BYD Seal vs Hyundai IONIQ 6 N

The Hyundai IONIQ 6 N costs £20,070 more than the BYD Seal. For that premium it adds 200 kW faster peak rapid charging, 248 kW more power and a 2.7s quicker 0-62mph time. The BYD Seal is not just cheaper - it also offers 52 miles more WLTP range. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BYD Seal comes out ahead overall.

The BYD Seal is £20,070 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £184 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the BYD Seal comes out roughly £20,110 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 244 miles for the BYD Seal and 252 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N - effectively matched, and both well below their WLTP figures because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 37 minutes in the BYD Seal and 18 in the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N, so the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N loses less time at each stop.

The BYD Seal is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 65 mm narrower than the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 525 mm of total clearance for the BYD Seal and about 460 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N. The BYD Seal also turns in a 0.8 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the BYD Seal and 89% for the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. The BYD Seal's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use.