• Fun infotainment system
• Good material quality
• Busy digital gauge cluster

How’s the quality and the layout?

What’s interesting here is that this is arguably the most sensible and conventionally-laid-out car we’ve seen from BYD thus far. The Atto 3, Seal and Dolphin all feature quite elaborate and quirky interior design layouts that include all the brand’s technologies, but the Seal U DM-i removes a lot of that novelty for something a lot more ordinary.

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That said, material quality is still good for this class of car, with soft-touch materials used in many places and a general feeling of solidity. The vegan leather seats feel well upholstered and soft, and there are some welcome physical switches in the centre console, flanking the slightly bejewelled drive shifter also seen in the Seal electric car.

Infotainment and tech

Like other BYD cars, the Seal U DM-i’s interior is still dominated by an enormous 15.6-inch central infotainment screen that can be rotated between portrait and landscape modes with one touch. The system itself is bright, clear and responds quickly to inputs but it takes some time to get used to – there are a lot of menus and sub-menus, with some of them having some controls and features in what feels like the wrong places. That said, there’s a swipe-down quick access menu for some of the most used controls to help speed some things up.

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As well as the enormous screen, the driver also benefits from a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display. The driver’s instruments are quite busy with information and icons, but allow for a good degree of customisation.

Comfort

This is another area of the Seal U DM-i that’s perfectly fine. The seats are comfortable enough and there’s a reasonable amount of adjustment in them, though taller drivers may call out for the ability to sit lower than the driver’s seat allows.

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