BYD Sealion 7 vs Hyundai Ioniq 5

The Sealion 7 is the cheaper way in, but check what each price includes. BYD lists the rear-drive Premium at $54,990 before on-road costs, which lands somewhere around $59,000 to $60,000 drive-away depending on your state. Hyundai quotes the Ioniq 5 at $69,990 drive-away, but that is a sharp promotional offer running to 30 September 2026; the standard list price is $76,200 before on-roads, well over $80,000 on the road. So the BYD is thousands cheaper at the door even against the Hyundai's best deal, and the gap widens once the offer ends. Get a dated drive-away quote for your postcode before deciding.

The Ioniq 5 wins this comfortably. Its 800-volt system, still uncommon at this price, tops the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in about 18 minutes on a strong DC charger. The Sealion 7 caps at 150kW and needs roughly 32 minutes for the same top-up, close to twice as long when you are mid-trip. On range the Hyundai also leads, claiming 570km WLTP from its 84kWh battery against the BYD's 482km from a pack of almost the same size. At home the two are line-ball, both charging at around 11kW on AC. For distance driving, the Ioniq 5 is the easier car to live with.

Less than you might expect, but the trade-offs are real. The Sealion 7 charges slower, about 32 minutes for 10 to 80 per cent against the Ioniq 5's 18, and goes 482km on a charge to the Hyundai's 570. It services more often, every 12 months or 20,000km where the Ioniq 5 stretches to 24 months or 30,000km, and its warranty runs six years to Hyundai's seven. BYD is also a newer brand in Australia, so resale and dealer familiarity are less settled. What you do not give up is safety, both are five-star, or performance, where the BYD is the quicker car. The maths is what you weigh.

The Ioniq 5 is the roomier daily car; the Sealion 7 is the bigger hauler. For passengers and everyday loads the Ioniq 5 edges it: its 3,000mm wheelbase, 70mm longer than the Sealion 7's, frees up more rear legroom, and its boot holds 520 litres seats-up to the BYD's 500. But for maximum cargo the Sealion 7 wins clearly, folding flat to 1,769 litres against the Ioniq 5's 1,580, with a marginally bigger 58-litre front boot too. Australian reviewers praise the Ioniq 5's rear-seat space, and both are five-seat SUVs that cope easily with family duty. Pick on which kind of space you use more.

Both wear a five-star ANCAP rating, so this is close. The Sealion 7 was tested more recently, in 2025, and the Ioniq 5 in 2021, and their sub-scores split the honours. The BYD leads child occupant protection, 93 per cent to 87, and scores higher for vulnerable road users; the Hyundai leads safety assist, 89 to 78, and edges adult occupant protection by a point. Both carry autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring on the grades most buyers choose. There is no meaningful safety gap between them, so this one comes down to the other factors.

The Ioniq 5 has the stronger ownership case. Its service intervals run to 24 months or 30,000km, twice the reach of the Sealion 7's 12 months or 20,000km, which means fewer workshop visits over the years you keep it. Its vehicle warranty runs seven years with unlimited kilometres, provided you service with Hyundai, against BYD's six years or 150,000km. The high-voltage batteries are covered the same, eight years or 160,000km each. BYD counters with 10 years of capped-price servicing and generally low individual service costs, so it is not expensive to run, just more frequent. Over five to seven years, the Hyundai edges it.

The Sealion 7, comfortably. Its entry Premium makes 230kW and 380Nm from a single rear motor and clears 100km/h in 6.7 seconds, where the base Ioniq 5 makes 168kW and 350Nm. Step up and the gap grows: the Sealion 7 Performance runs a 390kW all-wheel-drive system for a 4.5-second sprint, while the Ioniq 5's dual-motor grade makes 239kW. Hyundai does build a 478kW Ioniq 5 N, but that is a separate, far pricier model, not part of this mainstream line-up. So across the grades these two actually share a showroom with, the BYD is the quicker car, and it costs less to buy.

It comes down to what you are optimising for. Buy the BYD Sealion 7 if the entry price and the standard-equipment list lead: it is thousands cheaper at the door, bundles leather, a head-up display and a panoramic roof as standard, and out-accelerates the Hyundai at both ends of the range. Buy the Hyundai Ioniq 5 if you value the EV fundamentals and the ownership case: 800-volt charging that is nearly twice as fast, more range, a roomier cabin, services due half as often and a longer warranty behind a proven dealer network. More car for the money, or the more complete and cheaper-to-run EV.