• Low (claimed) fuel costs
• High electric-only range
• Long six-year warranty

What are the running costs?

Naturally, the lower-powered Boost model is the best in terms of efficiency and running costs. As well as the lower price tag, the Boost claims a larger electric range of 50 miles and a fuel economy figure reaching 314mpg if used correctly and plugged in as often as possible.

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The more powerful Design model, with its extra electric motor and turbocharged engine, claims up to 235mpg if used right, and roughly 43 of electric-only range.

Servicing and warranty

BYD has a relatively small dealer network in the UK, which is to be expected given it’s not really been selling cars for that long over here.

That said, for the Seal U DM-i, BYD is offering a basic coverage warranty of six years/93,750 miles as standard. On top of that, BYD includes an eight-year warranty for the drivetrain and battery, and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty as standard, too.

Reliability

For buyers in Europe, this is arguably something that’s little more of an unknown regarding BYD. But the brand has been in business for years in its home market of China with no significant reliability issues noted. The Seal U DM-i’s complicated powertrain may seem like giving the owner more things to go wrong, but long warranties should put you at relative ease.