BYD’s first seven-seat family SUV blends practicality and strong performance, with the promise of supreme efficiency from a plug-in hybrid powertrainModel Tested
BYD Sealion 8 Premium AWD
Review Location
Lang Lang Proving Ground, Victoria
The BYD Sealion 8 will arrive Down Under in early 2026 as the Chinese brand’s first three-row SUV for Australia, marking the local debut of BYD’s high-performance DM-p plug-in hybrid powertrain as well as fancy ‘intelligent’ suspension tuned for Aussie roads. The seven-seat family SUV packs a whopping 359kW plug-in hybrid powertrain in flagship form, bringing the promise of sports car acceleration, family-friendly practicality and around 100km of electric driving range – not to mention massage seats in the front and rear. Yep, this family bus ain’t cutting corners.
How much does the BYD Sealion 8 cost?
Pricing for the 2026 BYD Sealion 8 range hasn’t yet been locked down for Australia. That will happen soon. However, given the aggressiveness with which BYD has been pricing it products in Australia, we’d expect it to start from the low-to-mid $60K region.
It will battle an assortment affordable Chinese three-row seven-seat family SUVs, like the Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid ($59,990), with a trio of Sealion 8 variants being offered from launch: the Dynamic FWD, Dynamic AWD and the top-spec Premium AWD.
The Premium AWD is what we’re testing here and will be the most expensive model in the seven-seat family SUV’s range.
A 19kWh lithium-ion battery is standard on FWD (front-wheel-drive) variants, while AWD examples are fitted with a larger 35.6kWh battery, good for around 150km of electric-only driving (NEDC), according to BYD. No recharging times have been detailed but it should be reasonably competitive if the brand’s top-selling PHEV in Australia is any indication, the BYD Shark 6 ute.
The BYD Sealion 8 has plenty of digital real estate
All variants use the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine (110kW/220Nm) and a front-mounted 200kW e-motor for a total combined output of 205kW/315Nm.
Meanwhile, all-wheel drive variants add another 200kW/350Nm e-motor at the rear axle, for a combined total of 359kW/675Nm; enough to launch it from zero to 100km/h in a claimed 4.9 seconds. FWD variants have far less muscle and therefore cover the same distance in a lethargic 8.6 secs.
Will the BYD Sealion 8 outsell the popular Shark 6 ute? It depends on price…
The range-topping Premium AWD BYD Sealion 8 family SUVs come with all the fruit, starting with 21-inch wheels wrapped in Goodyear rubber, intelligent damping suspension (variable frequency for FWD models) along with MacPherson front and a multi-link rear set-up, a 360-degree parking camera and nine airbags.
Headline features include a large 15.6-inch central touchscreen, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 21-speaker premium audio system, front and rear massage seats and wireless phone charging.
It’s also set to come with a full suite of safety assist and driver aids.
The Sealion 8 is a “Proper seven-seat SUV with spacious third row”
What’s good about the BYD Sealion 8?
Ahead of our drive, BYD’s chief product officer Sajid Hasan described the 2026 BYD Sealion 8 as “…the best hybrid you can buy” today. Bold words indeed. Why such confidence? He reckons because its the first model in Australia to introduce the brand’s newer and more advanced plug-in hybrid system.
Dubbed DM-p, which stands for ‘dual-motor powerful’, it’s offered in AWD variants is skewed towards buyers that want a high-performance SUV. Entry-level front-wheel drive versions of the SL8 will use the “efficiency-focused” DM-i (dual-motor intelligence) system found in other models like the BYD Sealion 6.
Our flagship test vehicle, representative of a top-spec Premium AWD with the spicy 359kW (combined total power) DM-p system, was impressive, with punchy acceleration off the line.
Dual-motor Sealion 8 models are fast!Dual-motor Sealion 8 models are fast!Dual-motor Sealion 8 models are fast!
At the providing ground (Lang Lang) where we evaluated the new model, the hybrid system was smooth and quiet, building speed with ease when you put your foot down at higher speeds, suggesting overtaking freeway maneuvers will be a breeze.
BYD says the DM-p system will de-couple the rear e-motor to reduce drag and improve efficiency, during highway driving, designed to reduce fuel consumption.
With a full fuel load (battery and 60L fuel tank) it’s claimed to sip just 1.0L per 100km. But good luck achieving that outside of a testing laboratory.
Has BYD aced the design of the Sealion 8?
For such a big bus, it doesn’t feel overly large from the driver’s seat, although that feeling might subside once we get it on Aussie roads with lane markings and other traffic around, something sorely lacking at proving grounds.
BYD is yet to reveal the Sealion 8’s weight, however, based on overseas reports of the Tang L – which is what the SL8 is sold as in China – it could tip the scales at a whopping 2.7-tonnes. It measures 5040mm long and 1996mm wide, which is very much in the upper-large SUV size scale.
Either way, it hides it size and mass well. Although a brief blast on a tight and twisty slalom course outlined by traffic cones revealed the SL8 to be a heavy, cumbersome machine when forced to change directions in rapid succession.
We need more time behind the wheel to provide an authoritative verdict
It’s not ideal that we had such a short amount of time to drive such an important vehicle for the brand, but early impressions are generally positive.
Inside, the cabin feels luxe and very upmarket, with soft leather-appointed trim, a huge fixed glass roof (not yet confirmed for local variants) and a massive central touch-screen with a drop-down shortcut menu to make life a little easier. Perhaps BYD has been listening to customer feedback? Either way, we like that.
The Sealion 8 is a “Proper seven-seat SUV with spacious third row”
Cabin space is fantastic and the SL8 is a genuine seven-seater, with enough space in the third row for a 6ft human to be relatively comfortable, with an average-sized adult sitting in the second row ahead of them. Impressively, both had a decent amount of leg room.
With all three rows in use, boot space measures up at 270 litres, extending to 960L when used as a five-seater, which is pretty standard for this segment.
Outside, the first thing we noticed about the teal green prototype was its paint job. Never have we seen a more glittery and sparkly paint job on a factory-delivered model. Here’s hoping local models get the same hardcore metallic finish option.
Will premium paint cost extra for the 2026 BYD Sealion 8? Bank on it!
What’s not so good about the BYD Sealion 8?
During the morning’s media presentation, we were told software in the 2026 BYD Sealion 8’s ‘super hybrid’ system was designed so that the battery couldn’t drop below a 25% state of charge (SoC). This is to ensure it always reserves some energy, so it never has to rely solely on the little 1.5-litre petrol engine if it was to be drained completely.
Execs revealed there was a way you could ‘jailbreak’ the system, so to speak, allowing you to deplete the battery to a lower 15% SoC, although it wasn’t clear whether that feature will be available in production models.
Interestingly, the battery in our test mule was on 21% by the time we got to it after several other media had filtered through it during the day. A message on the instrument cluster suggested it was stuck in “Simple Mode running” which locked us out of several features, including any sort of drive mode selection or electric-only running.
It’s unclear whether we got to feel its full potential in terms of power output but honestly, we can’t imagine it feeling much quicker – it was impressive.
In potentially bad news for tech lovers, the Sealion 8 won’t come with BYD’s fancy rotating touchscreen, as the company begins phasing out the quirky tech due to customer feedback it was rarely used.
Execs told carsales neither the inbound Sealion 5 or Sealion 8 would come fitted with the rotating screen, however, other press materials suggest the top-spec Premium AWD will get it – so we’ll have to wait and see.
Speaking of which, a digital screen for second row passengers to adjust their climate control and heated/ventilated outboard seats is a nice touch, although it’s in a great position to be kicked and damaged by chaotic children. But maybe that’s just the pessimist in me talking.
Should I buy a BYD Sealion 8?
Clearly there’s a lot we still don’t know about the 2026 BYD Sealion 8 but our initial taste of the prototype SUV is a sign it’s off to a good start as it prepares to enter the large SUV segment in Australia for the first time.
As a genuine seven-seater, it offers impressive cabin space and even more impressive performance credentials, at least in top-spec form. Equipment levels and safety are expected to be top-tier, too.
BYD’s local boss Stephen Collins has already predicted its success as one of the top sellers for the company in Australia, alongside the popular Shark 6 pick-up and Sealion 7 electric SUV, but we’ll reserve full judgement until we get behind the wheel of a production version on public Aussie roads.
Until then, we’ll give it a tentative thumbs up.
2026 BYD Sealion 8 Premium AWD at a glance:
Price: TBC
Available: Q1 2026
Powertrain: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol-electric
Output: 110kW/220Nm (front electric motor: 200kW/315Nm) (rear electric motor: 200kW/350Nm)
Combined output: 359kW/675Nm
Transmission: TBC
Battery: 35.6kWh LFP
Range: 152km (NEDC electric-only)
Energy consumption: TBC
Fuel: 1.0L/100km (NEDC)
CO2: TBC
Safety rating: Not tested
