BYD Seal U: The electric version is no longer available for ordering in Germany, only as a plug-in hybrid.
The BYD Seal U is no longer available for configuration as an electric vehicle in Germany, according to the Chinese manufacturer’s website. As a plug-in hybrid, the car is still available under the name Seal U DM-i.
The 4.79-meter-long mid-size SUV was introduced in Germany at the end of 2023. Despite its name, the model had no technical connection to the BYD Seal sedan. It was offered exclusively as a front-wheel-drive vehicle with 160 kW of power, resulting in a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 9.3 seconds; this improved to 9.6 seconds with the larger battery. Customers could choose between two LFP batteries from BYD itself: a 72 kWh battery providing a range of 420 km in the Comfort model and an 87 kWh battery offering 500 km range in the Design model.
Image gallery: BYD Seal U (2024)
The DC charging time was extremely long at 42 or 43 minutes. As a result, the list prices started at 42,990 euros, with the 500-km version available from 46,490 euros. In the current year, over 12,000 Seal U vehicles were newly registered in Germany by September, but less than 1,200 of them were fully electric. A similar situation occurred in 2025: nearly 9,600 new Seal U registrations were recorded, but only 888 had pure electric powertrains. In 2024, fewer than 500 new Seal U registrations were made in total. The Seal U was taken off the market as early as June following a post on the BYD Seal forum.
BYD’s electric lineup: The Seal U is missing
Image by: BYD
The Sealion 7, launched in early 2025, is likely to replace the Seal U, with a similar size of 4.83 meters in length. The batteries are larger at 82.5 and 91.3 kWh respectively, but there is only a slight increase in range (456 to 502 km). However, significant progress has been made in charging times: the smaller battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in 32 minutes, while the larger battery takes 24 minutes.
The powertrains are also stronger: the base version features a 230-kW rear-wheel drive system, while the other two variants come with a 390-kW all-wheel drive system and either the smaller or larger battery. Prices start at 49,990 euros, making it considerably more expensive than the Seal U.
More electric mid-size SUVs:
In summary
The BYD Seal U is no longer available as an electric vehicle in Germany. The electric version was never a bestseller. Slow charging and only moderately good range likely contributed to this. In contrast, the plug-in hybrid version is in high demand — no other model from the Chinese brand has such high registration numbers.