BYD Sealion 8 2026 review

In the last decade of automotive upheaval, one truth has emerged: the bigger the vehicle, the harder it is to electrify.

Bigger vehicles require bigger batteries, limiting both the effectiveness and increasing the price in comparison to their more familiar petrol and diesel counterparts.

As a result, successful attempts to electrify the large SUV and ute space have been limited, but riding off the back of the wave of successful Shark 6 PHEV sales, BYD has a plan for the former: the Sealion 8.

Sporting a range claim of up to 152 kilometres (according to the lenient NEDC standard) in higher grades and with a starting price of $56,990 before-on roads, some $7000 cheaper than that of the rapidly aging and plugless Toyota Kluger hybrid, the Sealion 8 is treading BYD’s well-worn path of impressive on-paper specs and figures, with a price to match.

The base Dynamic, in single-motor FWD guise, is equipped with an impressive list of features including a 15.6-inch touchscreen, 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, synthetic leather seats, power-adjustable as well as heated/ventilated front seats, a 10-speaker sound system, a 50-watt wireless phone charger, full LED lights and 20-inch wheels.

The Dynamic AWD is a big step up at $63,990 before on-roads but increases the battery size from 19 to 35.6kWh and in doing so bumps the range claim from 103 to 152km. The wheels grow to 21-inches in size and the frequency-selective dampers are swapped out for adaptive dampers.

The top-spec Premium commands $70,990, or nearly $80K with on-road fees added, making it the most expensive non-Denza branded BYD, and justifies its price by adding more adjustable front seats, heated/ventilated and massaging rear seats, a 21-speaker DiSound system, more-premium leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel and so on.

Plug-in large SUVs are few and far between in Australia, with the Kia Sorento (from $71,130) seeing limited success and features half the electric range of the BYD.

Chery’s recently launched Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid could present a real threat with its sole AWD grade undercutting the equivalent Sealion 8 at $59,990, and promising up to 170km of electric range (NEDC).

That is to say, the Sealion 8 does not have the market to itself but BYD looks to be taking a slightly more upmarket approach than its Chery compatriot.

The Sealion 8 carries a six-year, 150,000km vehicle warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km warranty on the 35.6kWh battery. Service intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km, though BYD could not supply pricing at the time of publishing this review.

How does the Sealion 8 drive?

The numbers are astonishing: a combined 359kW of power and 675Nm of torque feels borderline irresponsible in a family SUV – unless it has the right amount of control.

Applicable to the dual-motor AWD variants that dominate the range, the system uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder up front to charge the battery and feed power to the wheels when on the highway.

It will see the Sealion 8 dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint in a claimed 4.9 seconds, and it certainly feels quick from behind the wheel, hitting and eclipsing typical highway speeds with incredible ferocity.

Is it necessary for everyone? Perhaps not, which is why BYD also offers the FWD option that retains the 200kW/315Nm motor but still feels plenty powerful – though with a smaller battery it’s also 265kg lighter than the AWD, which clocks in at a mammoth 2580kg kerb.

To control the weight, BYD has equipped its DiSus-C suspension, a type of adaptive dampers that constantly work to iron out imperfections on the road and keep the body under control.

In practice, it’s more effective at the latter than it is the former; you can feel the way the Sealion 8 moves underneath on a fast-flowing country b-road, mimicking more advanced tech such as Audi’s active anti-rollbars, though with a less successful result.

There is talent to be found in the chassis of the Sealion 8 when pushed, with the slight torque advantage of the 200kW/360Nm rear motor in comparison to the front, helping this 2.6-tonne SUV rotate effectively.

With vague steering and suspension that responds inconsistently to bumps, the Sealion 8 can be hard to trust on the limit. This is one area we’ll explore in more depth when we finally get the Sealion 8 back to the Chasing Cars garage for a test on our local roads.

The lighter FWD version feels more connected to the road on its frequency-selective dampers, but loses the floaty quality, as well as some of the comfort found with the AWD version.

With a whisper-quiet interior, the excessive cabin noise also stands out as having room for improvement, and the driver’s assistance technology, such as driver monitoring, is generally too sensitive for real-world use – regularly sounding an alarm when we checked our mirrors momentarily.

Unlike many hybrid SUVs, the Sealion 8 retains a respectable towing capacity of 2000kg in the AWD variant and 1800 kg in the FWD. An official ANCAP safety rating is expected at some stage, but nothing is yet confirmed for this plug-in SUV.

How is the Sealion 8’s interior?

Fitting two drivetrains, a big battery and seven seats into a single cabin measuring the typical five metres in length is a mammoth effort, with BYD’s exceptional packaging talent resulting in an interior that feels roomy just about everywhere.

The cabin is well laid out with a surprising amount of storage dotted around the interior, and an impressive quality to materials around the space and a solidity to the way many of the buttons on the centre console and windows feel.

It’s a shame there aren’t more of them as you will be spending a bit of time sifting through the 15.6-inch touchscreen, which often requires navigating through several touchscreens to complete basic tasks.

The 10.25-inch screen ahead of the driver is an appreciated addition with mapping functionality built in and is complemented by the heads-up display in Premium guise.

We only briefly had time to sample the 21-speaker DiSound system but it showed a good breadth of talents, though a little more bass output and clarity would be welcome.

The front seats are generally comfortable but do lack under-thigh support that will become more troubling on longer journeys. Row two features good visibility and plenty of room for your legs but with a short seat back and base, it feels designed for people shorter than my 180cm height.

The fact both the first and second row feature heating, cooling and a massage function is very impressive, with rear occupants also benefiting from roof mounted air vents backed by a strong air conditioning system.

With slide-about rear seats and a tumble function on the curb-side, it’s relatively easy to get into the third row (once you’ve figured it out), and the space inside is reasonable for children. A high floor makes for an uncomfortable time for adults but headroom was ample and the soft leather armrest was a happy surprise.

It’s also notable that, unlike the Kia Sorento, Chery Tiggo 8, and so many more, the third row features airbags and ISOFIX points.

With three rows up, the boot measures a respectable 270-litre (check standard), expanding to 960-litres with five seats up and 1960 with just two. All are solid figures, though there is no spare tyre under the floor.

The honest verdict

The way forward to electrify large vehicles isn’t yet decided but the plug-in hybrid Sealion 8 feels like a case of right place, right time and indeed the right vehicle.

With a comfortable 100km of electric range in most variants and well over 1000km of total range distance available, it feels well placed to cater to Aussies hesitant to adopt full electrification.

Our first taste on proper Australian roads has revealed a vehicle that is mighty quick and generally pleasant to drive, and other areas such as proper airbag coverage and ISOFIX points in rows two and three show a greater understanding of the needs of family buyers.