Any BYD Seal Owners or Critics?

Mysterae_

Mysterae_

Mysterae_

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I'm seriously considering a BYD Seal and wondered what past or present owners think of them.

I think it's a good looking car, better looking than any Tesla or the BMW i4 but that's my opinion of course so don't hate me :D. It has great performance and average efficiency at a much more affordable price than it's competitors, spec for spec.

I've watched many reviews and they praise it highly but the youtube video from JayEmm about BYD throws the impartialness of online reviews in to question, perhaps unfairly.

My nearest BYD dealer is 140 miles away so I've not arranged a test drive as yet. That distance is also a concern should anything need to fixed and serviced.

Interested in other peoples thoughts and experiences.
 
A dealer being 140 miles away would be a sticking point for me.
My last 2 cars have been Toyotas and the dealer is 5 minutes walk from my house.

How would the logistics work should it need to go in for work?
I'd imagine they'd need to low loader you a courtesy car and pick yours up.

My neighbour has a Dolphin and from what I can gather it seems to do the car thing ok.
 
marinersfan said:
A dealer being 140 miles away would be a sticking point for me.
My last 2 cars have been Toyotas and the dealer is 5 minutes walk from my house.

How would the logistics work should it need to go in for work?
I'd imagine they'd need to low loader you a courtesy car and pick yours up.

My neighbour has a Dolphin and from what I can gather it seems to do the car thing ok.
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The distance to my nearest BYD dealer is a concern, especially if I still have it after the warranty has expired. It is a whatif? situation though.

It's the same situation if I went for a Tesla as they are the same distance away, made worse by the fact I was considering a Model S which would be well out of it's warranty I think. That leaves the BMW i4 for consideration with the dealer only being 30 miles from home, but it's a lot more expensive for a lot less spec and thus a number of compromises. Not driven one though, that could sway me!

The BYD Seal is my top pick at the moment though.
 
Mysterae_ said:
The distance to my nearest BYD dealer is a concern, especially if I still have it after the warranty has expired. It is a whatif? situation though.

It's the same situation if I went for a Tesla as they are the same distance away, made worse by the fact I was considering a Model S which would be well out of it's warranty I think. That leaves the BMW i4 for consideration with the dealer only being 30 miles from home, but it's a lot more expensive for a lot less spec and thus a number of compromises. Not driven one though, that could sway me!

The BYD Seal is my top pick at the moment though.
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Are you talking new or preowned, budget and how are you financing?
 
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Mysterae_ said:
Specifically, my budget is around 35k for a full EV from 2023 or newer. As I do around 15k miles a year I'd like something lower mileage to begin with.
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I know nothing about them but I too like the look of them. There was a seal parked outside of CostCo Leeds a few months ago and took the opportunity to take a look around it, decent peice of kit, at least on the surface.
 
cuke2u said:

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Indeed, there are some fine examples of the i4 out there, especially needlessly tempted by the M50 variant :D however it's a minefield with the variable specifications/options of the previous owner. I know BMW with having a 640D for over 10 years now of trouble free driving but I can't see past the thought that the BMW designers were at the same coke party as Danniella Westbrook. I don't like Marmite. The rear seat space needs to be compared too as my lad isn't getting any shorter.
 
Mysterae_ said:
I'm seriously considering a BYD Seal and wondered what past or present owners think of them.

I think it's a good looking car, better looking than any Tesla or the BMW i4 but that's my opinion of course so don't hate me :D. It has great performance and average efficiency at a much more affordable price than it's competitors, spec for spec.

I've watched many reviews and they praise it highly but the youtube video from JayEmm about BYD throws the impartialness of online reviews in to question, perhaps unfairly.

My nearest BYD dealer is 140 miles away so I've not arranged a test drive as yet. That distance is also a concern should anything need to fixed and serviced.

Interested in other peoples thoughts and experiences.
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My nearest Tesla dealer was 40 miles away so about an hour. I've been there 2 times in 6 years. You may have to go more often with other brands to keep your warranty.

BYD are using Ford dealerships a lot and that's a bit better for me at 30 miles and I am considering a Dolphin Surf as I only need to get to the local train station now.

From what I've gleaned BYD are the better choice for the new Chinese brands. MG4 are appealing but have had software issues and some build quality concerns. BYD are very innovative with good battery tech though they are massively in debt from all the recent expansion. They issued their own digital debt certificates which are being openly traded now so will they be around for years. Probably if the Chinese gov keeps propping up the auto industry like the US has done many times in the past for GM, Ford etc.

"BYD generally does not follow China’s Negotiable Instruments Law when settling payments with suppliers. Instead the company has created its own proprietary supply chain finance system called the “D-chain,” through which it issues “e-debt certificates.”"
 
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Mysterae_ said:
Indeed, there are some fine examples of the i4 out there, especially needlessly tempted by the M50 variant :D however it's a minefield with the variable specifications/options of the previous owner. I know BMW with having a 640D for over 10 years now of trouble free driving but I can't see past the thought that the BMW designers were at the same coke party as Danniella Westbrook. I don't like Marmite. The rear seat space needs to be compared too as my lad isn't getting any shorter.
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The 40 is better than the M50 to drive, although the 50 has the outright speed, and very very quick it is, the general consensus is the M50 is just overkill with the edrive40 a better balanced car when it comes to handling and no slouch. It's 0-100mph is less than a second off what my M235i was.
As far as the reviews I've read and seen of the Seal, the handling isn't as good as the i4, whilst they've thrown everything, bar the kitchen sink, at it as far as standard kit is concerned, don't be fooled by the gadgets and some of the technology isn't that good. As far as the interior is concerned the Seal, whilst better than most for the price, isn’t anywhere near as premium as the BMW. Personally the interior of the Seal would grate with me having owned various Audi's and BMW's.
German cars are renowned for their options list, some things never change, but it is easy to find a preowned car that has just about everything for £33k.

I've owned cars where the dealerships are over a 40 min drive away and even that was a pain in the bum for me so one being 140 miles just wouldn't be on.
 
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I can't really see a world where these make sense.

As a purchase, you're going to lose a **** ton of money because it's a cheap Chinese SUV with little appeal in the second hand market because of concerns about Chinese reliability, and the usual BEV concerns about battery life, tech becoming obsolete etc.. which is why even Porsche Taycans depreciate faster than any other car on the market..

Entry level EVs really only make sense as a lease purchase, where you pay your monthly payment, throw it all away for the pleasure of having a new car with no worries and the convenience of renewing every 3 years. But because of those concerns the lease payments are high. Price up a 8k miles a year 36 month lease for a BYD seal on selectcarleasing, and you're looking at £500 a month with 1 month payment down.

Compare that however to other EV lease deals (all 36 mont, 8k miles a year no advance payment)
Hyundai Kona Advance EV for £378 a month
Ford explorer select for £416 a month
Kia EV6 for £439 a month
Tesla Model 3 for £417 a month
Volvo EX30 £482 a month

Don't think they make sense for me.
 
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Quartz said:
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I'm aware of JayEmm's video, I referenced it in my OP. There are certainly shenanigans going on at BYD but that doesn't make the product bad per se; how many here have a high spec Nvidia GPU for example?

cuke2u said:
The 40 is better than the M50 to drive, although the 50 has the outright speed, and very very quick it is, the general consensus is the M50 is just overkill with the edrive40 a better balanced car when it comes to handling and no slouch. It's 0-100mph is less than a second off what my M235i was.
As far as the reviews I've read and seen of the Seal, the handling isn't as good as the i4, whilst they've thrown everything, bar the kitchen sink, at it as far as standard kit is concerned, don't be fooled by the gadgets and some of the technology isn't that good. As far as the interior is concerned the Seal, whilst better than most for the price, isn’t anywhere near as premium as the BMW. Personally the interior of the Seal would grate with me having owned various Audi's and BMW's.
German cars are renowned for their options list, some things never change, but it is easy to find a preowned car that has just about everything for £33k.

I've owned cars where the dealerships are over a 40 min drive away and even that was a pain in the bum for me so one being 140 miles just wouldn't be on.
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That's much what I've learned from my research; find an eDrive40 with the desired options fitted and low mileage rather than a M50 without the options and you'll be much happier.

Fr0dders said:
I can't really see a world where these make sense.

As a purchase, you're going to lose a **** ton of money because it's a cheap Chinese SUV with little appeal in the second hand market because of concerns about Chinese reliability, and the usual BEV concerns about battery life, tech becoming obsolete etc.. which is why even Porsche Taycans depreciate faster than any other car on the market..

Entry level EVs really only make sense as a lease purchase, where you pay your monthly payment, throw it all away for the pleasure of having a new car with no worries and the convenience of renewing every 3 years. But because of those concerns the lease payments are high. Price up a 8k miles a year 36 month lease for a BYD seal on selectcarleasing, and you're looking at £500 a month with 1 month payment down.

Compare that however to other EV lease deals (all 36 mont, 8k miles a year no advance payment)
Hyundai Kona Advance EV for £378 a month
Ford explorer select for £416 a month
Kia EV6 for £439 a month
Tesla Model 3 for £417 a month
Volvo EX30 £482 a month

Don't think they make sense for me.
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I agree with some of the above but it doesn't apply to me here as I'm not buying new nor leasing. The Seal isn't a SUV and I think you've compared it unfairly and not like for like, not that I'm here to defend it or anything!
 
I tried one a while back when I bought the Tavascan, there's BYD delearship round the corner from Cupra.

I wasn't impressed. I don't know why you'd go for one over, say, a KIA for example.

Their marketing has gone mad, so they're likely to make a sizable dent in the market.

But no, not for me.
 
Yaayuh! said:
I tried one a while back when I bought the Tavascan, there's BYD delearship round the corner from Cupra.

I wasn't impressed. I don't know why you'd go for one over, say, a KIA for example.

Their marketing has gone mad, so they're likely to make a sizable dent in the market.

But no, not for me.
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Thanks for your views.

The Tavascan is great looking car, probably my favourite looking SUV. I looked into them and the differences between the V1, V2, VZ1 and VZ2 (really?!) but only the V1 is in my budget range.
 
depreciation on the i4, it having been in the market longer is more of a known quantity, versus newer seal (how many have been sold into fleet in uk? and in the pipeline)
which also has the 800v upgrade incoming (along with 06 hatch & estate option) which should work in favour of a good deal on 400V;
BYD will doubtless start exploiting the 800V advantages in advertising - fill up problems gone.

[I'd read e40 does 50-70 faster than heavyweight m50]
 
Mysterae_ said:
Interested in other peoples thoughts and experiences.
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Really nice vehicle for the money, but there aren't tons of options on the market as comparatives once you already rules out Tesla and BMW. With regards to local BYD dealers to you, they are opening at a pretty rapid pace so if you are looking long term ownership I wouldn't be surprised to find one much more local to you a couple of years from now as their market share climbs quickly.

Other considerations/choices Hyundai Ioniq 6 (marmite looks) but you can get a 24-plate Ultimate spec for under £26k, and if you want the AWD 350hp+ version a little more, its got all the gadgets, heated and cooled seats, steering wheel, heat pump, V2L, sunroof/panoroof, HUD, very fast charging, decent range, long warranty etc.

If you care about depreciation and are looking to limit your overall total cost, then you could look at the predicted future value of a Seal Design, seems that a 73-plate in 24 months would be valued at a predictive value of £19,700, and they seem to cost ~£32k now, meaning you could likely lease a new one for 24 months for a similar total cost if you then wanted to buy one after those 2 years. Actually looking around, after I wrote that, seems you can PCH one with 15k miles PA for ~£12.6k total, so you get a new car with the likely chance of not needing any tyres, servicing, or MOT's in the time you'd have it. Depending on how you were planning on financing your car as well, the cost for PCH would be brought down if you were planning on pay outright, as opportunity cost over 24 months would be a net interest loss of ~£2,200 on a fixed deal count for the removal of the car payment per month, so an effect £10.4k cost for 24 months, only if you are buying with cash, if you are paying HP then the is HP calculations etc to do.
 
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