BYD is on a mission in Australia – driven by a desire to expand its model range and achieve more than 40,000 sales annually in this market – and the chief protagonist in this narrative is the new Sealion 7 mid-size crossover electric SUV, set to take on Tesla Model Y.
Looking a bit more like a sporty coupe than a staid wagon, the Sealion 7 inherits its underpinnings and powertrains from the BYD Seal sedan – introduced to Australia in late 2023, recently updated for the 2025 – though the flagship Sealion 7 Performance retains the frequency-selective dampers from the MY24 Seal, rather than the latest Seal’s adaptive spec.
Editor’s note: local imagery was not provided for Chasing Cars’ first Australian drive of the Sealion 7. As a result, some differences in specification may be apparent in this imagery set.
Styling-wise, there’s a clear visual resemblance between the two – as well as with the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV – though the Sealion 7 demarcates itself with a nicely formed, subtly muscular, relatively low-slung shape, embellished with pop-out door handles and an all-glass roof (with an electric sunblind!), but not frameless doors.
The ‘seven’ is much less frumpy than the upright Sealion 6 and appears more compact than its interior space would suggest thanks to wide tracks and trim overhangs.
As per BYD tradition, colour choice is simple and minimal – Atlantis Grey, Cosmos Black, Aurora White or Shark Grey, each with a black interior and genuine leather upholstery (although white is available overseas). Yet the interior design has (thankfully) matured significantly, with a more cohesive aesthetic and less reliance on visually bombarding ‘organic’ shapes.
Instead, the Sealion 7’s sole nod to challenging design is the unusual buttresses that extend from the dashboard into each front door, blending with the door-handle release. While they initially appear somewhat overdone, there’s a degree of ergonomics in the way everything works and you soon find yourself kind of enjoying the difference.
Riding on a huge 2930mm wheelbase, the 4830mm-long Sealion 7 offers acres of room inside. The perforated-leather electric front seats (eight-way driver, six-way passenger) each have heating and two-speed cooling, and they’re really comfortable – even though the cooling could be a bit more chilled.
The Sealion 7’s driving position is good, too, with a pleasant steering-wheel shape and ample vision. And the rear seat is hugely accommodating with impressive seat support, adjustable backrest rake, a sittable centre position, a flat floor and tonnes of legroom.
Indeed, the newcomer is one of the best SUVs in its class for rear-seat room and comfort. And while its 500-litre boot capacity (with another 58 litres up front) is well below a Model Y’s, it’s still decent enough.
The same can’t be said for cabin storage, with cramped door bins barely capable of squeezing in a slender one-litre bottle. For a water creature, the Sealion 7 is out of touch with hydration trends.
But there’s a decent tray under the centre console (with USB-A, USB-C and 12V outlets) and a pair of angled phone holders on suede-like trim (with a cooled 50W wireless charger) beneath a 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen (landscape or portrait).
The BYD’s switchgear feels reasonably sophisticated (and rather ‘familiar’ in design in several areas) while the touchscreen interface operates with admirable simplicity and maturity compared to most of the Chinese-brand systems we’ve experienced lately.
As we covered in our pricing and specification feature, the Sealion 7 is offered in two well-equipped variants – the rear-wheel-drive Premium for $54,990 before on-road costs and the all-wheel-drive Performance in test here for $63,990 before on-road costs, each with an 82.6kWh (useable) BYD Blade battery.
Shared equipment highlights include a panoramic sunroof (with electric blind), head-up display, Dynaudio 12-speaker stereo, a 10.25-inch LCD driver’s display, surround-view camera, wireless phone integration, one-touch tailgate, and vehicle-to-load capability, with the Performance adding 20-inch alloys (instead of 19s), a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats.
In terms of performance and efficiency, the RWD single-motor produces 230kW/380Nm, manages 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.7sec, and is capable of 482km of WLTP range. The dual-motor AWD boosts outputs to 390kW/690Nm, drops the 0-100km/h sprint time claim to 4.5sec, and loses a modest amount of range at 456km WLTP.
The only Sealion 7 at the Aussie launch was the Performance AWD. And it immediately impressed with the smooth calibration of its powertrain, the effortless urgency of its performance and the surprisingly natural brake feel – offering good pedal progression, cushioned stopping performance and none of the light-switch nature found in cheaper EVs.
The regenerative braking wasn’t to the same standard though, with an inconsistent braking force and buried controls (in the touchscreen) for adjusting the intensity. And the lane-keep assistance when using adaptive cruise proved aggressively snatch-and-grab, with an odd approach to ‘guiding’ you in a lane – like it was looking in another direction.
Dynamically, the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Sealion 7 is entirely acceptable. For anyone who isn’t a driving enthusiast, it points accurately, hangs on in corners well, rides confidently (at speed) and feels safe. But anyone who loves driving and great driver’s cars will find the AWD Sealion 7 rather two-dimensional – pointy and accurate, yes, but without real fluency.
Even wearing 245/45R20 Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, the Sealion 7 Performance reaches its grip limits quite early, engages its ESC stability-control in a similar fashion, and appears to be relying on its low centre-of-gravity and broad tracks to define its handling, rather than any excellence in suspension tuning.
Compared to a Model Y, its steering lacks on-centre engagement and its ride feels soggy. Yet at town speeds, the Sealion 7’s ride becomes quite jiggly and is often unsettled.
The way this BYD drives is definitely better than the norm for Chinese EVs, and is arguably more agreeable than a pre-MY25 Seal Performance sedan, yet it remains a committed round of finessing away from being really good. For now, it more than does the job, but the Sealion 7 Performance isn’t a true Tesla rival when it comes to driving enjoyment.
Admittedly, you are paying around $10K less than an equivalent facelifted Tesla Model Y for the BYD Sealion 7. That’s where it shines. And even in terms of charging, its 10-80 percent time of around 32 minutes when receiving up to 150kW DC is doable. But it doesn’t push boundaries. It’s all about being appealingly safe and cost-effective.
On the whole, with its 800-volt architecture and consistent level of design cohesion, the Sealion 7 appears capable of easily becoming BYD’s sales hero in Australia – that’s what the brand is expecting. And with the bones of this vehicle being so clearly on the right path, I suspect that with future upgrades, the handsome BYD Sealion 7 will continue to improve with age.
