BYD Seal 6 Saloon

1.5 DM-i Boost 4dr e-CVT [2025]

The BYD Seal 6 DM-i is the most recent addition to the Chinese firm’s aquatically-named and ever-expanding Seal family.

First came the fully-electric Seal, a sumptuous saloon EV that competes with the Tesla Model 3 and the BMW i4.

Then came the Seal U DM-i, a plug-in hybrid SUV that took the styling of the executive Seal - including its ‘X’-shaped front face - but added more in the way of practicality.

And now it’s the turn of the Seal 6 DM-i - which takes the best bits from the Seal EV and the Seal U SUV and mashes them together in an appealing package.

Two distinct body shapes are up for grabs - the Seal 6 Saloon or the Seal 6 Touring estate. Prices begin at £33,990 for the Seal 6 Saloon or £34,990 for the Seal 6 Touring.

At the press conference we attended at BYD’s HQ in Uxbridge, Bono Ge, Country Manager for BYD UK and Ireland, explained how it’s the Touring variant they reckon is going to be the key model (not the Saloon) and you can understand the thinking here.

Estates are something of a dying breed, so there’s a natural niche in the market. If you want to lease plug-in hybrid versions of the VW Passat Estate, Skoda Superb Estate, BMW 3 Series Touring or the Audi A5 Avant e-Hybrid, you might to have to fork out a heck of a lot more.

So, the BYD Seal 6 DM-i is taking on the German big guns while trying to keep costs down. We tested both the Saloon and Touring versions to see if it succeeds.

That ‘DM-i’, by the way, stands for intelligent ‘Dual Mode’ - as the PHEV system combines the refinement and responsiveness of EV driving with the flexibility of a petrol-electric powertrain.