Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron vs BYD Sealion 7

The Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron costs £25,310 more than the BYD Sealion 7. For that premium it adds a 1.1s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BYD Sealion 7 comes out ahead overall.

The BYD Sealion 7 is £25,310 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 £25,350 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 242 miles for the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron 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 Q8 Sportback e-tron goes roughly 38 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 24-31 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 Q8 Sportback e-tron. 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 Q8 Sportback e-tron 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 Q8 Sportback e-tron's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.