What's the difference between the BYD Sealion 6 and Sealion 7?
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BYD is a relatively new name on the ground in Australia. Here are the key differences between its key new models.
The BYD Sealion 6 medium SUV only arrived in Australia just over six months ago, but it's already become the country's best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle.
For 2024, the Sealion 6 beat out the long-running segment darling, the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid, by a small margin – mighty impressive considering the model was on sale for just over six months of the year.
BYD is continuing its new-model onslaught throughout 2025, kicking off with the launch of the Sealion 7.
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While BYD's naming scheme might suggest the BYD Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 are derivatives of one another, there are big differences between these two medium-sized SUVs.
We don't yet know all the details about the BYD Sealion 7, which is due to arrive on local shores in February 2025, but we've compared the two models across a range of criteria including price, electric range, and size.
Comparisons to the country’s best-selling electric car, the Tesla Model Y, have been thrown in for good measure.
What's bigger, the BYD Sealion 6 or the Sealion 7?
Both the BYD Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 sit within the medium SUV category which also includes cars such as the Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander,Tesla Model Y, and Kia Sportage.
However, although the BYD Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 sit within the same size segment, there are some important differences in size that see the latter as the bigger car in key dimensions.
The BYD Sealion 7 is 55mm longer, 35mm wider, and 50mm lower compared to the BYD Sealion 6. Its wheelbase is also 165mm longer, which should translate to larger legroom inside the cabin.
In terms of styling, the BYD Sealion 7 has a sloping rear roofline akin to a coupe-style SUV. The BYD Sealion 6 has a more conventional wagon-bodied design.
| Dimensions | BYD Sealion 6 | BYD Sealion 7 (compared to Sealion 6) | Tesla Model Y |
| Length | 4755mm | 4830mm (+55mm) | 4751mm |
| Width | 1890mm | 1925mm (+35mm) | 1978mm |
| Height | 1670mm | 1620mm (-50mm) | 1624mm |
| Wheelbase | 2765mm | 2930mm (+165mm) | 2890mm |
What powers the BYD Sealion 6 and Sealion 7?
Arguably the biggest difference between the two is the fact that the BYD Sealion 6 is a plug-in hybrid SUV, while the BYD Sealion 7 is a 'full' battery electric vehicle.
The BYD Sealion 7 uses an 82.5kWh battery pack in rear- and all-wheel-drive (single- and twin-motors, respectively) specifications, with up to 230kW in the former and 390kW outputs in the latter.
Meanwhile, the BYD Sealion 6 is powered by a 1.5-litre engine paired with an 18.3kWh electric battery. Buyers can also opt for an all-wheel-drive variant that introduces an extra electric motor on the rear axle.
Without it, the BYD Sealion 6 Dynamic sends 160kW/300Nm to the front wheels, but spend more on the BYD Sealion 6 Premium and you’ll get 238kW/550Nm sent to all four wheels.
| BYD Sealion 6 | BYD Sealion 7 (RWD/AWD) | Tesla Model Y (RWD/Long Range/Performance) | |
| Battery size | 18.3kWh | 82.5kWh | 59.7kWh/79kWh/79kWh (estimated) |
Does the BYD Sealion 6 or Sealion 7 have a longer electric driving range?
The BYD Sealion 6 relies on an 18.3kWh battery to supply up to 100km of electric driving range, but once that's exhausted the car reverts to a 1.5-litre petrol engine.
At Drive, we've previously seen a fuel economy between 3.0-4.0L/100km out of the BYD Sealion 6.
Comparatively, the BYD Sealion 7 uses an 82.5kWh battery pack which gives between 450km and 500km of driving range, according to BYD. The overall electric driving range depends on the exact model variants.
| BYD Sealion 6 (plug-in hybrid) | BYD Sealion 7 (electric vehicle) | Tesla Model Y | |
| Electric driving range | 100km | 482km (RWD), 456km (AWD) | 455km (RWD), 533km (Long Range), 514km (Performance |
What's cheaper, the BYD Sealion 6 or Sealion 7?
Pricing for the BYD Sealion 7 has not been announced at the time of writing, but we have heard from BYD that the range will start below the $60,000 mark.
This aligns with pricing we've seen in the United Kingdom, which posits the entry-level BYD Sealion 6 on par with the BYD Seal Premium in terms of price point. For reference, the BYD Seal Premium costs $58,798 before on-road costs in Australia.
BYD will want to price the Sealion 7 in contention with the top-selling electric vehicle, the Tesla Model Y, which starts at $55,900. Kia's new EV5 is also priced from $56,770 before on-road costs.
As for the BYD Sealion 6, there are two model grades that buyers can choose from in Australia. The range begins with the Sealion 6 Dynamic, priced from $48,990 before on-road costs.
The BYD Sealion 6 Premium ups the price to $52,990, owing to more equipment, all-wheel-drive, more power, and an extra electric motor.
| Price | BYD Sealion 6 | BYD Sealion 7 | Tesla Model Y | Kia EV5 |
| Starting price (before on-road costs) | $48,990 | Below $60,000 (estimated) | $55,900 | $56,770 |
Are the BYD Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 built on the same platform?
The BYD Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 differ in their underpinnings.
Whereas the BYD Sealion 6 uses the DM-i legacy platform that was shared with previous BYD petrol models, the new Sealion 7 is built on a new electric e-Platform 3.0 Evo that's an adaptation of the BYD Seal platform that's already in-market in Australia.
What weighs more, the BYD Sealion 6 or the Sealion 7?
Although the BYD Sealion 6 in its heaviest guise – with twin electric motors – fits in a petrol motor, it's still lighter in weight than the BYD Sealion 7.
The BYD Sealion 6 Premium weighs 2100kg at its heaviest and the BYD Sealion 7 weighs 2225kg at its lightest.
The post What's the difference between the BYD Sealion 6 and Sealion 7? appeared first on Drive.
