BYD Sealion 5 2026 review | Affordable and roomy plug-in hybrid SUV

What is the BYD Sealion 5?

BYD really is on a roll in the UK. In 2025, it grabbed a market share of nearly 2.5 percent, placing it ahead of more well-established brands such as MINI, Tesla, Dacia, Honda and Citroen. Not bad for a Chinese firm that only launched its first car here, the BYD Atto 3, in March 2023.

A diverse range of vehicles have driven this standing-start success, from the compact Dolphin Surf EV to the Seal U plug-in hybrid large SUV. BYD now has a broader new-car range than one-time market leader Ford – and it’s gearing up to launch its ninth car, which bosses reckon could be its most important model yet. Meet the BYD Sealion 5.

This is a (slightly) more compact SUV alternative to the Seal U DM-i, with a lower price tag. There are just two trims, called Comfort and Design, priced at £29,995 and £32,995 respectively – and cheaper monthly payments are set to be key to its appeal. Again, it’s a plug-in hybrid, with BYD this time aiming to take on regular petrol-powered rivals with a money-saving PHEV alternative. These alternatives include the Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Karoq, Renault Symbioz and MG HS.

There’s also a growing range of Chinese plug-in hybrids competing in this sector, including the Geely Starray and the Chery Tiggo 7.

At 4,738mm long, the BYD Sealion 5 is bigger than the lot of them. It’s a mere 38mm shorter than the BYD Seal U DM-i, which could be a bit too close for comfort. It’s only 30mm narrower too, and actually sits 40mm taller than the ‘larger’ Seal U. It’s really only the price that positions it as a smaller car; bear this in mind when you’re comparing it to rivals.

The BYD Sealion 5 isn’t the most dynamic-looking model in this sector. Its plain lines look a bit old-fashioned, lacking the sleek style of some rivals. The front end is its most interesting aspect, but while the crisp, wavy upper feature line and pumped-up rear haunches are attempts at adding interest, it still looks rather dull. It also appears a bit narrow-tracked (or over-bodied) on the road. Even the colours are boring: blue, black, white or grey.

It certainly doesn’t have the visual desirability of, say, a Jaecoo 7 – but is there more to the BYD Sealion 5 once you scratch beneath the surface?

How practical is it?

The BYD Sealion 5 is pretty practical when it comes to passenger space. It’s easy to get in and out, visibility is good, thanks to the crossover-like driving position, and the side windows are deep so you get a nice, clear view outside.

Interior design is, again, rather plain and forgettable. The ‘surfboard’ shape of the dashboard below the touchscreen is quite nice, mind, and BYD has restricted gloss black trim to the upper dashboard – out of reach of fingerprints. The matt aluminum-style dash trim does brighten things up, but the join on the passenger side in our test car fitted poorly. The flimsy column stalks also felt (and sounded) cheap, but otherwise it is solid and adequately well-built. The soft-touch material on the doors is nice, too.

The Sealion 5’s driving position could be better. Its steering wheel is reach-adjustable, but there isn’t enough of it, meaning it doesn’t come out far enough. The firm seats are also quite flat, and are sorely lacking under-thigh support. So-called vegan (artificial) leather is soft and pleasant to the touch, though – it’s like a budget type of Nappa leather.

There’s the usual array of cubbies, including a dedicated smartphone stowage tray ahead of the gearlever (with wireless charging on the top-spec Design), plus a space below the centre armrest. There’s additional space under the centre console, which is useful, albeit a little hidden (despite being illuminated). This features a 60W and 18W USB-C charging ports, plus you’ll find two more in the rear.

One detail that seems a bit cheap is the prominent blanking plate in the front passenger door. On the driver’s side, this is where the electric tailgate release and fuel filler flap buttons are located; BYD could have done a far better job of disguising the ready-made cutout on the other side. Mind you, even Audi isn’t averse to using blanking plates in its cars these days, so maybe BYD is simply following the premium trend here…

The rear seats are, again, easy to access, helped by well-shaped door openings that allow passengers to step in easily. Because the door openings are cut away towards the rear, it’s simple to just swing your legs sideways to step out, too. Decent rear-seat space is enhanced by the car’s flat floor and fairly supportive rear seat (perhaps more so than the front seats), while there’s a good amount of knee room, ample space for feet and loads of headroom.

Boot space could be better, though. A total of 463 litres sounds decent on paper, but it’s a bit on the shallow side, with a high floor. The flat surface does mean it’s easy to load, and the space is wide and well-shaped, but space under the load cover for bulkier items could be better. Folding the 60:40 split rear seats flat opens up 1,410 litres of space. There’s no front boot, or ‘frunk’, and you only get a hands-free electric tailgate on pricier Design models.

What's it like to drive?

The BYD Sealion 5 has a nice cut glass-style start/stop button. Pressing it wakes up the car, but doesn’t fire up the engine, because this plug-in hybrid defaults to EV mode whenever it can. With a fully-charged battery, you’ll pull away in silence and immediately enjoy the electric car experience of seamless acceleration, immediate power and superb refinement.

Indeed, it remains hushed even as speeds rise, with levels of quietness that feel luxurious at this price point. If you start with a fully-charged battery, this will continue for many miles, and you probably won’t notice when the engine fires up either.

Unlike some plug-in hybrids, the engine is generally smooth and refined, and tends not to announce a flat battery with a rumble. It’s only if you press harder that this sweet engine becomes more vocal – and we sometimes did notice a bit of vibration and resonance as the revs rose and fell. Generally though, it stays admirably hushed.

A button on the centre console lets you toggle between EV and HEV (hybrid) modes, but you’re really best leaving the car to its own devices, as it’s smart enough to work it all out for the best efficiency. Indeed, it seems to maintain a charge of 20-25 per cent, rather than flattening the battery entirely, in order to keep this EV-like feel and maximise efficiency. We haven’t yet had a chance to test if switching into EV mode lets you discharge the battery entirely. There’s also a drive mode button and off-road ‘terrain response’ button, neither of which are likely to be used much.

The BYD Sealion 5 has a touch of firmness to its ride quality. This is in contrast to some earlier Chinese SUVs, which were ultra-soft and roly-poly. The Sealion 5 has better body control, but this comes at the expense of a pattery ride. It’s not necessarily harsh or crashy, but there is an underlying jiggliness to it.

Handling is duly safe and uneventful. It’s easy to steer on twisting roads, and although the steering is very artificial and remote, it feels accurate enough. Overall, this makes for a fairly pleasant car to drive, one made that bit more special thanks to the smoothness of its EV-centric powertrain. Such sophistication is rare in this class of car.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

All versions of the BYD Sealion 5 have a dual-screen interior layout, with an 8.8-inch driver display and 12.8-inch centre touchscreen. Unlike earlier BYD models, the central screen doesn’t rotate at the touch of a button – this was always a bit of a gimmicky feature, and removing it allows the firm to optimise the layout of the dashboard better.

As with many Chinese brands, the icons and logos in both touchscreens are on the small side, making it tricky to jab the right one, particularly if you're on the move and your finger is bouncing around. The layouts are pretty feature-packed, so it will take some getting used to, although it is straightforward to switch between Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and the main BYD system (even if, again, the logo itself is tiny).

While you don’t get physical buttons for the climate control, there is a scattering of switches on the centre console, either side of the gearlever, which let you control the ‘auto’ function, fan speed and give quick access to windscreen demist. They’re better than nothing. There’s also a button to turn the parking sensors off, along with a rotary dial for volume control. Pressing it turns the stereo off.

There are shortcuts in the screen itself; swipe down from the top for an array of shortcuts including those to disable the driver assistance systems (ADAS), which you’ll want to do as it’s pretty over-eager. Look away from the road for just a second and it will fire the driver distraction warning, for example. This soon becomes very annoying. We didn’t drive far before disabling the lane-keep assist, either. Meanwhile, a three-finger swipe up and down alters the temperature. Clever, and much more like it.

The BYD Sealion 5 comes with ‘vehicle-to-load’ technology as standard. This allows external devices, such as a laptop charger, portable fridge or coffee machine – to be powered at up to 33kW. It’s a feature normally reserved for expensive EVs, and it’s novel to have it at this level.

As for other standard equipment, both Comfort and Design specifications are broadly comparable, with 18-inch alloys, electric front seats, front and rear USB sockets, rear parking sensors, an ‘NFC’ smartphone key and a whole host of ADAS safety assistance tech. Design stands out, though, by adding front seat heating to the standard vegan leather, along with front parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, electric tailgate and wireless charging pad.

BYD Sealion 5 running costs

All BYD Sealion 5s use the same 1.5-litre petrol engine and punchy electric motor. It’s the size of the battery where they differ, and this has a notable impact on running costs. The smaller 12.96kWh battery in Comfort models has a 38.5-mile range, increasing the likelihood the petrol engine will start up. As petrol is more expensive than electricity, this will push up running costs.

The BYD Sealion 5 Design’s larger 18.3kWh battery has a healthier 53-mile range, which should be sufficient for far more people to enjoy pure electric motoring during their daily drives. Charge it up overnight on a cut-price electricity tariff and you’ll really save on motoring costs.

Both models, incidentally, have the same 52-litre petrol tank; you’ll just be filling up less often in the Design.

Low list prices help keep monthly PCP and leasing payments down. Offsetting this is a requirement for servicing every year or 10,000 miles. Many cars these days double the intervals between services, meaning this cost (and yearly inconvenience) is something worth factoring in. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding a BYD dealer, though. There are already 125 of them, and the firm has plans to expand even more across the UK. The aim is for most people to be within 30 minutes of a BYD dealer.

BYD Sealion 5 reliability

BYD is too new to be included in any of the major UK car reliability surveys. We expect the first results to emerge later in 2026, but it will still be a year or so before the BYD Sealion 5 appears on them.

There’s a decent amount of evidence to suggest BYD is likely to be a reliable brand, though. Take its new car warranty for starters. At six years, it’s one of the better warranties out there, sitting in between Hyundai’s five years and the seven-year warranty of Kia, for example. The battery warranty is even better, at 10 years and an impressive 155,000 miles. For those worried about long-term plug-in hybrid dependability, BYD’s move here should put minds at rest.

The car’s ‘Blade’ battery is designed with durability in mind, too. It uses the more robust LFP battery chemistry, and has been proven to withstand a whole range of tests, including being soaked in water, crushed, bent and heated to 300 deg C. BYD adds that it can consistently be charged to 100 percent without significant degradation, too.