sharply into the outside lane of a motorway and the engine is awoken from its slump, the whole car remains eerily hushed.

Sharp and prolonged stabs at the throttle fail to elicit any elasticky feeling from the gearbox or any big, crashing noises from the lump at the front consuming dino juice.

It feels powerful too. The claimed 0-62mph time of 5.9sec seems about right and overtaking ability – let’s say between 20mph and 60mph – is effortless.

The brakes are very good: strong pedal action, consistent, always feeling like they'll come back the same.

The emergency hazard lights are a bit too keen to step in, but it’s not anything that will annoy many people in daily driving.

RIDE & HANDLING

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BYD Seal U dynamic

This is where the Seal U falls down. In the corners, it lacks the relative dynamism of the Skoda Kodiaq. The steering is vague and overly light and it struggles to inspire you with confidence.

Plus, at 1940kg, it’s a heavy car, and you can feel the lack of balance in more sweeping corners. It’s certainly a car suited to a more relaxed driving style.

The ride comfort is also below expectations. It’s far too softly sprung and bouncy, often so much so that you’re required to correct the steering to pursue a steady course.

You’re left floating around in your seat as the suspension lollops around to the extent that, at times, it’s just uncomfortable. It's better at low speed, when there’s only a bit of bouncing around in your seat. But at 60mph, there’s notable bounding from uneven surfaces, with the suspension seeming to take an eternity to return to equilibrium.

It’s not hard to drive; it just really zaps your enjoyment.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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BYD Seal U front lead

What the Seal U may lack in dynamic prowess it should make up for in frugality.

It’s a very economical option in practice. On our test drive, utilising a mix of electric and petrol driving, the single-motor Boost model returned an excellent 90mpg overall. Yes, 90mpg.

Over our varied test route in the four-wheel-drive model, it produced around 44mpg using a mixture of electric and petrol power.

Standard equipment is also very impressive. At around £33,000, the Boost is slightly more expensive than the equivalent MG HS, but it comes with electric seats, a 15.6in infotainment touchscreen (which uniquely can rotate from portrait to landscape), a 360deg camera, a panoramic sunroof, a head-up display, wireless phone charging and vehicle-to-load capability (meaning the battery can be used to power external devices).

For just over £35,000, the Comfort version adds a larger battery, while the Design, at £39,905, gets that punchier engine and second motor (giving it four-wheel drive) and off-road driving modes.

Officially, front-drive models offer an electric-only range of around 50 miles and a fuel consumption figure of 313mpg. Total range, including from the petrol powertrain, is rated at 671 miles.

Four-wheel-drive models have an EV range of 44 miles and will officially do 235mpg. Theoretical total range is 541 miles.

We've yet to test the mid-spec Comfort but we expect it to perform strongly with its larger battery and 77 miles of electric-only range. 

The batteries for both cars can be charged from 30-80% in around 35 minutes using an 11kW charger.

VERDICT

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BYD Seal U parked

Despite having an interesting powertrain and set-up, there’s very little here for the enthusiast. The ride is too soft, the steering is too vague and the design is too anonymous.

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The Toyota RAV4 and Kia Sportage are both, more comfortable and desirable. The Volkswagen Tiguan is the best in terms of actual driving ability, with more power, pace and precision. 

It is cheap, though, especially considering the EV range and overall space on offer. Realistically, nothing comes close in terms of price, apart from the MG HS plug-in hybrid. 

So even though it’s let down by unpolished driving dynamics that don’t suit the variability of UK roads, the Seal U overall appears to be a good-value package, with a long electric range, decent space and a rival-beating kit list.

Murray Scullion

Murray Scullion
Title: Digital editor

Murray has been a journalist for more than a decade. During that time he’s written for magazines, newspapers and websites, but he now finds himself as Autocar’s digital editor.

He leads the output of the website and contributes to all other digital aspects, including the social media channels, podcasts and videos. During his time he has reviewed cars ranging from £50 - £500,000, including Austin Allegros and Ferrari 812 Superfasts. He has also interviewed F1 megastars, knows his PCPs from his HPs and has written, researched and experimented with behavioural surplus and driverless technology.

Murray graduated from the University of Derby with a BA in Journalism in 2014 and has previously written for Classic Car Weekly, Modern Classics Magazine, buyacar.co.uk, parkers.co.uk and CAR Magazine, as well as carmagazine.co.uk.