BYD Seal Excellence

The BYD Seal Excellence is the top trim of the Seal, a mid-size electric saloon from BYD. The car is about 4.8 m long, and BYD sells it in the middle-to-upper part of its range. The Excellence has two motors and all-wheel drive, while the cheaper Design is rear-wheel drive. The Seal reached the UK in 2023, and BYD refreshed it for the 2026 model year with a bigger front storage compartment (72 litres), a larger boot, new 19-inch wheels, extra paint colours and a driver monitoring system.

The Excellence makes 385 to 390 kW (roughly 523 to 530 PS, depending on the source) and 670 Nm. BYD claims 0 to 62 mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of about 112 mph. The LFP Blade battery is 82.5 kWh gross, and I couldn’t find a published usable figure, so treat that as unconfirmed. WLTP combined range is 323 miles, against 354 for the Design. Onboard AC charging is 11 kW. DC charging peaks at 150 kW, and BYD quotes 37 minutes for 10 to 80%. One UK listing gives 26 minutes for 30 to 80%. Both are manufacturer or press numbers, not independent tests.

UK pricing for the Excellence was £48,695 at launch, and trade listings now show £48,730 on the road with the £2,500 plug-in car grant included. BYD confirmed the 2026 Design at £45,730, but I couldn’t confirm a 2026 Excellence price or find a price for any other region. It’s a quick, well-equipped saloon for people who cover motorway miles, whether they buy privately or through a company car scheme. Inside BYD’s range it sits above the Seal U and overlaps with the Sealion 7, which has a similar 530 PS all-wheel-drive setup and started at £49,290 as the Design AWD.

The main outside rivals are the Hyundai Ioniq 6 AWD and the Tesla Model 3 Performance. The Ioniq 6 AWD has a 77.4 kWh battery, up to 322 miles of WLTP range and 350 kW peak charging, and launched at £50,245 in AWD Premium form. The Model 3 Performance lists from £59,990 and does 0 to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds. On price, the closest match is the Model 3 Long Range AWD at roughly £49,000 (a rounded listing figure), and the Seal is the quicker of the two on claimed acceleration.

BYD Seal Excellence Images

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