BYD UK | New BYD Cars, Prices & Reviews

wowscore

7/10

The average score of all new BYD models on sale.

RRP

18,650 - 59,000

Avg. Carwow saving

£2,424

About BYD

BYD is a huge Chinese car maker, which is currently going head-to-head with Tesla as the biggest maker of electric cars in the world. The company — whose name stands for Build Your Dreams (yes, really) — started as a battery manufacturer in 1995, and only built its first car in 2003.

Now, BYD is one of the fastest growing car makers in the world, and in the UK it sells all-electric models such as the Dolphin Surf (a cutesy alternative to the Hyundai Inster), the Dolphin hatchback (a rival to the VW ID.3 and Cupra Born), the Seal saloon (a Tesla Model 3 alternative), the Atto 3 SUV (which takes on the Skoda Enyaq), the Atto 2 (think MG4 alternative) as well as the Sealion 7 electric crossover and the Seal U plug-in hybrid SUV.

The future for BYD could be one of global dominance — it’s already one of the biggest makers of electric and hybrid cars in the world, it makes its own batteries, it has a premium brand called Denza, and a luxury brand called Yangwang (yes, really). Last but not least there's also a rugged SUV brand called Fengchangbao. BYD is building factories in Mexico, Turkey, and Hungary.

We like BYD’s combo of value for money and high-tech lithium-iron phosphate batteries which can be charged over and over again without losing storage capacity, and the Seal saloon is a good thing to drive. We could do without gimmicks such as the rotating touchscreen (just why?) and the odd aquatic badging policy, but there’s no doubt that BYD, and its cars, have to be taken very seriously indeed.

What our car expert says

“There’s a lot to like about the Seal, but it’s a shame so many functions go through the touchscreen that’s too hard to use while driving.”

Mat Watson

Chief Content Officer

Expert Car Reviewer

BYD at a glance

BYD has 100 dealers around the UK
You can buy a new BYD on 0% finance
BYD cars get a six-year, 93,000-mile warranty
There’s a further eight-year, 125,000-mile warranty for EV batteries
There are currently seven models in the BYD lineup, and six of those are fully-electric cars

BYD FAQs

Who makes BYD cars?

BYD Company is a Chinese firm that builds a variety of products, including batteries, energy storage devices and vehicles ranging from everyday cars to buses, forklifts and monorail trains.

Based in Shenzhen, China, its automotive division is called BYD Auto. It specialises in plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles in its home country, but is focusing on electric-only for the UK car market. It already sells electric buses in the UK.

What does BYD stand for?

BYD really does stand for Build Your Dreams, although it actually started out as Yadi Electronics, named after the road in Shenzhen where the company’s headquarters was at the time. Founder Wang Chungfu changed the name to B-Yadi Electronics, as a way of preventing other companies from using the same name, and that eventually became BYD.

Where are BYD cars made?

BYD has a number of factories in China, but it’s also building cars in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Thailand, the US, and Uzbekistan, with new factories opening in Hungary and Turkey.

Are BYD cars good?

Yes, they are. BYD’s electric cars all have decent EV range on one charge, and they’re well-built and feel like high-quality products. We could live without the fiddly touchscreens, though.

Are BYD cars reliable?

BYD hasn’t been selling cars in the UK long enough to get a good idea of their reliability. It’s good to know that all three models received the full five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP.

See all BYD news stories