BYD has announced the new Seal U PHEV, which has just gone on sale in the UK. This new model is the first plug-in hybrid for the UK market from the brand and prices are from a reasonable £33,205. The Seal U shares a name with the Seal saloon car and just from the design, you can see why. Customers can order the car starting now with the official sales starting in September.

As mentioned, the Seal U shares a similar name to the Seal saloon car and it's a wider and taller version of that car. Over in China, the Seal U is sold as the BYD Song. At the moment, only the PHEV version has been revealed, which has a 106bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine and is paired with a 18.3kWh battery and puchy 194bhp electric motor. BYD says this combination offers 68 miles of EV only range. The battery supports charging from 30-80% in 35 minutes and like other BYD models, vehicle-to-load (V2L) comes as standard.

In China, BYD does offer the Seal U as a full EV and this will be coming to the UK too. This version has the choice of either a 71kWh or 87kWh battery, both of which are LFP and use the BYD Blade battery technology. Range is quoted using the Chinese CLTC test cycle and is between 323 and 376 miles.

BYD offers 19-inch alloys, wireless phone charging, LED headlights, vegan leather seats and the iconic rotating infotainment screen, this time a 15.6-inch unit.

Source: BYD