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As Paul Simon sang: “Cars are cars, all over the world.”
Despite the fact that Australia is considered by auto manufacturers to be a good testbed for the rest of the world, every market responds differently to each segment of vehicles.
FACTS data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) in 2025 showed buyers flocked to plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) – sales rose by almost 13 per cent annually on an average.
Of course there are many reasons for this, but chief of these seem like Aussies – often from their roofs to use electricity – want the freedom and flexibility that can be provided by driving into the outback on petrol power.
It’s like a feedback loop, so there is more PHEVs in the market; this means that it has increased sales and, by itself (in turn) leads to an increase in PEP models.
All of which brings us to the BYD Sealion 8 – a large seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV, launched alongside the smaller and cheaper five-seat Sealion 5 plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV.
We’re driving the 2026 BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic FWD, which is the entry-level variant in the lineup.
The Sealion 8 isn’t the cheapest seven-seater PHEV on the market, but it’s certainly one of them, priced at around $57,000 before going to prices on road. But BYD’s biggest SUV to date sell in Australia is it, .
childcareman.xyz was given a brief test of Sealion 8 in late 2025, but we’ve had some more seat time with the new model on Victorian roads at its official launch.
So, out of the box, this looks good. A good car design job for BYD is a good one, and it’s just getting better. The front doors are cool with the diagonal styling – heard on the rear corners of s – and we especially like the tail-light bar in the back. It’s fresh and modern, but doesn’t go over-the-top.
But we’re particularly interested to know whether the BYD Sealion 8 is a viable alternative to the likes of the Mazda CX-80 PHEV, Kia Sorento PHEV, and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Here’s what we discovered.
How much does the BYD Sealion 8 cost?
It costs $56,990 for the 2026 BYD Sealion 8 before on-road prices, giving you base Dynamic trim with front wheel drive.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
| — | — |
| 2026 BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic FWD | $56,990 |
| 2026 BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic AWD | $63,990 |
| 2026 BYD Sealion 8 Premium AWD | $70,990 |
The Sealion 8 Dynamic all-wheel drive is on the way up to $63,990 before it’s going for you, while range-topping Sea Lion 8 Premium AWD costs $70,990 plus ORCs.
While the Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid also offers seven seats and a plug-in hybrid powertrain, it’s quite a bit smaller than the Sealion 8 – making the Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid a more direct rival, which is priced from $59,990 before on-road costs.
In contrast, the lowest plug-in hybrid Mazda CX-80 is $75,000 plus on-roads (with $70,880 for entry into the plug in Kia Sorento range and $57,290 plus ORCs) starting at$57,000 – although that will likely change soon.
To see how the BYD Sealion 8 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
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What is the BYD Sealion 8 like on the inside?
The first impression of the Sealion 8 is that it’s a bit like tatardis, in which when approaching from outside it doesn’t seem all that big but step inside and suddenly its dimensions are important.
That translates to a comfortable amount of room throughout the cabin.
The inside is a generation newer than the Sealion 5, as with the outside, and has some funky, modern styling (although nothing that sounds offensive or loud).
The Sealion 8, as seems to be the craze nowadays, is in line with Tesla-era interior design (with a minimalistic philosophy), slightly more interesting by the dual screens, stitched dash and integrated speakers.
The Dynamic is awarded 15 a.m. speaking of, Speaking of the. Infotainment screen in the centre with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which connects directly to a 10-speaker sound system (and 10) is 6-inch infotanment monitor connected to an audio-video video that has been installed at the center. a 25-inch digital instrument cluster in front of the driver, . It is a crisp-spread, relatively easy to navigate and provides good information for the driver.
Unfortunately, I did not get the reception on DAB+ digital radio to be enough for . I have previously listened to DAB+ radio in the Sealion 5, so I know there is a lot of reception on the same roads, but the sealion 8 didn’t play any radio (except some crackles of life near the top of s hill)?
Despite the fact that the radio isn’t working, there’s plenty to keep you entertained. It’s a panorama sunroof with power sunlight, three zones of climate control and the ability to choose between nap, camping and car wash modes.
The cabin is upholstered in leatherette, and there are heated and ventilated front seats, which are also six-way power-adjustable.
The seat is pretty well-positioned, but there was a hard bump under the seat cushion – as if there were’support bar across the middle of the room’. It’s worth saying that there’re a good chance I weigh more than you do, and probably is much larger than the Chinese population (combined), so most people would not notice the bump. And if this is the first brand-new car I was driving, it made me wonder what would be after a few years now when the seat cushion has been compressed?
The new gear selectors trend, which replaces the right-hand wiper stalk, has also been adopted by BYD. Sure, it makes the cabin look slick in photos but when I left my car into neutral accidentally. Boys If you don’t put form above function for something so basic, maybe stop doing it?
But the good news is that BYD has bucked out of the industry trend and offered an attractive array of buttons, knobs and thumb wheels as well as a shortcut menu along the bottom of infotainment screen (it’s relatively easy to access the most commonly used functions).
It’s a little bit annoying and takes some learning to do everything else, but at least it looks cool when the left-hand indicator stalk does pretty much what is going on.
It also has a wireless smartphone charger, with an okay storage space available, two USB-C outlets on the front and both of them in the second row (US-A and USB–C ports) as well as USB.
The Sealion 8, with plenty of room for back-seat passengers, will have no problem if anyone needs to move adults or large teenagers.
A second row of seats moves out of the way to help load and unload those in the third row, while a very back space isn’t quite as large. This is a high-end Knee room, where the guests sit closer together because of the wheel-arches and it’s better for children to be with adults than they are when it comes to knee rooms.
Despite all three rows of seats in the Sealion 8 that BYD claims to have as many as 270 litres of luggage space, jumping to 960L behind the front two rows (along with each row) of seat.
| Dimensions | BYD Sealion 8 |
| — | — |
| Length | 5040mm |
| Width | 1996mm |
| Height | 1760mm |
| Wheelbase | 2950mm |
| Cargo capacity | 270L – 7 seats 960L – 5 seats 1960L – 2 seats |
To see how the BYD Sealion 8 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
What’s under the bonnet?
One of these is a 1-YD Sealion 8 powering the BYF Sea Lion 8. 4- litre turbo-charged four-cylinder petrol engine with 110kW of power and 220Nm of torque, which was driven by a 200kW/315NM electric motor – for combined outputs of 215kW and 315 Nm.
| Specifications | Sealion 8 FWD | Sealion 8 AWD |
| — | — | — |
| Engine | 1.5L 4cyl turbo-petrol PHEV | 1.5L 4cyl turbo-petrol PHEV |
| Engine outputs | 110kW + 220Nm | 110kW + 220Nm |
| Electric motor outputs | 200kW + 315Nm | 200kW + 315Nm (front) 200kW + 350Nm (rear) |
| System outputs | 215kW + 315Nm | 359kW + 675Nm |
| Battery | 19kWh LFP | 35.6kWh LFP |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 2315kg | 2580kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 8.6 seconds | 4.9 seconds |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 1.1L/100km (battery over 25%) 5.3L/100km (battery under 25%) | 1.0L/100km (battery over 25%) 6.3L/100km (battery under 25%) |
| Electric driving range (NEDC) | 103km | 152km |
| Fuel tank capacity | 60L | 60L |
| Fuel requirement | TBC | TBC |
| CO2 emissions | TBC | TBC |
| Emissions standard | Euro 5 | Euro 5 |
| Braked tow capacity | 750kg | 750kg |
Similarly, BYD says the turbo-petrol engine has 45 thermal efficiency. Paraphrasing 3 per cent – A very impressive figure for a road car. This contrasts with Formula 1 engines from a decade ago for context, and that matches up with formula 1 engine.
The electric motor is fed by a 19kWh battery, which provides an estimated electric driving range of up to 103km (based on the morelenient NEDC testing procedure).
The Sealion 8 FWD has a claimed combined driving range of 1118km (although the battery is smaller) and because it performs less than AWD variant.
In some cases BYD’s Blade battery is said to be safer than standard batteries in EVs and PHEV, but also provides vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability – meaning that typical household appliances can be connected to the car.
According to BYD, the fuel economy is just 1. The battery charges over 25 per cent and 1L/100km if the battery is charged, it says ‘It will be an example of how to do this. if it’s less than 25 per cent, that goes up to 5 for the . 3L/100km. I’m sorry we didn’t have time with the Sealion 8 to confirm the claims on this occasion.
To see how the BYD Sealion 8 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
How does the BYD Sealion 8 drive?
While the car doesn’t look big from the outside, on the road it’s a different story.
The BYD Sealion 8 certainly feels like it’s taking advantage of your lane, especially when driving out on tighter winding country roads.
BYD has done a great job tuning the steering, throttle and brakes (the car is comfortable for the driver as soon as they jump in – except the shifter stalk).
It is a relatively quiet cabin inside – making the experience feel more like if it was in ‘a premium SUV’ – there was 1 rattle from somewhere else when hitting some of the rougher roads.
The ADAS technology isn’t the worst I’ve ever used, telling me when it was too much to look at the infotainment screen and sometimes pulling on the wheel to get back into the car in its lane.
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The overall feel of the BYD is similar to that of many electric and plug-in hybrid SUVs on the market, with an obvious heft from the battery under the floor which engineers have tried to hide with light steering inputs.
But even though the scales are tipping at over 2300kg, it’s a good ride for the Sealion 8 that is really well-travelled. It hits well-hit bumps, and takes corners relatively flat. It’s just a bit of push and some understeer creeping in, but overall it’t really be that balanced to pull through – even though there is no fanfare.
It doesn’t feel like the driver is given the full 205kW and 315Nm from the get-go, with the Sealion 8 apparently unlocking full performance only when in sports mode (as well as sharper throttle response).
During the revs, Squeeze the throttle will ignite into life and flare high as the car accelerates speed with its engine running up speed. When does it feel like a rocketship, but at no point is it enough to do an overtake with less time spent in oncoming lanes.
Our man James Wong said he was surprised when we briefly drove the Sealion 8 Premium AWD a few months ago that it was “very fast” to drive the SUV. That’s a big difference between the two powertrains, as it had 75 per cent more power and 114 percent more torque than one on test here.
This becomes obvious when you look at the 0-100km/h times that were claimed, and it is completed in 8 by the Sealion (8 FWD) of course. It is pushing dangerously close to ‘slow’ territory – 6 seconds – which is . AWD version? Just 4 Within coo-ee of being supercar-fast, 9 seconds is about how fast are you going to be as .
JWo had a lot of power, and I was with the entry level Sealion 8 for that reason. It makes sense to think BYD should develop ‘powertrains somewhere in between me’ (I feel like doing something just slightly more than my performance) If you will – A Goldilocks Sealion 8 is the title of my next children’s book. I think my concept is a that nobody steals.
To see how the BYD Sealion 8 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
What do you get?
The BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic FWD is the ‘entry-level’ variant of the lineup, and has a healthy list of standard features.
2026 BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic FWD equipment highlights:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Hankook 255/50 R20 tyres
- Tyre repair kit
- Adaptive LED headlights
- Cornering lights
- Panoramic sunroof with power sunshade
- Power tailgate
- Rain-sensing wipers with built-in washer jets
- Rear privacy glass
- Keyless entry and start with key fob, NFC card, BYD digital key
- Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow drive modes
- Electronic parking brake with auto hold
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- 2GB of included data per month for the first two years
- Over-the-air software updates
- Nap, camping and car wash modes
- 50W wireless phone charger
- 3-zone climate control with 2nd and 3rd row air vents
- 10-speaker sound system
- Leatherette upholstery
- 6-way power-adjustable front seats
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
- 4-way steering column adjustment
- 2 x USB-C outlets (front)
- 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A outlet (second row)
Sealion 8 Dynamic AWD equipment highlights:
- 21-inch alloy wheels
- Goodyear 265/45 R21 tyres
- DiSus-C intelligent damping suspension
- Perforated brake discs and fixed calipers front and rear
- Mud and Sand drive modes
Sealion 8 Premium AWD adds:
- 26-inch head-up display
- Leather upholstery
- 8-way power driver’s seat
- Massaging front seats with 4-way power lumbar, power-adjustable leg rests
- Massaging, heating and ventilation for outboard second-row seats
- Heated steering wheel
- 21-speaker DiSound sound system
- Multi-colour ambient lighting
- Footwell lighting
- Memory for mirrors
To see how the BYD Sealion 8 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
Is the BYD Sealion 8 safe?
A. BYD Sealion 8 has not been tested by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) nor Euro NCAP at the time of publication, but was testified by both the australasiasian and Euro National Anti-Ancient Publication Association (NCP).
Standard safety equipment highlights:
- 9 airbags, incl:
- Front
- Side
- Curtain
- Far side
- Adaptive cruise control
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Child presence detection
- Driver distraction and fatigue detection
- Emergency lane-keep assist
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Front cross-traffic assist
- Intelligent speed limit assist
- Lane-keep assist
- Rear cross-traffic assist
- Surround-view camera
- Traffic sign recognition
- Tyre pressure monitoring
An emergency call function will come in March 2026 via an over-the-air software update.
To see how the BYD Sealion 8 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
How much does the BYD Sealion 8 cost to run?
BYD’s six-year, 150,000km new-vehicle warranty covers the Sealion 8 – with the car’d battery being an additional two years and 10,000km of aftersales coverage.
| Servicing and Warranty | BYD Sealion 8 |
| — | — |
| Vehicle warranty | 6 years or 150,000km – vehicle |
| High-voltage battery warranty | 8 years or 160,000km – battery |
| Roadside assistance | 12 months, then service-activated |
| Service intervals | TBC |
| Capped-price servicing | TBC |
| Total capped-price service cost | TBC |
BYD hasn’t released details of the Sealion 8’s service schedule at this time.
To see how the BYD Sealion 8 stacks up against its rivals, use our
comparison tool
childcareman.xyz’s Take on the BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic FWD
The 2026 BYD Sealion 8 has the potential to shake up the niche seven-seat, plug-in hybrid SUV segment.
We have lots of a lot in common with good on-road manners, ‘good interior and enough tech to keep it relevant for years to come. And, sadly it isn’t given nowadays because of the fact that it looks good.
It does not contain that last two per cent which would match it with rivals from Japan and South Korea, but the value is far outpaced by any small complaints and makes it a serious contender in this space.
Most families looking for a plug-in hybrid that can carry up to seven people – or as many as five family members and their luggage will be more than enough to get the job done with this entry level Sealion 8 Dynamic FWD. The long list of standard features also means that they won’t feel like if they’ve ‘cheaped out the game’.
The BYD Sealion 8 could not only introduce the concept of a plug-in hybrid car to Australian families, but also be their first Chinese car. Much of the things people love about the Tesla Model Y, it has many features that are also useful with an added benefit to a petrol engine – and for incredibly high price.
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