BYD Sealion Premium Electric Car Drive Review

March 11, 2025

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Can the BYD Sealion outsell the popular BYD Seal in 2025

When the BYD Seal was launched in February 2024 it stirred a new interest for electric cars in Malaysia and even gave petrol powered sedan rivals a mild headache. Why? Well it was a well ‘groomed’ handsome vehicle with performance to match any quick sedan on sale.

In fact, the BMW i4 which was launched in August 2023 for RM255k could not match the performance of the RM199k BYD Seal top variant which had a zero to 100km/h acceleration time of just 3.8 seconds and a driving range of 520km.

Imagine a BYD performing better than a BMW i4 eDrive35!

BMW shared an acceleration time of 6.0 seconds and a driving range of 483km for their i4.

Now, fast forward to November 2024 …… just a few months ago ……. and we have a brand new BYD, the Sealion which is larger than the Seal and has two variants.

The Premium BYD Sealion model has a single-motor mounted to the rear axle with an output of 690Nm. Its acceleration to 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds. The rated driving range is 542km and the selling price is just RM183,800.

Sealion Exterior

First let’s look at the exterior. The styling is eye-catching, it looks classy and yet rugged at the same time. The BYD Sealion holds its own in the styling and handling departments.

Sharp chiselled lines with muscular wheel arches show for a handsome rugged all terrain all-purpose type looking vehicle and then there is a softer side to the Sealion when you get behind the wheel and find a high appointed luxurious interior that is easy to get used behind the wheel.

The BYD Sealion 7 measures 4,830 mm long, 1,925 mm wide, 1,620 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,930 mm.

Sealion Interior

Inside this BYD Sealion it looks and feels upscale, quiet, and mature, with tasteful trim and tighter integration of controls and fixtures. It is easy for a first time EV user to get used to it as the gear-shifter is in the center console unlike other EV’s and there are still physical buttons and knobs for frequent use functions like side view mirror adjustments.

This BYD Sealion 7 has a 10.25” digital instrument cluster for the driver and a 15.6” infotainment system in the dah center that rotates for landscape viewing, and this controls most vehicle functions and sends quality audio through a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system. It also gets a 50” augmented reality heads-up display.

The driver and front passenger gets a electric seats for added comfort. Side bolsters do their job without being overly confining. Lumbar and height adjustment offer sufficient range to accommodate almost every body shape and dimension for any sized driver.

Sight lines from the driver’s seat are good most ways around. The front corners are in view, easing parking and maneuvers in close quarters using the great 360-degree parking system. The Sealion fit and finish in the cabin impressed us and you will agree.

Sealion Safety Features

As with all BYD models, the Sealion also features a state-of-the-art safety system that offers Safety and driver assistance kit found on the Sealion 7 which starts with nine airbags, parking sensors both front and rear, a 360-degree surround view camera, in addition to all the usual active driver aids like adaptive cruise control, AEB, lane departure warning and prevention, lane keeping assist, front/rear cross-traffic alert and high beam assist. Both variants of this BYD e-SUV also gets BYD’s very own Intelligence Torque Adaptation Control (ITAC) torque vectoring system, as well as V2L functionality up to 3.3 kW.

Sealion Drive

There is no denying the power delivery of this Sealion. From idle its quick and very smooth in sending the power to its wheels. This BYD feels nimble and rides very well, almost like a well sorted sedan. Pitch and roll around corners is minimal with the firmly damped suspension and right up to highway speeds there is no wind noise impending the cabin (insulation is very good).

It’s a true contender to the rivals from Europe and this is why BYD continues to dominate the Malaysian EV sales. For January and February 2025 (2 months), BYD delivered 1,139 electric vehicles and this keeps BYD right at the top of the segment.

The vehicle warranty is for 6 years/150,000km, while the drive unit warranty is for 8 years/150,000km and the battery warranty is for 8 years/160,000km.