BYD Seal 6 Estate
New from £34,885 / £215 p/m
Is the BYD Seal 6 Estate a good car?
Read our expert review
Words by: Dan Trent
"The speed with which BYDs have become a fixture of British roads is astonishing, even by the standards of Chinese brands. And behind the novelty badges lurk serious players, the Seal 6 DM-i sharing a name with BYD’s breakthrough Model 3 rival. But little else, given it’s hybrid rather than full electric and based on the Seal U DM-i SUV. Confused? Us too. And don’t even ask us how the hybrid system achieves over 800 miles between fill-ups or charging sessions. Sure, there are frustrations with the nagging safety systems and infotainment, and it’s hardly exciting to drive. But, as tested in Touring estate trim, the Seal 6 DM-i is practical, comfortable, efficient and a refreshing break from the SUV norm. Read about the saloon version of the Seal 6 DM-i here!"
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Running costs for a BYD Seal 6
Pricing up a new car is more complicated than comparing bottom-line ‘list’ numbers these days, especially if you’re running it as a company driver. With that in mind let’s try and break down why the Seal 6 DM-i looks like such a cracking deal! First up, all models will be below the £40,000 cut-off for the ‘expensive car supplement’ on your VED (or ‘road tax’) many rivals sit the wrong side of. That’s an immediate and significant monthly saving over equivalent plug-in hybrids like the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, Peugeot 308 SW or VW Passat estate whether you’re buying, financing or leasing. If you’re running it as a company car the extra range of the Comfort models slashes your Benefit In Kind tax bill as well, which should more than cancel out any extra cost. No brainer, given the extra kit. The fact the Seal 6 DM-i can potentially go over 800 miles on a full tank of fuel and charged battery means fill-ups and charging stops will be few and far between, too.
Reliability of a BYD Seal 6
BYD might be a new kid on the block here but the Seal U SUV powered by the same hybrid technology is well-proven in other markets. A six-year warranty is, meanwhile, welcome reassurance for buyers likely taking their first punt with BYD, and will also outlast most first ownerships, finance terms or leases.
Safety for a BYD Seal 6
Once again, we’re conflicted by the range of safety technology … and concerns about whether it’s help or hindrance. On the plus side there are sensors and gizmos to stop you crashing into things, drifting out of lane, falling asleep or spending too much time looking at the screen. Which is worthy. But constant bongs and alerts are useless if you don’t know what they’re warning you about, and the ongoing cacophony is infuriating. You can at least turn the worst of them off via an easy swipe-down shortcut menu. But there are still some concerns, like the fact manual control of the headlights is buried in a touch-screen menu, and taking your eyes off the road to operate them scores you yet another scolding from the alarms. And don’t you DARE yawn…
How comfortable is the BYD Seal 6
Estates aren’t as trendy as SUVs but hold the road better and are less top-heavy in the corners, though the Seal 6 is still somewhat wallowy and soft in its responses. Better to just sit back and chill, and once out of town the ride and refinement are actually pretty decent, helped by the fact it defaults to smooth and silent electric power most of the time. Practically speaking top-spec Comfort models like the ones we drove get power adjustment, heating and ventilation for the driver and passenger seats, though if there was lumbar adjustment we couldn’t find it, which might be an issue on long journeys given how far the Seal can go between fills. Legroom in the back is generous, the flat floor meaning Piggy-in-the-middle gets somewhere to put their feet as well. Headroom in the back of this Touring version is better than that in the saloon, too, this and the much improved access to the boot reason enough to make it the pick of the bunch.
Features of the BYD Seal 6
With design about as snazzy as an early-2000s Kia and the pervading waft of cheap plastics the Seal 6’s cabin isn’t exactly packed with surprise and delight to the point the Skoda Octavia you might also be considering will feel like a Rolls-Royce in comparison. You don’t even get the signature rotating screen seen on other BYDs. Kit is still decent, though, even the entry-level Boost getting all the safety gizmos (including the genuinely useful stuff like blind spot alerts), power tailgate and ‘vehicle to load’ where you can plug a domestic socket into the charge port and run a hoover, hedge clippers, air frier or whatever you fancy. For the bigger battery, extra electric range and additional goodies like a pano roof, wireless device charging, ambient lighting and more the Comfort versions look like a no-brainer, the top model getting an even bigger central screen. Which makes the tiny fonts and fiddly menus even more frustrating, the squint required to use them likely scoring you another round of angry bonging from the face-scanning driver distraction warning system. On the plus side you can at least connect your phone and run your apps via CarPlay or Android Auto for a more familiar and user-friendly interface.
Power for a BYD Seal 6
The hybrid system powering the Seal 6 DM-i is technically complicated but, thankfully, very easy to use and live with. Simply select ‘D’ from the steering column gear selector and go, the Seal basically driving like an electric car that just happens to have an onboard petrol generator for charging the battery. Meaning it can go a claimed 800 miles or so before you need to fill it up or plug it in, 60 of which it can do on electric power alone on the Comfort versions. Acceleration is smooth and quiet, unless you really stamp on the throttle and wake the petrol engine up. The disconnect between the noise it makes and forward progress is odd but, for the most part, it’s quiet enough for you not to notice. No version is exactly fast but the performance is plenty for a family car and delivered smoothly, quietly and with the minimum of fuss. Most of the time, at least.
Lease deals
These deals are based on terms of 8,000 miles, for a 36 month lease with a 6 months initial payment.
£332.96
Monthly payment
£1,997.75
Initial payment
- 5 seats
- 5 doors
- Estate
- Hybrid
- Automatic
- 1.5 litres
£394.11
Monthly payment
£2,364.68
Initial payment
- 5 seats
- 5 doors
- Estate
- Hybrid
- Automatic
- 1.5 litres
Standard equipment
Expect the following equipment on your BYD Seal 6 Estate. This may vary between trim levels.
- 12.8in Touchscreen
- 12V Power Output
- 6 Speakers
- 8.8in TFT Full LCD Instrument Panel
- Apple Carplay - Android Auto
- Cloud Service - BYD App
- DAB Plus and FM
- Emergency Call
- Front USB Port - 1 x 18W Type C - 1 x 60W Type C
- Onboard 4G Connectivity
- Rear USB Port - 2x 18W Type C
- Smartphone Bluetooth Key & Smartphone NFC Key
- 17in Alloy Wheels - Monochrome
- 4x One-click Lift Window with Anti-pinch Function
- Aluminium Roof Rail
- Exterior Mirrors - Electrically Adjustable - Electrically Folding - Heated
- Rear Fog Lights
- Rear Windscreen - Electric Heating for Defogging and Defrosting
- Rear Windscreen Wipers
- 2x Smart Key
- Anti-lock Brake System - ABS
- Anti-theft System
- Auto Hold
- Automatic Emergency Braking - AEB
- Brake Override System - BOS
- Child Presence Detection - CPD
- Comfort Stop - CST
- Controller Deceleration Parking - CDP
- Double Pre-Tensioned Front Seat Belts - Height Adjustable
- Drivers Airbag
- Electric Parking Brake - EPB
- Electronic Brake Distribution - EBD
- Emergency Lane Keeping Assist - ELKA
- Front Centre Airbag
- Front Passengers Airbag - Deactivation Switch
- Front Side Airbags
- Hill Hold Control - HHC
- Hydraulic Brake Assistant - HBA
- ISOFIX and i-Size - Front Passenger and Outer Rear Seats
- Intelligent Power Braking System
- Keyless Entry and Keyless Start
- Lane Departure Assistant - LDA
- Mechanical Child Safety Lock
- Outer Rear Seat Belts - Pre-Tensioned
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert - RCTA and Rear Cross Traffic Brake - RCTB
- Rear Middle Seat Emergency Locking Seat Belt
- Seat Belt Reminder
- Side Curtain Airbags
- Speed Sensing Auto-Lock System
- Traction Control System - TCS
- Trailer Stability Management System (TSM)
- Vehicle Dynamics Control - VDC
- 3.3kW On-Board Charger (OBC)
- Intelligent Speed Limit Control - ISLC
- Vehicle To Load Function - V2L
- Adaptive Cruise Control - ACC and Intelligent Cruise Control - ICC
- Blind Spot Detection - BSD
- Direct Driver Fatigue Management - DFM
- Door Opening Warning - DOW
- Driving Modes - Eco - Normal - Sport - Snow
- Forward Collision Warning - FCW
- Intelligent Speed Limit Information (ISLI)
- Intelligent Voice Control - HI-BYD
- Parking Radars - Rear
- Rear Collision Warning - RCW
- Traffic Sign Recognition - TSR
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System - TPMS
- Vehicle Backup Camera
- Automatic Headlights
- Follow Me Home
- High Beam Assist - HMA
- Intelligent High Beam Control - IHBC
- LED Daytime Running Lights
- LED Headlights - Automatic On - Off
- LED Taillights
- Boot Light
- Boot Parcel Shelf
- Console Light
- Driver Seat - Electrically Adjustable - 6 Ways
- Electric Tailgate
- Front Centre Armrest - 2 Cupholders
- Front Passenger Seat - Electrically Adjustable - 4 Ways
- Front Seat Footlights
- Front Seat Sun Visors with Illuminated Mirror
- Front Seats - Manually Adjustable Headrest
- Front Windscreen - Rain-Sensing Wipers
- Glove Compartment Light
- LED Front Door Lights
- LED Front Reading Lights
- Manual-Dimming Rear View Mirror
- PM2.5 Filter
- Rear Air Vents
- Rear Armrest - 2 Cupholders
- Rear LED Reading Lights
- Rear Seats - Manually Adjustable Headrest
- Roofliner - Fabric
- Split Folding Rear Seats - 40-60
- Vegan Leather Multi-function Steering Wheel
Other vehicles in the Seal 6 family
Seal 6 Saloon
Combined petrol/electric range
Generous kit levels
Comfy and refined
Related articles and reviews
BYD Seal 6 Saloon (2025 - ) review
The saloon version of BYD’s Seal 6 DM-i has the same impressive hybrid tech as its estate equivalent but loses out in practicality
BYD Seal 6 DM-i Touring (2025 – ) review
A hybrid that drives like an EV, BYD’s latest Seal variant is affordable, comfortable and seemingly very efficient
Your questions answered
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