BYD Seal U DM-i Review 2024

There is still a broad swathe of drivers who feel a full switch to an EV is not for the, and they are the ones BYD is targeting with the Seal U DM-i. Its excellent EV driving range, especially in Comfort trim, allows for zero emissions driving for much of the time but with the back-up of the petrol engine when needed. The BYD Seal U DM-i is some way shy of being the best car to drive among its competitor set, but most buyers will be more swayed by its lengthy standard equipment list and roomy cabin. Just bear in mind the boot isn't quite as spacious as some of the Seal U DM-i's very able rivals.

BYD offers the Seal U DM-i in three distinct varieties of power, and it's the middle ranking of the three that we'd opt for. This is the Comfort model that uses the single electric motor and non-turbo 1.5-litre petrol engine like the base Boost model. However, the Comfort has a larger 26.6kWh battery to offer an EV driving range quoted at an official 78 miles. That makes this hybrid capable of doing much the same job as most EVs for local driving and commuting. All BYD Seal U DM-i models come with an automatic gearbox, but only the top spec Design has four-wheel drive if that's what you want, though this is more for added winter road assurance than any all-terrain ability.

An obvious contender for the BYD Seal U DM-i is the MG HS Pug-in Hybrid+, which is another PHEV and can cover up to 70 miles on EV power. You'd also do well to look at the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tuscon, Ford Kuga, and Peugeot 3008.

Others in this sector that should be considered include the SEAT Ateca, Skoda Karoq, and Volkswagen Tiguan, while the Citroen C5 Aircross, and Nissan's Qashqai and Ariya also hold plenty of appeal.

BYD has toned down some of the design wow factor first seen in the Atto 3 and other EV models for the Seal U DM-i. However, it's still attractively styled and finished to give the likes of the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tuscon a run for their money.

All of the materials feel plush and most of the surfaces have a soft-touch finish to impart a higher sense of quality. There are also neat details like the stitching on the seats and door handles to add to that effect, which is backed up by the Seal U DM-i driving without any creaks or squeaks during our time with the car on some very poorly surfaced roads.

A large part of the appeal of any BYD's cabin is the large 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen that can be rotated through 90-degrees at the touch of a button. Gimmick? To some extent, yes, but it can be handy when using different elements of the menu. If nothing else, it will keep your kids endlessly amused.

However, you should bear in mind that while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported by BYD's infotainment, they only operate when the screen is in its landscape position. Otherwise, the screen is quick to react when prodded with a finger and there are onscreen shortcuts to counter the system's extensive menus. Even so, it's not quite as intuitive or easy to operate as the infotainment in a Mazda CX-5, for instance.

At 425-litres, the BYD Seal U DM-i's boot trails the best in this class by some margin. A Kia Sportage can muster an impressive 591-litres of cargo capacity, so you might think the BYD's luggage bay is cramped. However, it's more a case of the Kia having a vast boot rather than the Seal U being short on space.

Compare the Seal U DM-i to most family hatches and its boot is much more generous, so far families it will do the job. You also get a height adjustable load floor, though it doesn't bring much to the party other than providing a floor level with the load sill in its higher setting. More of a gripe for us is there's no dedicated storage for charging cables other than shoving them to the side wells behind the wheelarches.

The rear seat splits 60-40, albeit with a step in the load floor that makes shoving bigger boxes in a bit of a faff. With the rear seats all tumbled down, the Seal U DM-i offers a maximum of 1440-litres of space.

The starting point for the BYD Seal U DM-i power range is the Boost model with a 1.5-litre petrol engine combined with an electric motor and 18.3kWh battery. Together, this package delivers 219PS and drives the front wheels through an automatic gearbox. It's undramatic to use and offers 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds to be quick enough for most needs, though passing slower traffic needs a bit of forward planning.

In Boost form, the BYD Seal U DM-i can cover 50 miles on battery power alone according to the official figures. That's good, but not as impressive as the Comfort version that has the same petrol engine but a larger 26.6kWh battery. Its greater reserves of electricity mean an EV driving range claimed at 78 miles, which makes it very useful for almost every daily drive.

If you want four-wheel drive in a BYD Seal U DM-i, you need the Design trim. It comes with a second electric motor to power the rear wheels, and gives this model a power output of 319PS. Put your foot flat to the floor from a standing start and the Design can dispatch 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds to put its acceleration on a par with some very nippy hot hatches. However, the Design does revert to the smaller battery pack, so its EV-only driving range drops to 43 miles on the official combined cycle.

All come with a variety of driving modes, encompassing normal, sport, and eco, as well as settings for hybrid or EV. In the latter, the car will use battery power alone until it's almost flat.

While the BYD Seal U DM-i can suffer a little road noise in the cabin from its tyres and suspension, the engine is impressively refined. Only when you rev the petrol motor to its upper limit will you feel it takes on a harder, less cultured note, but it's still much smoother than the petrol engine in an MG HS.

The transition from EV power to hybrid is also undertaken very deftly in the Seal U DM-i and you'll often be unaware of the swap. We're also impressed by how smooth the brake pedal feel and operation is in the BYD, which is not something we can say about most PHEVs.

At higher speeds, a little wind noise can be heard from around the windscreen pillars and door mirrors, but overall the Seal U DM-i is a quiet car when driving at the national speed limit on the motorway.

All three versions of the BYD Seal U DM-i come with the same level of safety kit, which was sufficient to earn the car a full five-star rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP.

As you'd expect, the Seal U DM-i comes with twin front, side, and curtain airbags, as well as ABS brakes, tyre pressure monitoring, ESP traction control, eCall emergency calling, and Isofix child seat mounts in the rear outer chairs - there's also a third for the front passenger seat.

On top of this, the BYD has front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree camera, front and rear cross traffic alert, and front and back collision warning. You get automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist and departure warning, blind spot assistance, adaptive cruise control, driver fatigue messaging, and hill descent control. On top of that lot, the Seal U DM-i also provides traffic sign recognition, hill hold assist, and Comfort Stop to help with smooth braking.

It's early days for BYD as a brand and the Seal U DM-i as a model for us to have a clear idea of their reliability.

However, BYD is confident enough to provide a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty with its cars. That gives owners plenty peace of mind should any issues crop up.

One downside of plug-in hybrids is they tend to sit higher up the insurance group scale than plain petrol-only models. Compare the BYD Seal U DM-i to a base Kia Sportage with petrol engine that sits in group 17 and the Seal U DM-i's group 32 ranking looks steep. This is for the Boost and Comfort trims, yet it is on a par with other PHEV rivals.

Take the Design model of the Seal U DM-i and it's in group 40 (out of 50), so you pay a notably higher premium for its four-wheel drive set-up.

With carbon dioxide emissions of between 20- and 26g/km for the BYD Seal U DM-i, road tax should not be too much of a burden. In the first year, at the time of writing, you'll pay precisely nothing at all thanks to the BYD qualifying as an alternative fuel vehicle. This entitles it to £10 discount on its annual Vehicle Excise Duty and cancels out the £10 you would otherwise pay for that first 12 months.

In the years that follow, the BYD Seal U DM-i will pay £180 at current rates, again with the £10 discount factored in for it alternative fuel vehicle status. Happily, even the top spec Design model comes in under the £40,000 threshold, so there's no extra duty levied on the Seal U DM-i as there can be on some of its rivals that bust that price barrier.

Company drivers will also be pleased to note the BYD's low Benefit in Kind rating due to its minimal emissions.

While BYD offers the Seal U DM-i in three versions, they are not trims separated by the amount of equipment each comes with. Instead, they are delineated by the combination of engine, battery pack, and front- or four-wheel drive. Which suits you will come down to your budget and driving needs.

Whichever Seal U DM-i you pick, all come with a long list of kit. This includes metallic paint and 19-inch alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, automatic headlights and wipers, a panoramic glass sunroof, aluminium roof rails, powered tailgate, and electrically adjusted and heated door mirrors. There are electric windows all-round, plus front and rear parking sensors, and 360-degree camera.

The Seal U DM-i's occupants sit on vegan leather upholstery and those in the front have heated and cooled seats, plus electric adjustment. The steering wheel is heated, too, while keyless ignition and entry is standard too.

Infotainment is taken care of by the large 15.6-inch touchscreen that can rotate through 90-degrees at the press of a button on the steering wheel or another on the screen itself. You get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, Infinity stereo with 10 speakers, USB chargers, and voice control. There's also a 12.3-inch digital main dash display, head-up display for the driver, and wireless phone charging. In the boot, you'll find a three-pin socket for vehicle to load charging.