Home
BYD
Features
How The BYD Seal Does In A Real-World Range Test
The Chinese electric sedan is one of the biggest rivals to the Tesla Model 3. Can its range keep up?
Iulian Dnistran 
By: Iulian Dnistran
May 28, 2024 at 8:19am ET
Add InsideEVs as a preferred source in Google
- (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Finsideevs.com%2Ffeatures%2F721210%2Fbyd-seal-real-world-range-test%2F&text=How%20The%20BYD%20Seal%20Does%20In%20A%20Real-World%20Range%20Test&via=InsideEVs)
- copy
Share
Comment
Everybody is talking about how Chinese-made electric vehicles are poised to take over the world. Their global sales numbers are increasing and more and more models are making their way into Europe and other global markets. But how does a Chinese EV that prides itself on being a worthy adversary to the popular Tesla Model 3 perform in the real world?
Thanks to the fine folks at the Nevo EV Review Ireland YouTube channel, we can get a better idea of what to expect from the BYD Seal. The car in the video embedded below was the dual-motor version electric sedan that boasts a WLTP-rated range of 323 miles when the 82.5-kilowatt-hour battery is fully charged.
Get Fully Charged
Chinese or American, Chinese-built EVs?
BYD is known as China's largest car maker, churning out hundreds of thousands of so-called new energy vehicles (NEVs) every quarter. It's also trying to establish a presence in Europe, where legacy automakers seem scared of the prospect of cheap EVs flooding the continent's streets. But what some of you might not know is that the European-spec Tesla Model 3 is also made in China, and nobody seems to care too much about that.
More BYD Stories
The Sub-$21,500 BYD Seagull Is Coming For Europe
BYD Shark, A Plug-In Hybrid Ford Ranger Rival, Launches In Mexico
BYD Global Plug-In Car Sales Increased 49% In April 2024
2024 BYD Seal Review: If You Could Buy One, You'd Probably Want To
The BYD Seal AWD also has a combined 530 horsepower and can reach 62 miles per hour from a standstill in 3.8 seconds, all while carrying a price tag of around €50,000 ($54,400).
The video’s purpose is pretty straightforward: to find out if a coast-to-coast trip in Ireland is viable without stopping for a top-up along the way. That’s a roughly 199-mile journey that takes about 5 hours and includes highways, country roads and stop-and-go city traffic. The outside temperature was somewhere between 64 and 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
To cut to the chase, the BYD Seal had no issue and rose to the challenge. With 99% state of charge and 322 miles (519 km) indicated on the digital instrument cluster at the beginning of the trip, the Seal finished with 28% left and an indicated remaining range of 90 miles.
The average energy consumption for the entire journey was not shown in the video, but for the last 31 miles (50 km), which included a lot of city driving, the car recorded 17 kWh/100 km or 3.6 miles/kWh, which is pretty good. Another reading that popped up during the video showed the car had averaged 3 miles/kWh in the last 3,658 miles.
Gallery: 2024 BYD Seal Review
143
What do you think?
View
Comments
Comparatively, the official WLTP energy consumption rating for the BYD Seal AWD is 3.4 miles/kWh. Meanwhile, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range dual-motor has a WLTP-rated consumption of 4.4 miles/kWh–the higher, the better–and a WLTP-rated range of 390 miles, 67 more than the Seal, all while carrying a similar price tag. So on paper at least, Tesla’s sedan offers more bang for the buck, even if the WLTP rating is known to be more lenient compared to the EPA rating.
Furthermore, the actual real-world range of the Seal was roughly 34 miles shorter than what was shown on the instrument cluster at the beginning of the journey. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox.
back
Subscribe For more info, read our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Insideevs.com?
Take our 3 minute survey.
- The InsideEVs team
Share this Story
- (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Finsideevs.com%2Ffeatures%2F721210%2Fbyd-seal-real-world-range-test%2F&text=How%20The%20BYD%20Seal%20Does%20In%20A%20Real-World%20Range%20Test&via=InsideEVs)
- copy
GO TO COMMENTS
(
)
Got a tip for us? Email: tips@insideevs.com
View all comments ( )
Trending
Kia EV3 Lease Deals Are Here, And It’s Cheaper Than The Chevy Bolt And Nissan Leaf
I Let Android Auto Plan My EV Roadtrip. Here’s How It Worked
This Chevy Bolt Has 470,000 Miles. Here’s How Much A New Battery Was
Here's What It's Like To Take Delivery Of A Rivian R2
latest articles
- This Chinese EV Is Now Made In Europe. More Are Coming Oct 20 - News -
- GM Is Closing Its Detroit EV Battery Plant Oct 20 - Industry -
- The 2027 Lexus NX Plug-In Hybrid Gets A Bigger Battery And Fast Charging Oct 20 - Official -
- Kia EV3 Lease Deals Are Here, And It’s Cheaper Than The Chevy Bolt And Nissan Leaf Oct 20 - Pricing -
- Here's What It's Like To Take Delivery Of A Rivian R2 Oct 19 - News -
- Used EVs Hit A Record Share Of Overall Used Car Sales In September Oct 19 - Sales -
- Nio's Little Electric Car Has A Cool Party Trick: Upgradeable Range Oct 19 - News -
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
BYD's New 3-Row SUV Brings 5-Minute Flash Charging To European Families
The 2027 Lexus NX Plug-In Hybrid Gets A Bigger Battery And Fast Charging
BYD Will Put Solid-State Batteries In An EV Next Year: Executive
Kia EV3 Lease Deals Are Here, And It’s Cheaper Than The Chevy Bolt And Nissan Leaf
BYD’s $10,000 EV Is Getting A Huge Upgrade, With 5-Minute Charging
Here's What It's Like To Take Delivery Of A Rivian R2
BYD’s Electric Kei Car Was Driven In Japan. It Fits Right In