Audi e-tron Sportback vs BYD Sealion 7

The Audi e-tron Sportback costs £34,910 more than the BYD Sealion 7. For that premium it adds 95 litres more boot space, 70 kW more power and a 1.0s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BYD Sealion 7 comes out ahead overall.

The BYD Sealion 7 is £34,910 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £216 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the BYD Sealion 7 comes out roughly £34,990 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 231 miles for the Audi e-tron Sportback and 204 miles for the BYD Sealion 7 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Audi e-tron Sportback goes roughly 27 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 24-30 minutes.

The two are within 10 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 475 mm of total clearance for the BYD Sealion 7 and about 465 mm of total clearance for the Audi e-tron Sportback. The BYD Sealion 7 also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Audi e-tron Sportback and 90% for the BYD Sealion 7. That gives the BYD Sealion 7 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The BYD Sealion 7's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Audi e-tron Sportback's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.