BYD Seal 6 Touring vs used Volvo V60: which of our plug-in hybrid estate cars is best?

We’ve currently got a BYD Seal 6 Touring and a Volvo V60 on the Carwow long-term fleet. Both are spacious plug-in hybrids, but which should you buy? Let’s compare them to find out.

Estate cars may not be as popular as SUVs, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. We’ve got two practical wagons on our long term test fleet at the moment: James Drujon’s BYD Seal 6 Touring and Darren Cassey’s Volvo V60.

From new, there is a £20,000 price difference between these two cars. However, you can get a used Volvo V60 from 2025 for the same price as the budget-friendly BYD. So should you buy a new BYD Seal 6 Touring, or shop around on the second-hand market for something with a more premium badge? Let’s compare them to find out.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

New BYD Seal 6 Touring vs used Volvo V60: price and standard equipment

Let’s start by talking about money. Our BYD Seal 6 Touring is the most basic version available. It’s an entry-level Boost model in no-cost white paint, and it will set you back £35,000.

That is unless you shop around through Carwow, because at the time of writing you can save around £4,000 on this car, bringing the price down to £31,000.

Despite this being the base model, there’s plenty of kit on board. Our car has a 12.8-inch touchscreen with wireless phone mirroring, a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights and a power tailgate.

The Volvo V60 starts from £53,000, but our top-spec Ultra T8 model costs £59,000. Obviously that makes it way more expensive than the BYD, but if you take a look at second hand examples then you can grab a bargain.

This is a 2025 V60 in Plus trim with the T6 plug-in hybrid system. It’s the one we’d go for (we’ll explain why later on) and it’s up for £31,993.

For that you get heated seats, a heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, a 9.0-inch infotainment screen with Google built-in, blind spot monitoring and 19-inch alloy wheels. It’s a lot of car for the money.

But what are these two cars like to live with? Well we’ve been finding out over the last few months.

BYD Seal 6 Touring vs used Volvo V60: interior and technology

Starting inside, the place you’ll spend the most time, the BYD Seal 6 Touring feels much posher than its price tag suggests. Everything you interact with on a regular basis feels nice and plush, and the light trim in this car brightens things up nicely.

It may only have the basic 12.8-inch screen (higher-spec models get a 15.6-inch display), but it’s really easy to use with logical menus and zippy graphics. James also likes the drop-down menu which gives you easy access to the driver assistance features, making it easy to turn off any annoying beeps and bongs.

That said, the seating position isn’t great. James notes: “The seats are quite low to the floor and it’s annoying because you can’t raise them much – there isn’t much under thigh support.”

We have no such complaints in the Volvo, because it has super-comfy seats and a great driving position. The dashboard layout does look a bit dated compared to the BYD, with the screen looking a bit small by modern standards, but Darren doesn’t see this as a problem in day to day life.

He said: “I’ve actually grown to love the simplicity of the setup. It’s big enough to display everything you need – I’ve found that the digital driver display is clear enough to use for your maps, then I can leave Spotify open on the main screen. The built-in Google operating system is seamless, too.”

The Volvo is also beautifully built, as you’d expect in a car costing almost £60,000 when new. Everything feels rock solid, and the materials feel posher than they do in the BYD.

BYD Seal 6 Touring vs used Volvo V60: space and practicality

The BYD Seal 6 Touring has a useful 500-litre boot, which is around 75 litres more than we got in our old BYD Seal U SUV. James has found it really practical for hauling kit to video shoots, as well as carrying all the clobber for his one-year-old son.

There is also loads of space in the back for his bulky child seat, and the easy-access ISOFIX points make locating it a breeze. It’s a bit more roomy in the back than our Volvo, but there’s not much in it.

The V60’s boot will accommodate 519 litres, and it has a couple of clever features. There’s a handy divider which flips out of the floor with some shopping bag hooks, which is ideal for keeping smaller items in place. Being a father to a three-year-old, Darren also appreciates the Volvo’s cavernous practicality.

“Despite being one of Volvo’s smaller models and therefore easy to place on the road, there’s loads of rear seat space for my son’s bulky child seat. And the huge boot has proved able to swallow whatever we’ve needed it to, from tip runs to weekends with the in-laws.”

BYD Seal 6 Touring vs used Volvo V60: engines and driving

The BYD Seal 6 Touring has a 1.5-litre petrol plug-in hybrid engine which you can have in two flavours. Ours is the basic 184hp version with up to 31 miles of electric range, or you can have a 212hp model which can do 62 miles on electric power alone.

As James found out when his car featured in a Carwow drag race, this version of the Seal 6 Touring is slow. It’s the second slowest car on our fleet right now, beaten only by the dinky Citroen e-C3.

Speed isn’t everything though, and the BYD’s hybrid system is very smooth and efficient. It’ll do 60mpg on a long motorway run, even without a full charge on the battery, and the 31-mile claimed EV range is easily achievable in the real world.

However, this isn’t a great car to drive for a couple of reasons. After a few thousand miles behind the wheel, here are James’s thoughts:

“The suspension isn’t great, and the car feels unsettled at pretty much every speed. It doesn’t take bumps or imperfect road surfaces particularly well and takes a second to stop jiggling about. It’s quite noisy on the motorway as well, with a fair bit of wind and road noise.”

The Volvo is a very different animal. Our car is the most powerful T8 version, meaning it has a 2.0-litre petrol engine which, combined with the electric motor, puts out a whopping 455hp. It’s the second-fastest car in our fleet, with only Mat Watson’s BMW M5 Touring able to beat it in a drag race.

We wouldn’t bother with this version though, because that turn of speed doesn’t suit the Volvo’s relaxed nature. The used T6 model we highlighted above has a much more modest 350hp, and it’s more than quick enough.

It can also do up to 60 miles on electric power alone, although in Darren’s experience with the more powerful T8 this will be closer to 40 miles in the real world. Here’s how he’s found it to drive over the last few months:

“The V60 is a pleasure behind the wheel. It’s not the most comfortable car around town, but it doesn’t jostle you around enough to be a problem. The rest of the time it’s a smooth, refined and relaxing way to get from A to B.”

BYD Seal 6 Touring vs used Volvo V60: our final verdict

Is your £35,000 best spent on a new BYD Seal 6 Touring, or a used Volvo V60?

Well we reckon its best to forgo that new car smell and get the Volvo. It feels posher inside than the BYD, it’s much nicer to drive and the two cars are pretty evenly-matched in terms of practicality.

Styling is a subjective thing, but we also think the V60 is a much better-looking car than the slightly dour BYD. It’s effortlessly cool, and considering you can save over £20,000 by going for a low-mileage 2025 example we reckon it’s a bit of a bargain.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

Click here to follow us on Reddit, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, advice guides and videos. You can also subscribe to our WhatsApp channel to get the latest news sent straight to your phone.