BYD Sealion 7 vs Hyundai Elexio

The Elexio is the cheaper car to put on the road, and the stickers mislead. As of September 2026 the Sealion 7's $54,990 is a list price before on-road costs, so once registered the Premium lands close to $60,000 drive-away, while the Elexio's $55,990 already includes on-road costs, and drops under that on its current offer. So a sticker that looks about $1,000 in the BYD's favour becomes roughly $4,000 the Elexio's way once both are registered, narrowing to about $1,000 against the Elexio's $58,990 list. Both figures move with offers, so confirm the current drive-away price of each. But read like for like, on the road, the Elexio is the cheaper car.

The Elexio, which is the surprise given it is the smaller and cheaper car. It claims 562km of WLTP range from an 88.1kWh battery, where the bigger Sealion 7 Premium claims 482km from a smaller 82.56kWh pack, a gap of 80km on paper. Reviewers also note the heavier Sealion trails the class on real-world efficiency, which tends to widen the gap in practice rather than close it. Real-world range sits below the lab figure for every EV, more so at highway speed. So if maximum distance between charges is the priority, the compact Elexio is the one to have, not the larger BYD.

The Sealion 7 wins this comfortably. Its base Premium makes 230kW and 380Nm to the Elexio's 160kW and 310Nm, cutting the 0-100km/h claim to 6.7 seconds against the front-drive Hyundai's more relaxed pace, and the dual-motor Performance lifts outputs to 390kW for a claimed 4.5-second sprint. The front-drive-only Elexio has no answer to either the power or the rear- and all-wheel-drive traction. Neither is a sports SUV, and reviewers describe both as tuned for comfort rather than corners, but if outright pace matters the BYD has it. Worth knowing: reviewers repeatedly advise most buyers to take the Premium and skip the roughly $9000-dearer Performance, a gap current at 2026 pricing.

The Sealion 7 is the bigger car overall. It is 215mm longer than the Elexio on a much longer wheelbase, so it has more cabin space. The boots are closely matched with the seats up, the Sealion's 500 litres a whisker behind the Elexio's 506, but fold the rear seats and the bigger BYD pulls ahead, 1769 litres to 1540. So the two are effectively level for everyday boot space, while the Sealion offers more room for passengers and more space with the seats down. For buyers who value outright size, the BYD is the roomier choice.

Both carry a current five-star ANCAP rating, so neither is a compromise. They earn it a little differently: the Sealion 7 is stronger on child-occupant protection, at 93 per cent to the Elexio's 86, while the Elexio leads on active safety, with 85 per cent for safety assist to the Sealion's 78, and edges the adult-occupant and vulnerable-road-user scores. The Elexio also fits nine airbags including a front-centre bag as standard. Both come with the core driver aids, from autonomous emergency braking to blind-spot monitoring. On the record the two are line-ball, the BYD a shade stronger protecting children in a crash, the Hyundai stronger at avoiding one.

This one goes the Elexio's way, with one caveat. The Sealion carries a slightly longer warranty term at six years, but it is capped at 150,000km, where the Elexio's five-year cover is unlimited-kilometre, better for high-distance drivers. The Elexio also gives two years of roadside to the Sealion's one, and services less often, every 30,000km or 24 months to the BYD's 20,000km or 12. Both back the battery for around eight years. Hyundai will also extend the Elexio's warranty to seven years if you service with them. So the Sealion has the longer headline term, but on distance cover, roadside and service frequency, the Elexio is the stronger ownership case.

It splits. The Sealion 7's cabin is the plusher, with genuine leather, a panoramic glass roof, ventilated seats and ambient lighting standard on the base Premium, where the Elexio runs cloth in its base grade and holds leather for the Elite. But the Elexio counters with the bigger screen, a single 27-inch display to the Sealion's 15.6-inch touchscreen, and both fit a head-up display, surround-view camera and wireless charging. Reviewers knock the Sealion for burying controls in its menus, a note the Elexio's big-screen layout only partly escapes. So the BYD feels more premium in materials, the Hyundai leads on sheer screen; pick the one whose cabin suits you.

This is a genuine draw, and it turns on your priorities. The Sealion 7 makes the space-and-status case: the bigger body and folded boot, a plusher standard cabin with leather and a panoramic roof, and the reassurance of one of Australia's best-selling EVs. The Elexio answers on running costs and range: the lower on-road price, the longer 562km range, nine airbags, the stronger active-safety score, and the longer warranty and roadside cover. Both seat five in comfort and hold five stars. If outright space and a premium cabin lead your list, the Sealion is the family buy; if range, safety kit and a keener on-road price matter more, the Elexio is the pick.

It comes down to size against sense. If you want more range and a lower on-road price in a five-star electric SUV, with unlimited-kilometre warranty cover, more roadside and the bigger battery, the Elexio is the value pick, provided you can live with its smaller size, front-drive layout and modest pace. If you want the bigger, faster, more premium car, with genuine leather, a panoramic roof, far more power and the reassurance of Australia's best-selling electric SUV, the Sealion 7 is the more substantial all-rounder, in Premium form rather than the pricey Performance. Weigh the Sealion's size and pace against the Elexio's keener on-road cost and longer range, and remember the BYD's sticker is a before-on-road figure, so the true gap is smaller than it looks.