A new flagship 2025 BYD Sealion 6 Premium Extended Range version of its plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV is now on-sale in Australia with an EV-only range boosted from 80km to 130km.
Despite the extra range from the bigger 26.6kWh battery, the new top-spec all-wheel drive is priced from the same $52,990 before on-road costs as the Premium Standard Range’s with an 18.3kWh power pack.
No explanation has been given for why BYD hasn’t charged extra for the newlarger 26.6kWh, especially when you consider $1000 more for is charged for the bigger battery in the lower Dynamic grade.
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Better still, the more energy dense version of the lithium iron phosphate battery not only unlocks more range, but also liberates extra performance from the Toyota RAV4 and Nissan X-TRAIL rival.
The Premium system blends a 150kW/300Nm front e-motor and a smaller 120kW/250Nm rear motor with a 96kW/220Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, pumping power up to 253kW from the standard car’s 238kW.
Producing the same 550Nm torque peak, the flagship Extended Range can launch from 0-100km/h in just 5.5 seconds – 0.4 seconds quicker than the Premium Standard Range.
The minor drawback comes when you’re not pootling about in pure-electric mode, BYD claims fuel efficiency drops to 1.1L/100km, up from the 0.8L/100km with the standard range. That, of course, is a highly theoretical number in both cases.
Like the lower-grade model, the bigger battery can be topped up at 6.6kW using AC power and 18kW using a faster DC charger.
Sharing the same high levels of kit as the Premium Standard Range, the new variant comes with LED headlights, 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic roof, electric tailgate, adaptive cruise, rear privacy glass, head-up display, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 15.6-inch infotainment system, 10-speaker premium sound system and a heated and ventilated 8-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat (4-way passenger).
Driver assist kit extends to blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, front cross-traffic and rear cross-traffic assist and safe-exit warning.
It is available with just two interior colours and a limited palette that includes Arctic White, Stone Grey, Harbour Grey or Cosmos black.
The BYD Sealion 6 PHEV range starts at $42,990 plus on-roads for the front-wheel drive Essential Standard Range. It has won strong following since ins 2024 launch.
As many as 4375 have bene sold this year and it outsells the Mitsubishi Outlander (2961) that practically invented the segment.
