• Plenty of space for passengers
• Boot space is average for the class
• More than enough safety technology

How much space is there?

The Seal U DM-i a similar size to family SUVs such as the Ford Kuga, Kia Sportage and Volkswagen Tiguan. Space up front is plentiful enough – and the car’s height feels not dissimilar to the Sportage.

However, it’s packaged a little differently to its established rivals as, in China, interior space is the most important thing in a car. So, BYD sacrificed some boot space to liberate some extra passenger room in the back.

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It worked, too. Our tallest testers could comfortably sit behind their own driving positions and, despite the panoramic sunroof, we found headroom to be good. The only real flaw is the fact that the front seat headrests are integrated into the backrests, which means the view ahead is quite obscured for those in the back.

Boot space and storage

The Seal U has 425 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place, which is acceptable but far from being class leading. It’s 13 litres larger than the Kuga, but a huge 115 litres smaller than the plug-in hybrid version of the Kia Sportage and 133 smaller than the equivalent Hyundai Tucson. That said, the space is at least wide, and it has a completely flat floor.

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Oddment storage is good overall, with a large cubby under the centre console, space for two phones below the main screen and a deep central storage area under the armrest. The cupholders are a little small, though, and the door bins don’t have mouldings to hold larger, litre-sized bottles in them.

Is it easy to park?

In an odd case of visual deception, the Seal U feels like a larger (and particularly wider) car to be in, not helped by the very small rear window that can obscure your view. That said, given the Seal U DM-i’s long equipment list, there are so many parking aids that a lot of the visibility issues are counteracted.

Safety

• Euro NCAP tested the electric model
• Impressive five-star safety rating
• Excellent adult occupant score

Euro NCAP has only crash tested the electric Seal U so far. However, it’s basically the car underneath as the DM-I plug-in hybrid we get in the UK and, thankfully, it achieved the maximum five-star safety rating.

It scored particularly well in the adult occupant category with an overall score of 90. The child dummies also emerged from their wreckages with no serious injuries, which is worth its weight in gold if you’re buying this car for your family.

The Seal U has loads of safety technology. Standard kit includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and traffic sign recognition. What’s particularly impressive is that SYD fits its family SUV with the sort of tech you normally pay extra for on rivals, such as blind spot monitoring and a semi-autonomous drive mode.

Watch the BYD Seal U Euro NCAP crash test video