BYD Sealion 5 review: Plug-in power for petrol money

January 23, 2026 Matt Allan

Can BYD’s ninth car in three years become its best-seller? We review the BYD Sealion 5 to see how this plug-in hybrid shapes up against rivals from Kia, Ford, Peugeot and MG

BYD’s growth in the UK has been something of a phenomenon. From an unknown name just a few years ago, it has exploded into a serious player across a whole range of segments. It might still only be the 17th biggest brand in the country but a year ago it was the 31st, and it expects the growth to continue.

Last year it shipped 51,000 cars, this year it wants to sell 85,000 and it will do that through existing models and four new cars, including the Sealion 5 DM-i.

It’s fair to say BYD’s naming convention is a little confusing. We’ve got Seals, Dolphins, Sealions and Attos covering the gamut of hatchbacks, saloons, estates and SUVs. Some of them – Seal, Sealion 7 – are pure electric. Others, like the Seal U and Seal 6 are plug-in hybrids. It feels like aquatic mammals and numbers are chosen largely at random each time a new car comes down the line.

So, for clarity, the BYD Sealion 5 is a C-segment SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that BYD calls its DM-i setup – that’s Dual Motor-intelligent.

BYD already has a plug-in family SUV in the shape of the Seal U DM-i, but the brand says that is more of a D-segment car and offers a bit more space and some technological advantages over the smaller, cheaper Sealion 5.

And cheap it is. BYD’s USP for the Sealion 5 is that this Nissan Qashqai or Kia Sportage rival delivers plug-in technology for an old-fashioned petrol price, starting at under £30,000.

So I’m here to see whether it delivers elsewhere as well.

BYD Sealion 5 design, interior and technology

We’re not exactly off to a good start. BYD builds some good-looking cars. The Seal and Sealion 7 are modern and handsome. The Sealion 5 isn’t. If you were being kind you might say it’s a very “unEuropean” design. If you were being cruel, you might say it looks like a five-year-old MG thanks to a protruding chrome-effect grille, massive cut-outs in the bumper and chunky lighting units. Things aren’t as bad once you get beyond the front end, but it’s all a bit anonymous and dated.

Inside, there’s a slightly more modern feel, although it’s still not BYD’s sharpest design. An 8.8-inch digital instrument panel sits ahead of the driver, with a 12.8-inch infotainment screen at the centre of the “surfboard-style” dashboard. As with the Atto 2, BYD has abandoned the rotating screen gimmick here and it’s none the worse for it.

The dashboard swoops down in a pleasing curvy way to the centre console, which houses the drive select and a smattering of physical buttons for some key functions. Some of these – drive mode select or hybrid management – are useful. Others, not so much.

As with any BYD, there are no physical controls for simple tasks like deactivating the ADAS or adjusting the climate control – it’s all done via the screen. That’s responsive enough but some of the menu icons are still too small to safely identify or use on the move. And don’t get me started on dragging fingers across the screen to adjust the heating…

If that’s a familiar story with BYD, so is the quality of the interior. All the key touchpoints are rock solid, made of high-quality materials and feel as well screwed together as any rival.

BYD positions the Sealion 5 as a C-segment family SUV but, despite being 20cm longer than a Kia Sportage and 10cm longer than a Ford Kuga PHEV, it doesn’t feel much more spacious. There’s definitely enough room front and rear to carry four average-sized adults, but it feels relatively narrow and a lot of its length seems to have been lost in big external overhangs and a long but quite shallow boot, which offers 463 litres of storage.

BYD Sealion 5 powertrain and performance

BYD describes the Sealion 5 as an EV-first hybrid which means the electric motor does most of the heavy lifting, backed up by the petrol, rather than the other way round, which is more typical of PHEVs.

So a 194bhp electric motor is paired with a 1.5-litre 95bhp petrol engine to produce a maximum of 209bhp. Most of the time when the battery is charged, the motor powers the car and delivers decent responsiveness and performance on its own, plus the smooth silent experience of a regular EV.

When you need extra shove or when the battery is depleted, the petrol engine will kick in and, boy, does it kick. A heavy right foot delivers a hoarse, booming noise from under the bonnet and some significant vibration through the floor and pedals. The noise appears to have little to do with speed or throttle position and the whole experience is reminiscent of the CVT setup in an early Prius. It’s all the more jarring because when under EV power, the Sealion 5 is smooth and fairly refined, with decent noise insulation.

How far you travel on electric power alone is dictated by the trim level. Entry-grade Comfort cars come with a 13kWh battery good for up to 38.5 all-electric miles. The more expensive Design model gets a 18.3kWh battery that boosts its EV-only range to 53 miles.

Unlike the bigger, pricier Seal U, the Sealion 5 doesn’t support DC rapid charging and only operates at a lowly 3.3kW on AC charging. That means a full charge takes between 4.5 and 6 hours.

BYD says you can get up to 631 miles of driving with a full tank and battery, and fuel efficiency is officially 134.5mpg. In the real world you won’t get close to that but a very mixed test route saw it fluctuate from mid-40s to low-50s.

Like the power delivery, the Sealion 5’s road manners are a mixed bag. It handles respectably for a car of its ilk, with steering that’s fairly direct and accurate if lacking in feel. On decent roads the ride is acceptable too, but a typical British B-road reveals a sharp edge and some quite apparent harshness over broken surfaces and potholes.

BYD Sealion 5 price and specification

BYD says the Sealion 5 is PHEV tech for petrol money and it certainly looks that way. Entry-level Comfort cars come in at £29,995 while the higher-spec Design is £32,995.

Even MG can’t match that. The MG HS plug-in starts at £32,345, although its larger 24kWh battery offers an extra 20 miles of EV range. Kia’s Niro PHEV is just over £35,000 and the Hyundai Tucson and Peugeot 3008 start in the region of £40,000 in their cheapest form.

Specifications are simple. Comforts get LED headlights, 18-inch alloys, electrically adjustable front seats in vegan leather, rear parking sensors and camera, adaptive cruise control, wireless smartphone mirroring and vehicle-to-load charging, plus the smaller battery.

Design gets the battery boost, a powered tailgate, heated seats, a 360-degree camera, wireless phone charging and front parking sensors. The only paid-for option is metallic paint at £850.

Rivals offer some fancier tech and design touches but not for anywhere near the same price.

Verdict

It’s that value that makes the Sealion 5 very hard to ignore.

It’s not perfect. Rivals offer more refined and longer-range powertrains, the ride could be better and its looks and user interface aren’t going to win any prizes.

But it’s spacious enough as a family vehicle, pleasant to drive in EV mode, and well built. It also comes well-equipped and costs many thousands of pounds less than any plug-in rival,and quite a few lesser hybrid alternatives.