BYD Sealion 7 vs Lexus RZ

The Lexus RZ costs £9,005 more than the BYD Sealion 7. For that premium it adds 53 miles more WLTP range. The BYD Sealion 7 is not just cheaper - it also offers 65 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Lexus RZ comes out ahead overall.

The BYD Sealion 7 is £9,005 cheaper to buy. The Lexus RZ 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 £8,685 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 Lexus RZ - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Lexus RZ goes roughly 90 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 24-30 minutes.

The Lexus RZ is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 30 mm narrower than the BYD Sealion 7. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 505 mm of total clearance for the Lexus RZ and about 475 mm of total clearance for the BYD Sealion 7. The Lexus RZ also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.