BYD Sealion 7 Performance AWD vs Ford Mustang Mach-E Select RWD

The Sealion 7 Performance is the cheaper car whichever way you cut it. As of 2026, BYD lists it at $63,990 before on-road costs against $65,990 for the Mach-E Select, and once on-road costs are added the BYD sits near $69,000 driveaway to the Ford's $73,394 in New South Wales. So the like-for-like gap is closer to $2,000 on list and around $4,000 driveaway, not the larger figure a straight sticker comparison suggests, because the two are quoted on different bases. Either way the BYD costs less and gives you more power and equipment, which is the core of its value case.

The Sealion 7 Performance is comfortably the quicker car. Its dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup makes 390kW and 690Nm for a claimed 4.5-second 0-100km/h, while the rear-drive Mustang Mach-E Select runs a single 212kW motor and 525Nm. Ford does not publish a 0-100km/h time for the Select, but the 178kW deficit and rear-drive layout make the result clear. The twist is that the entry Ford wears a performance badge yet the value BYD delivers the performance. If straight-line speed and all-wheel-drive traction are the point, the Sealion 7 Performance wins. The Mach-E's appeal is its rear-drive balance, not its pace.

Range is close between these two grades. The Mustang Mach-E Select claims 470km on the WLTP cycle from its 73kWh battery, while the Sealion 7 Performance claims 456km from a larger 82.56kWh pack, its dual motors and extra mass trimming the figure. So the Ford edges it by 14km on paper, a difference most owners would not notice day to day. Both are laboratory numbers, so expect less in cold weather or at freeway speed. For range shoppers, the longer-legged grades sit elsewhere in each range, with the BYD Premium claiming 482km and the Ford Premium a much longer 615km.

Both carry a five-star ANCAP rating, so neither is the safe choice by default. The scores split on the detail. The Mustang Mach-E Select leads adult-occupant protection at 92 per cent to the Sealion 7's 87, and safety assist at 82 to 78. The BYD answers on child-occupant protection at 93 per cent to the Ford's 88, and vulnerable road users at 76 to 69. Both come with autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring as standard. The BYD's rating also comes from 2025 testing under stricter criteria, while the Ford's traces to 2021 Euro NCAP testing. Read them as evenly matched.

The Sealion 7 Performance is the roomier load-carrier. It offers 500 litres behind the rear seats, growing to 1,769 litres folded, plus a 58-litre frunk under the bonnet, for 558 litres of combined luggage space. The Mustang Mach-E Select counters with 402 litres seats-up, 1,420 folded, and a 49-litre frunk, or 451 litres combined. The BYD is the longer car at 4,830mm to the Ford's 4,728, though the Mach-E claws back a little rear room with its longer 2,984mm wheelbase. Both seat five through five doors. For the weekly shop and pram-and-stroller duty the Sealion 7 has the clearer edge on outright volume.

Ownership splits cleanly between the two. BYD backs the Sealion 7 with a six-year, 150,000km warranty and a longer 20,000km service interval, and it is marginally the more efficient on the energy figure at 179Wh/km to the Ford's 186. Ford counters with a five-year but unlimited-kilometre warranty, seven years of roadside assistance to the BYD's single year, and 15,000km services. Both protect the battery for eight years or 160,000km. High-kilometre drivers will value the Ford's unlimited-distance term and long roadside cover, while buyers who keep a car past five years gain an extra year of factory warranty from the BYD. Neither has a decisive ownership advantage.

It comes down to what you weight most. The Sealion 7 Performance is the value-and-power pick: it lists for less, makes nearly double the power at 390kW, carries a bigger boot and packs more standard kit, including a head-up display and ventilated seats. The Mustang Mach-E Select is the choice for buyers who prize the rear-drive feel Australian reviewers rate the best in the class, an unlimited-kilometre warranty and seven-year roadside cover, and who will trade outright pace for polish. Most value-focused buyers will take the BYD. Committed drivers, and long-hold owners who value Ford's ownership terms, will find the Select worth its premium.