Electric BYD Seal heading for the UK to challenge the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6

BYD (Build Your Dreams) is launching the BYD Seal in the UK, a Tesla Model 3 rival with up to 354-mile range and up to 523bhp.

BYD (Build Your Dreams) is not exactly a household name in the UK and, until very recently, was probably best known for plagiarising car designs.

But the reality is that BYD is a major player in the automotive world, flogging getting on for two million cars in 2022, half of which were BEVs and the other half PHEVs.

So the arrival of a new electric BYD model in the UK is important as BYD further spreads its EV wings beyond China to take on the might of Tesla.

The newest BYD model – the BYD Seal – will launch in the UK later in the year to challenge cars like the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 with a car which looks somewhat generic but promises to be more than capable.

The BYD Seal is underpinned by its own architecture with ‘Blade’ battery cells integrated in to the structure to aid rigidity.

It will come in two versions, the first a 308bhp single motor version with range of 354 miles from an 82kWh battery and good for 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds, and the second a 523bhp twin motor version good for 323 miles from its 80kWh battery and 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds. Both models charge at up to 150kW.