Skip advert
Advertisement
In-depth reviews

BYD Seal - Reliability & safety

BYD is an unknown quantity in terms of customer satisfaction rankings; safety is impressive, though

Reliability and safety rating

4.0

How we review cars
RRP
£45,045 £48,045
Avg. savings
£3,282 off RRP*
Find your BYD Seal
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

With both the BYD Seal and the BYD brand being new to the UK market, we don’t have any data yet to include them in the latest 2024 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, making it difficult to judge what long-term ownership is going to be like. On the positive side, the fit and finish of the BYD cars we’ve tested so far have been very good, and our service experience during our long-term ownership of a BYD Atto 3 hasn’t raised any cause for concern. 

Advertisement - Article continues below

There may also be a period where dealership coverage isn’t quite as good as some of its more established competitors as the brand builds up its network. The same was true of MG and Tesla when those companies came to the UK, and that hasn’t prevented those brands from selling well in this country. 

The Seal should be a safe car, because it was awarded a maximum five stars out of five by safety experts Euro NCAP in 2023. It matched the BMW i5 in adult occupancy rating, and did better in terms of child protection. It couldn’t match the Volkswagen ID.7, which did better across the board. 

Key standard safety featuresEuro NCAP safety ratings
  • 5 out of 5 stars (tested 2023)
  • Adult occupant protection - 89%
  • Child occupant protection - 87%
  • Vulnerable road user protection - 82% 
  • Safety assist - 76%

Warranty

All Seal cars come with a six-year/93,750-mile warranty (it looks like an odd number, but it’s a conversion of the 150,000km figure applied to other markets).

Servicing

Electric cars don’t have the same servicing requirements as regular petrol or diesel cars because they don’t have an engine that requires regular oil changes. No specific service interval is listed; however, the owner’s manual for the BYD Seal lists numerous items that require checking every 12 months or 12,427 miles (a conversion of 20,000km), whichever comes first. Also, the manual suggests that the main battery needs to be fully charged and then discharged as part of a battery self-calibration procedure once every six months or every 44,739 miles (75,000km), whichever comes first.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

BYD Seal

BYD Seal

RRP £45,705Avg. savings £3,282 off RRP*
Hyundai Ioniq 6

Hyundai Ioniq 6

RRP £47,050Avg. savings £4,976 off RRP*Used from £46,997
BYD Seal U

BYD Seal U

RRP £33,315Avg. savings £2,478 off RRP*
BMW I4

BMW I4

RRP £51,280Avg. savings £8,133 off RRP*Used from £26,890
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price
BMW X7 - front

Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price

German firm’s flagship SUV could never be called cheap but it is exceptional value at £735 a month – making it our Deal of the Day for Sunday 27 April
News
27 Apr 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025