BYD
Sealion 7
Model Profile
From $54,990
List price (MSRP) · priced Aug 2026. Excludes on-road costs. Details →
BYD did the maths most carmakers wouldn't. It took a mid-size electric SUV the size of a Tesla Model Y, packed it with heated leather, a rotating 15.6-inch screen and a panoramic roof, and priced it from $54,990 (August 2026) before on-road costs. Australians noticed. Since it landed in February 2025 the Sealion 7 has become BYD's best-selling model here and the country's second-most-popular EV, with more than 25,000 finding homes. It isn't the sharpest electric SUV to drive, nor the most efficient, but as a value proposition it is hard to argue with.
Feb 2025
New nameplate in Australia
#2 EV
BYD's best-selling model
up to 482km
WLTP, Premium grade
What matters to you?
456–482km
Range230–390kW
Power500L
Boot space8years
Battery warrantyRange shown across the Sealion 7 line-up. Pick a priority to see the numbers that matter to you.
Images are illustrative and digitally rendered. They may not reflect the exact variant, colour or trim. Details →
Living with the Sealion 7.
The Sealion 7 is the value play in the mid-size electric SUV class, and a deliberate shot at the Tesla Model Y. As of mid-2026, two versions are sold in Australia: the rear-drive Premium from $54,990 and the dual-motor Performance from $63,990, both riding on the same 82.56kWh LFP Blade battery. The Premium claims 482km of WLTP range, the quicker Performance 456km. For most buyers the real question is which grade to choose, and whether it does enough to justify picking it over a Model Y. On both counts the Premium makes the strongest case, and the rest of this page shows why.
The Premium is the volume seller and the smarter buy. Its 230kW rear motor covers 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.7 seconds, quick enough for a family SUV, and its smaller 19-inch wheels ride better than the Performance's 20s. Standard kit is generous: heated and ventilated front seats, a panoramic glass roof, a 12-speaker Dynaudio system, a 360-degree camera and a head-up display all feature. BYD backs the car with a six-year, 150,000km warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty. The catch is efficiency: at 170 to 179Wh/km it uses more energy than most rivals, so running costs are higher than the badge suggests.
The Performance exists for buyers who want the numbers and some red brake callipers. A 160kW front motor joins the rear unit for 390kW, 690Nm and a genuine 4.5-second sprint, and it adds a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats and 20-inch wheels. It is fast, but it isn't a driver's car: the tuning favours comfort over corners, and the extra mass and larger wheels cost it 26km of range against the Premium. The near-unanimous verdict from the Australian press is that the roughly $9,000 premium, at 2026 prices, buys pace you rarely use, while the Premium keeps the longer range and every feature that matters.
Underneath, the Sealion 7 shares its platform and battery with the Seal sedan, though the taller body trims the range. The cabin is where it earns its keep: the material quality rates above the price, rear legroom is generous behind the 2930mm wheelbase, and BYD keeps physical controls for the shifter, mirrors and windows, which is welcome against the touch-everything trend. The screen rotates between portrait and landscape, and the driver assistance is better calibrated than most Chinese rivals. The compromises are real: a 150kW DC charging peak that trails newer rivals, a letterbox rear window that hurts over-the-shoulder vision, and a throttle that can feel sticky on lift-off. Judge it on space, kit and value rather than driving polish, and it makes a strong case.
#2 EV
BYD's top seller, with more than 25,000 sold since February 2025.
Sealion 7 Range Walk
The Sealion 7 range is refreshingly simple: two grades on the same battery, separated by drive layout, wheels and about $9,000. The rear-drive Premium is the value and the volume seller; the dual-motor Performance trades range for speed. The rungs below show what the step up buys.
- 01
Premium
Best value, the smart buyFrom $54,990
The entry point at $54,990 before on-road costs. Rear-wheel drive, 230kW, a claimed 482km of range on 19-inch wheels, and the full kit list: 15.6-inch rotating screen, Dynaudio audio, panoramic roof, heated and ventilated front seats, 360-degree camera and head-up display.
- 02
Performance
Best for outright paceFrom $68,743
About $9,000 more for all-wheel drive, 390kW and 690Nm, a 4.5-second 0-100km/h, 20-inch wheels, a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats. The trade-offs are 26km less range and a firmer ride from the bigger rims.
List price (MSRP) · priced Aug 2026. Excludes on-road costs. Details →
Under the skin.
How much can the BYD Sealion 7 tow?
The BYD Sealion 7 is rated to tow up to 1,500 kg with a braked trailer and 750 kg without trailer brakes. That maximum applies to the Performance; across the range the braked rating spans 750 kg to 1,500 kg.
Heaviest braked trailer allowed, quoted as ATM: the loaded trailer including ball weight.
1,500 kg
Limit for trailers without their own brakes.
750 kg
Gross vehicle mass: the most the loaded vehicle may weigh, ball weight included.
2,750 kg
Gross combination mass: vehicle and trailer together. BYD does not publish one.
Not published
The vehicle as delivered, before people, cargo and accessories.
2,340 kg
Everything you may add, ball weight included. Calculated: 2,750 kg GVM minus 2,340 kg kerb weight.
410 kg
Calculated
Downward load on the tow ball; it counts toward GVM.
150 kg
Figures for the Performance. Other grades differ; pick a variant in the checker below.
What's left once the van is hooked up
Hook up 1,500 kg with 150 kg on the ball and the Performance has 260 kg of payload left for people, cargo and accessories.
BYD does not publish a GCM for the Sealion 7, so the tow rating and the GVM are the governing limits shown here.
Assuming 10 per cent of the trailer weight.
Two adults plus luggage is roughly 400 kg.
Over a limit. This combination does not comply.
Tow rating
0 kg under the 1,500 kg braked rating
Vehicle GVM
Over GVM by 140 kg. Lighten the load or the ball.
Combined GCM
GCM not published for this vehicle
Tow ball limit
0 kg under the 150 kg ball limit
The rules and the fine print
Figures are manufacturer maximums for the Performanceand can change with model year; the compliance plate and handbook of your exact vehicle govern. In Australia, trailers over 750 kg GTM (the loaded weight on the trailer's own wheels) need their own brakes, and over 2,000 kg they need brakes on all wheels plus a breakaway system. Ball weight typically runs 8 to 12 per cent of ATM. Axle loads and tyre ratings are not modelled here. Checking a different car against your van? Use the towing calculator.
How it protects.
ANCAP · Tested 2025
This vehicle achieved the highest possible ANCAP safety rating, with strong results across occupant protection, pedestrian safety and safety-assist technology.
Buy the Sealion 7 Premium if you want a roomy, solidly built electric SUV that undercuts the Tesla Model Y by thousands and hands you heated leather, a panoramic roof and a 360-degree camera as standard. It is the value pick of the mid-size EV class, and 482km of range suits most family use. Leave the $63,990 Performance (2026 pricing) unless outright pace is the point, because its extra speed costs range and ride comfort. The Model Y stays sharper to drive and more efficient on energy, and it plugs into Tesla's charging network, so cross-shop the two if efficiency or driver engagement lead your brief. But few electric SUVs at this money feel this complete.
- Undercuts the Tesla Model Y by thousands
- Spacious, well-built cabin with premium finishes
- Generous standard equipment across both grades
- Five-star ANCAP safety, tested 2025
- Six-year warranty, eight years on the battery
- Higher energy use than most class rivals
- 150kW DC charging trails newer competitors
- Letterbox rear window limits over-shoulder vision
- Sticky throttle, weak regen, no one-pedal mode
- No spare tyre, only a repair kit
Where the Sealion 7 has been.
Past generations. Context, not the car on sale today.
The Sealion 7 is a new nameplate with no prior generation in Australia, launched in February 2025 during BYD's rapid local rise. It sits in the Sealion family alongside the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid and the larger Sealion 8, and shares its platform and Blade battery with the Seal sedan. As a debut model it carries no legacy fault history.
Asked about the Sealion 7.
By Yuri Cartland, Editor