Denza Z (2026 – ) review
A quick go in China’s 1,600hp sports car on track – what’s it like?
The Autotrader expert verdict:
BYD’s ambition is burning bright and, no longer content with just dominating the value end of the car market, now it is looking to push up into premium pastures new. To that end, it is launching entirely new brands, one of which is Denza. And among the range of model launches this Chinese upstart has planned is this, the Z sports car. It’s a tri-motor electric vehicle (EV) with a quite astonishing power output and ability to hit 62mph from rest in less than two seconds, although prices announced at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed are also equally astonishing. We were given a brief go on track in the Denza Z and here are our early thoughts on something which is, bravely (or maybe foolhardily), looking to take on the almighty Porsche 911.
Reasons to buy:
- Immensely powerful
- Steering is positive
- Suspension seems controlled
Green Rating
BYD’s answers to our sustainability survey were positive, though lacking the detail and determination we’ve seen in those from what you might consider ‘legacy’ rivals like BMW, Mercedes and the VW group. It’s making the right noises and, as a business, BYD is a leader in electrification. But with over 1,600 horsepower the Denza Z is more about performance than sustainability, and as it stands we don’t have much to go on concerning the carbon footprint of its manufacturing processes.
Running costs for a
“As an EV, there’s no way you could run anything else for less money than the Denza Z which could get close to matching its searing acceleration”
Reliability of a
“With Denza being such an unknown quantity at this stage, all we can do is go by parent firm BYD’s reliability record – which is pretty solid, according to owners”
Safety for a
“Eight of BYD’s cars have been tested by Euro NCAP and every single one of them has received the maximum five-star rating, so there’s a very strong chance Denza’s cars will too”
How comfortable is the
“Its fancy DiSus-M adaptive chassis technology does a grand job of soaking up lumpier tarmac, although we will remind you we solely drove the Z on a race track”
Features of the
“The Denza Z has a comprehensive specification that crams as much equipment as it can into a comparatively small passenger compartment”
Power for a
“The electric motors on the Denza Z serve up a colossal 1,605hp. That’s comfortably more than double the output of the current most-powerful Porsche 911, the Turbo S”
The three electric motors on the Denza Z serve up a colossal 1,605hp between them. That’s comfortably more than double the output of the current most-powerful Porsche 911, the Turbo S. It’s way more than the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore. In fact, you’d need something like the ultra-rare and £2 million Lotus Evija to outpunch the Denza Z. If specified as a Racing model on semi-slick tyres, the all-wheel-drive Z will run 0-62mph in 1.96 seconds – just outrageous. But no model is slow, not even the Spider cabrio (2.3 seconds to 62mph), and having experienced it on track, we understand just how fast it feels in reality. At above motorway speeds there’s a relentlessness about the Denza Z that speaks of its huge output.
As to the way it corners, it’s a promising showing – the steering is direct and well-weighted, the suspension seems to keep the body on a very even keel, the carbon brakes feel mighty strong, and generally the Z feels lighter and more agile than its kerb weight of more than 2.2 tonnes would have you suspect. However, there was one weird moment of behaviour from it through a very high-speed left-hander, where the torque vectoring seemed to be pushing the car wide towards the edge of the track when we didn’t want it to, so we’ll wait to have a longer go in the Denza Z before calling it an unqualified handling success.