BYD Sealion 5 review

Less than you’d probably expect. The Sealion 5 starts from £29,995 or it's £32,995 for the bigger battery.

On lease you’re looking at £250 a month for the smaller batteried version; £295 for the bigger one. That’s on a four-year contract with a five grand deposit through BYD’s own finance scheme.

Only the Chery Tiggo 7, Geely Starray EM-i and MG HS can be considered direct rivals. So you'll be straying from the mainstream here. Not a criticism, merely an observation...

What's the difference between trims?

Comfort gets 18in alloys, LED head and tail-lights, a vegan leather interior, 8.8in instrument panel, 12.8in touchscreen, smartphone pairing, front and rear USBs, rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise, keyless entry and start, and the full suite of usual active safety systems. Feels generous.

Design gets an extra 15-ish miles of e-range, and throws in welcome lights, an electric tailgate, front heated seats (but no heated steering wheel curiously) and smartphone wireless charging, plus a 360-degree camera. But even for the extra three grand it asks over Comfort it’s still cheaper than most rivals.

So that's the best spec?

Yup. Heated seats and wireless smartphone charging aren't essential, but what is life without a few nice-to-haves?

Oh and FYI, the Sealion 5 gets BYD's usual generous six year/93,750-mile warranty, and eight years or 155,000 miles for the battery.