BYD Sealion 7 vs Cupra Tavascan

The Cupra Tavascan costs £2,350 more than the BYD Sealion 7. For that premium it adds 53 miles more WLTP range. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Cupra Tavascan comes out ahead overall.

The BYD Sealion 7 is £2,350 cheaper to buy. The Cupra Tavascan is cheaper to charge, roughly £152 a year versus £216 for the BYD Sealion 7, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the BYD Sealion 7 comes out roughly £2,030 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 204 miles for the BYD Sealion 7 and 294 miles for the Cupra Tavascan - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Cupra Tavascan goes roughly 90 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 24-28 minutes.

The Cupra Tavascan is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 64 mm narrower than the BYD Sealion 7. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 539 mm of total clearance for the Cupra Tavascan and about 475 mm of total clearance for the BYD Sealion 7. The Cupra Tavascan 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 Sealion 7 and 84% for the Cupra Tavascan. 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 Cupra Tavascan's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.