BYD has revealed what its ninth car on sale in the UK is going to be – not a surprise supercar or convertible cruiser, but rather a mid-sized plug-in hybrid family SUV with five seats. Look, we’re as shocked as you are.
The Chinese carmaker reckons the new car will become one of its biggest selling models in the UK when it goes on sale in dealers on 7 February. It’s a slightly smaller offering than its other plug-in models, with a styling mash-up of SUV and estate car cues.
The Sealion 5 DM-i will start from £29,995 and comes with a familiar setup from other plug-in BYDs – it has a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired up with an e-motor and comes with two sizes of battery depending on which spec you go for. (Incidentally, if you’re trying to decide whether to get a plug-in hybrid or go for fully electric car then we have just the guide for you.)
The entry level Comfort model has a 13kWh battery and is rated for 38 miles of electric range on the WLTP cycle, while the £32,995 Design model has an 18.3kWh battery and is rated for 53 miles of electric range.
Both models get 212hp out of their petrol engines, and the complete powertrain is good enough to get the Comfort model from 0 to 62mph in 7.7 seconds. The Design model has a bit more battery to lug around, so it manages the dash from a standstill in 8.1 seconds.
We’ve not had a glimpse of the interior yet, but we’re told there’s a 12.8in touchscreen infotainment system with Apple and Android connectivity as standard, plus an 8.8in digital dashboard display.
You also get 18-inch alloys and automatic LED headlights plus a rearview parking camera and rear sensors as standard. Which you’ll probably need, because visibility doesn’t look like it’s going to be great at the back there.
The fancier Design trim adds an electrically opening tailgate, a 360-degree camera view to help parking (as well as front sensors), wireless phone charging and heated front seats.
Both cars seat five and have a 463-litre boot, and will also have V2L functionality, where you can plug stuff into the car and run it via an optional adaptor – think laptop charging, camping accessories or disco lights. The on board charger is 3.3kW, so you’re looking at five to six hours for a charge from empty.
BYD overtook Tesla at the end of 2025 to officially become the world’s largest EV manufacturer – this car won’t count, of course, but it does benefit from some of the company’s smart battery tech, even if it will take ages to juice up.
