BYD Sealion 7 Performance vs Kia EV6 Air

Read the two From prices carefully, because as of 2026 they are quoted on different bases. The Sealion 7 Performance is $63,990 before on-road costs, which lands around $69,000 to $70,000 drive-away in NSW. The EV6 Air is shown at $78,277 drive-away. So the headline gap of roughly $14,000 flatters the BYD: compared like-for-like on drive-away money the Sealion 7 Performance still undercuts the EV6 Air, but by closer to $9,000. Either way the cheaper car here is the more powerful one, which is the unusual part. Run each brand's own drive-away quote for your postcode before you decide, as on-road costs move the final figure.

The Sealion 7 Performance is the clear pick for pace. Its dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup makes 390kW and 690Nm and covers 0-100km/h in a claimed 4.5 seconds. The EV6 Air is a single rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive car with 168kW and 350Nm, and a 7.7-second sprint. That 3.2-second gap is the widest single number between them, and it exists because you are comparing the cheaper car's flagship against the dearer car's base grade. If you want a fast EV6 you can have one, but only by climbing to the dual-motor GT-Line AWD or the 478kW GT, both of which cost far more than either car here.

This is the EV6 Air's home ground. It runs an 800-volt electrical architecture and peaks at 258kW on DC, so a 10 to 80 per cent charge takes about 18 minutes on a suitable ultra-rapid charger. The Sealion 7 Performance uses an older 400-volt system capped at 150kW, so the same top-up takes around 32 minutes. On range the Kia leads too, with 582km WLTP from its 84kWh battery to the BYD's 456km from 82.56kWh, helped by better efficiency of 159 Wh/km against 179. For anyone who charges in public often or drives longer distances, the EV6 Air is the easier car to live with.

At the two grades on this page the Sealion 7 Performance carries more standard kit. It includes genuine leather, a panoramic glass roof, heated and ventilated front seats, a head-up display, a 360-degree camera, a heated steering wheel and a 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen. The EV6 Air is Kia's entry grade, so it covers the basics well, dual-zone climate, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio and the full active-safety suite, but the panoramic roof, head-up display, 360-degree camera and heated seats only arrive on the EV6 GT-Line one rung up. The EV6 does answer with a larger 12.3-inch driver's display and Kia's newer ccNC software with over-the-air updates.

Both cars carry a five-star ANCAP rating, so neither is a safety compromise. The Sealion 7 was tested under the tougher 2025 criteria, with 87 per cent for adult occupants, a strong 93 per cent for child occupants and 78 per cent for safety assist, and that rating runs to 2031. The EV6 Air holds a five-star result from the 2022 assessment, scoring 90 per cent for adults and 88 per cent for safety assist, though a lower 64 per cent for vulnerable road users; that rating covers the Air and GT-Line grades but not the GT. Both come standard with autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise and blind-spot monitoring.

The two are close on paper, with the Sealion 7 a fraction ahead. It offers 500 litres of boot behind the rear seats and a 58-litre front boot for cables, against the EV6 Air's 490 litres plus its own front boot. The BYD is also the larger car overall, 135mm longer and 70mm taller, on a slightly longer 2,930mm wheelbase, so rear-seat room is generous. The EV6's sloped coupe-style roofline trims a little rear headroom and boot height in return for its look. For most families either boot is enough; if maximum space is the deciding factor, the Sealion 7 has a small edge.

The EV6 Air has the stronger ownership package. Kia backs it with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, eight years of roadside assistance and 12-month or 15,000km service intervals. BYD covers the Sealion 7 for six years or 150,000km, with an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty and 12-month or 20,000km services. Running costs also favour the Kia, since its 159 Wh/km efficiency uses less energy per kilometre than the BYD's 179, so it costs a little less to charge over a year. The Sealion 7 claws some of that back at purchase with its lower price, so the ownership case is closer than the warranty gap alone suggests.

It comes down to what you value. If you want the most performance, equipment and metal for your money, the Sealion 7 Performance is hard to argue with: twice the power, all-wheel drive, a fuller kit list and a fresher safety rating, for thousands less. If your weeks involve public charging or longer trips, the EV6 Air answers with faster 800-volt charging, more range, better efficiency and a longer warranty, and Australian reviewers rate it the sharper, more resolved car to drive, at the cost of pace and a plainer base cabin. Neither is a wrong choice; they are simply built around different priorities.