BYD Seal vs Farizon V7E

What's the difference?

BYD. The three letters which keep auto executives from the world's top brands up at night.

The brand’s meteoric rise in Australia from a trickle of imports to a torrent of Chinese-built EVs, outselling even Tesla in the first month of 2024, is testament to this relative newcomer’s ability to surprise and impress its buyers and the industry as a whole.

The car we’re looking at for this review, the Seal, could be its biggest challenge yet. Not only does it have to compete head-to-head with the car which put EVs on the map for mainstream buyers - the Tesla Model 3 - but it also has to vie for a share of the increasingly shrinking sedan market.

So, what’s the deal with the Seal? Is it any good? And, why did BYD choose to name it after a marine mammal? Read on to find out.

Farizon, the commercial vehicle division of Chinese automotive maker Geely, is a new competitor in Australia’s van market having recently launched its full-electric V7E.

Designed to attract buyers in the popular mid-size (2.5-3.5-tonne GVM) commercial van segment, Farizon claims its V7E has the payload capacity, cargo volume and pricing needed to compete with traditional diesel rivals.

We recently spent a working week aboard this new Chinese contender to see how it measures up as a potential tool of trade for tradies, couriers, SMEs, fleets and other commercial van buyers.