• Luxurious interior is stylish and well appointed
• Build quality is up to scratch
• Infotainment set-up is excellent 

How is the quality and layout?

The dashboard is very distinctive and feels suitably premium thanks to it featuring some very appealing trims and materials. It’s a suitably high-quality mix of leather and suede, and even the bare plastics feel suitably sturdy and don’t feel at all scratchy or brittle. It’s more overtly welcoming than the austere looking Tesla Model 3, although that car just gets the nod following its recent facelift.

BYD’s massive 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system has the party piece of rotating from landscape to portrait at the touch of a button, and it feels well constructed – much more so than the Atto 3, which could sometimes appear a little wobbly. Other touchpoints, such as the glovebox lid and toggle-like gear selector are also solid and feel like they’re built to last – something you don’t always find in similarly priced EV rivals.

Infotainment and tech

The swooping structure is dominated by that attention-grabbing touchscreen. BYD says portrait mode is better for navigation as you can see more of the route ahead, and we tend to agree. However, it forces back into landscape mode if you’re using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, as it won’t display in the former orientation.

The infotainment system is fast, the screen responsive and clear, and all of the major applications, such as navigation and music playing are very impressive, as long as you don’t mind an American accent. Certain functions are hidden away, such as the safety equipment, and the driver assistance controls.

The touchscreen has to manage an awful lot of the Seal’s functions such as climate control and safety systems. It’s not a bad set-up once you know which menu contains which function, but as a touchscreen it’s not quite as nice to use as a Tesla Model 3’s, and in usability terms is loses out to the BMW i4’s iDrive controller, which we really like.

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Comfort

• Front seats are supportive and comfortable
• Excellent legroom upfront, adequately roomy in the rear
• Glass roof helps make the Seal seem airy inside

The seats in Seal are comfortable and supportive, and unlike its rivals don’t feel overly firm on first aquaintance. Both models come with a full leather interior, with appealing pleating for the seat faces, and offer electric adjustment and heating – with ventilation in the Excellence.

As usual in an electric car, there is no transmission tunnel. So, there is plenty of space for feet and limbs, especially in the rear passenger compartment. Head and foot room isn’t overly generous, but there’s still ample lounging room if you’re not too tall.

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