EV Reviews

At $34,990 plus on-road costs, the Essential trim level is the first step in the BYD Sealion 5 range. The vehicle is a mid-sized SUV with seating for five and features a plug-in hybrid driveline.Powering the vehicle is a 1.5-litre non-turbocharged engine which basically keeps the 12.9 kWh battery charged, although the petrol engine can also drive the wheel if maximum performance is required. A single-speed transmission is fitted and the Sealion 5 is front-wheel-drive. Peak power is 165kW and torque is 300Nm.The Sealion 5 can be charged on a household socket in under four hours, but there's no provision for using a commercial fast-charger.Standard equipment includes a central info-screen and separate driver-display unit, full wireless connectivity, digital radio, alloy wheels and dual-zone climate-control. The front seats are cushy and comfy, although the rear cushion feels a bit flat. There is, however, plenty of room in the rear seat, even for adults.Safety gear runs to seven airbags including a front-centre airbag, and the full range of driver aids including autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, rear-cross traffic alert and active cruise-control. There's also an on-board tyre pressure monitoring system. The Sealion 5 has not yet been crash tested by ANCAP.The Sealion 5 carries BYD's six-year/150,000km warranty with an eight-year/160,000km on the EV battery.

The Sealion 8 Premium is the flagship variant in BYD's seven-seat plug-in-hybrid SUV line-up.

BYD's Sealion 8 is a full-sized family SUV with seating for seven and a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

The push towards plug-in hybrids has taken another step with BYD adding just such a powertrain with its Sealion 5 line-up. As well as the EV-only range and equipment levels a lot of families are searching for, the BYD also arrives at a super-sharp price-point. But will that be enough to make it stand out in what is becoming a sea of mid-sized plug-in SUVs?

BYD has held nothing back in extending its Sealion line-up. Not only do the new Sealion 8 variants adopt a plug-in hybrid powertrain, they're also the first to offer a seven-seat solution. There's plenty of choice in trim levels and even a pair of drivelines to choose from; one pretty mild, one very wild. But can the BYD redefine the three-row SUV concept in any meaningful way?

The GT-Line is the flagship model in the Kia EV4 range, and it shares its Long Range battery with the Earth, but gets a much more stacked equipment list.It’s $64,690 (almost $15k more than the cheapest Air), but is the only model to get its own look - thanks to the exterior plastics being swapped for gloss black - as well as things like a sunroof, a powered boot, dynamic welcome lights and projection headlights.Inside, there’s a heated steering wheel, full synthetic-leather seats, relaxation seats to get comfy when charging and ambient interior lighting. You also get ventilated front seats, a better eight-speaker Harman Kardon stereo and wireless device charging.The GT-Line’s battery is a 81.4kWh NCM unit, which delivers a claimed 612km range on the WLTP cycle. That’s not the very best in the business, but it’s almost certainly enough to cancel any ‘range anxiety’ talk.The EV4’s 400-volt architecture does slow down charging a little, though, with DC fast charging capped at 128kW. That means going from 10 to 80 per cent in around 30 mins when using the fastest chargers. If you’re using a 50kW charger, it’s up to almost an hour and 20 minutes for the bigger battery.

For many, Tesla is the generic term for an electric vehicle, but in recent years its grass has been progressively cut by a plethora of new pure-electric new car options. But the EV pioneer has fought back with a new Premium Long Range RWD variant of its Model 3 mid-size sedan. We drove it to see if it does enough to mount a fightback.

The $59,190 Kia EV4 Earth is the mid-point in the brand’s electric sedan range, sitting above the Air and below the GT-Line. Unlike the cheaper Air, the Earth gets the Long Range battery, unlocking the best driving range delivered by a Kia to date. It’s a 81.4kWh NCM unit in the Long Range models, which delivers a claimed 612km range on the WLTP cycle. That’s not the very best in the business, but it’s almost certainly enough to cancel any ‘range anxiety’ talk. The EV4’s 400-volt architecture does slow down charging a little, though, with DC fast charging capped at 128kW. That means going from 10 to 80 per cent in around 30 mins when using the fastest chargers. If you’re using a 50kW charger, it’s up to almost an hour and 20 minutes for the bigger battery.The Earth builds on the Air’s equipment list with 19-inch alloys, cloth-and-synthetic-leather seats, a powered seat for the driver, and Kia’s very cool and comfortable mesh headrests.

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The Air marks the entry point to the EV4 range, with its $49,990 price tag miles behind that of the Earth ($59,190) and GT-Line ($64,690).It is Standard Range only, which means it makes do with a 58.3kWh NCM battery which will deliver 456km in WLTP driving range. DC Charging is limited to 128kW, while AC charging is set up for 11kW.Outside, it rides on 17-inch alloys, and has flush-finishing door handles, LED lighting, rain-sensing wipers and heated wing mirrors.Inside, there are two-tone cloth seats, an artificial-leather steering wheel and dual-zone climate with rear vents, while tech is handled by Kia’s dual 12.3-inch screens (one for your entertainment, and another for your diving info), with a smaller 5.0-inch screen between them that handles climate settings. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo and four USB-C connections, too.All EV4 models, including the Air, get two vehicle-to-load (V2L) connections (so you can plug things in with a normal household plug), with one in the backseat and the other as part of the exterior charger – though the latter is an accessory on the Air. All also get access to the Kia Connect app and over-the-air updates, too.