Testimonial – Highly disappointed with a European vehicle, Delphine reconciled herself to electric cars thanks to a Chinese model

The paths to electric vehicles are highly varied. For Delphine Bouchet, her first try with a Skoda Enyaq wasn’t successful. This led her to consider a rechargeable hybrid SUV, the BYD Seal U DM-i. A year later, the manager of the Orange bleue fitness center in Landerneau (29) returned to electric vehicles with a BYD Sealion 7. She shares her unusual journey with the readers of Automobile Propre.

Problems from the Start

Delphine Bouchet and her husband are originally car enthusiasts: “We adore vehicles and large-cylinder engines. However, I couldn’t use cars with V6 or V8 engines for work. For my business, on the other hand, getting an electric car was very appealing as it allowed me to explore new technology. It was 2021. I hesitated between a Kia e-Niro, which I might have ended up choosing after all, and the Skoda Enyaq that had just arrived in France that year.”

The shift to the Volkswagen Group’s model was driven by just a few factors: “The brand was running some amazing ads at the time. Not on TV, but everyone was talking about them in the articles I read. The Enyaq was presented as a pioneer model for many things. I found it very attractive and trusted Skoda’s reputation. It was the iV 60 with a 179 hp engine [NDLR: 132 kW with a 62 kWh battery] advertised to have an WLTP range of over 400 km. I signed a lease for it right after it went on sale.”

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Problems arose one after another quickly: “From the start, I faced lots of issues with the electronics. One indicator after another would light up. While driving, we might end up seeing a big red triangle instead of the instantaneous speed display. During the three years of leasing, my Enyaq spent more than half of that time in the garage, including the last six months before the contract ended. The large battery had to be replaced. ‘Swap me for another vehicle,’ I asked, but they told me that wasn’t possible.”

I was truly very disappointed.

In 2021, the couple tried electric vehicle vacations: “We were still at the beginning stage of charging stations on highways, and some were broken when we arrived. And it was impossible to pay with a credit card. We were sometimes very scared of breakdowns. Even in summer, I wasn’t getting near the range promised, and it was even worse in winter. At most, I could drive 250 km. My husband often lost his temper because of this and the vehicle’s problems. He told me, ‘I’ll never have an electric car again.’”

Delphine Bouchet was far from pleased with Skoda’s response to the problems she encountered: “I had to send two or three registered letters with receipt. In response, I received an email asking me to stop doing that and to communicate only via email. And not a single commercial gesture at all. I was really very disappointed in Skoda. I didn’t want that electric car anymore, nor the crappy vehicle they lent me during repairs. It was quite a crazy situation.”

The LOA ended in a different way than initially planned: “For the last six months, my Enyaq has been in the garage and I haven’t paid the leases. Is the matter resolved? I have no updates, but I’ve kept all records of the problems.” At the end of 2024, there was a change in my professional life: “That’s when I took over the Orange Bleue fitness center in Landerneau. I needed a new car, but my husband was still opposed to electric vehicles. So I looked for a rechargeable hybrid vehicle.”

Why a Chinese car?

Delphine Bouchet did not want a European brand: “Besides our poor experience with Skoda, we have friends around us who drive electric cars made by BMW, Mercedes, and Citroën and also face problems. There are no Teslas either due to Elon Musk’s personality. Quality is important. The Chinese are known for their batteries. For example, BYD supplies them to Tesla. At some point, we also consider the prices. European models are generally 30% more expensive than their Chinese counterparts.”

The BYD Seal U DM-i, little known to French drivers, is a family SUV whose wheelbase (4.78 x 1.89 meters) is very similar to that of a Tesla Model Y, with a wheelbase of 2.77 meters and a height of 1.67 meters. The version chosen by the manager of Orange bleue in Landerneau was the Boost model. Equipped with a battery having a gross energy capacity of 18.3 kWh, it is rated for an EV range of 80 kilometers: “With the many four-lane roads, it was more like 60 kilometers, but there’s little difference in winter.”

While the Skoda Enyaq could barely manage just over 30,000 km in 36 months, the mileage of this plug-in hybrid increased significantly in a little over a year: “We covered around 70,000 km, half of which was on electric power. Two to three times a week, I drove the BYD Seal U DM-i from Paimpol to Landerneau [NDLR: roughly 240 km round trip]. I charged it as often as possible: at home, of course, but also at the gym where I had an outlet installed, or while doing grocery shopping.”

Back to EVs

In retrospect, Delphine Bouchet summarizes: “I don’t have much to say about the BYD Seal U DM-i other than that it’s an excellent car. Even when we went to see and test this rechargeable hybrid SUV, we were impressed by its finish. Its quality-to-price ratio is truly top-notch. The driving aids work very well. Especially when compared to those in the Enyaq, which we didn’t trust, particularly due to phantom braking issues that Skoda refused to acknowledge.”

A regret, however: “The 1.5-liter gasoline engine with less than 100 horsepower lacks power and consumes a lot of fuel on the highway for our use. We quickly exceeded 10 liters per 100 kilometers, sometimes even 12 when driving aggressively on our trips between Paimpol and Bordeaux. That’s the only flaw I know of it. There might also be overly frequent maintenance visits, every 15,000 kilometers. This adds up quickly if you drive a lot. The costs are reasonable, averaging around 350 euros. The first one cost 250; the most expensive was the one at 60,000 kilometers.”

Going to the dealership for maintenance had another advantage: “I took the chance to check out the electric models. I wanted to return there to get tax benefits for my company’s car. Satisfied with the brand, I bought a BYD Sealion 7 at the beginning of last August. It was a demo model with 8,000 km on the odometer. Six weeks later, it already had over 14,000 km. Honestly, I have nothing negative to say about this electric SUV. Oh, right—if it had an extra 200 km of range, it would be perfect.”

Satisfied with her new electric car…

For her Chinese electric SUV, BYD Sealion 7, Delphine Bouchet chose the high-end Excellence version with all-wheel drive. At 4.83 x 1.93 meters, it is slightly larger than the Seal U DM-i. Its engine, with a power output of 390 kW (530 horsepower) and 690 Nm of torque, is powered by an LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery with a gross energy capacity of 91.3 kWh. This gives the model a WLTP mixed-cycle range of 502 kilometers: “With the Sealion 7, it’s clear that these figures are much more realistic for local use compared to those of the Enyaq.”

Delphine Bouchet has also changed her charging habits: “Not far from the office, we have a Leclerc store that claims to offer the cheapest charging rates [NDLR: 0.19 euros per kilowatt-hour without a subscription at a 22 kW AC charger]. With the BYD Sealion 7, the charging power is around 10 kW, costing me between 10 and 12 euros to fully charge it. To better organize my business, I plan to have a charger installed at the office by early next year. It can also be used by my employees, even if they don’t yet have electric cars.”

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In general, the manager of Orange bleue in Landerneau is satisfied with her new electric car: “Just like the rechargeable hybrid Seal U DM-i, it has very comfortable seats. They are bucket-style. In the middle of the dashboard, the large digital screen is quite good, easy to use for navigation. The overall ergonomics are excellent, with buttons placed in the right spots, especially on the steering wheel. The road handling is good.”

…and the dealership

Delphine Bouchet noted, however: “No sunroof, even though I really appreciate this feature since we often go to the seaside. There is a platform with ventilation for inductive charging of mobile phones, which is good. But the system that cools the smartphone battery makes a lot of noise. As a result, I prefer to use the small USB-C ports. My husband likes this car, but he remains cautious about electric vehicles due to payment issues at charging stations—they don’t accept all cards.”

The BYD Sealion 7 being new, it attracts those interested in electric mobility: “People come to ask me questions. The last time was when I took my daughter to swim. A man came to see me and asked if I was satisfied with this model and how much it cost. He wanted to know specifically what the Chinese brand offers and whether the quality is up to par.”

What about the BYD dealership in Saint-Brieuc? “It’s a small facility, but the service is excellent, with a café and a friendly staff, especially a really kind assistant. The sales advisor is also great—he knows what he’s talking about. For the Sealion 7, maintenance intervals are every 30,000 km. That’s better! The first service costs 500 euros, but I negotiated to pay only half because the car already had 8,000 km when we received it.”

Automobile Propre et moi-même thank Delphine Bouchet greatly for her excellent hospitality, responsiveness, and the insightful testimony she provided at our request. We also extend our sincere thanks to Stéphane Linossier, a sales consultant at the BYD dealership in Saint-Brieuc (22), who helped us establish contact with his client and provided us, upon request, with photos of the Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid and the Sealion 7.

For your reference, any offensive comments regarding our interviewees, their lives, choices, and/or opinions will be removed. Thank you for your understanding.

Author’s Note

Experiencing a major disappointment when switching to a new technology is not the best scenario for long-term use. However, as a professional who drives frequently, the owner of a gym and fitness center was motivated to return to traditional vehicles for tax reasons. The poor experience changed things, leading to new selection criteria.

Naturally, if the problems encountered were recurring and affected all electric vehicle models, it would be a serious issue, as electromobility is one of the key drivers for decarbonization and combating climate change. Fortunately, the vast majority of electric vehicle owners have a much smoother experience. Some are even satisfied with the Skoda Enyaq.

The switch to a rechargeable hybrid in a relatively short period makes perfect sense. What’s also interesting about this review is the choice of models that are still little known. It was a new challenge in a way, but it seems to have paid off. We hope to receive feedback from our readers with more insights on the BYD Sealion 7 in the future.

Philippe SCHWOERER