BYD Seal vs Skoda Octavia

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.

Once a solid mainstay on our roads, wagons have fallen out of favour somewhat as a result of the ever-growing popularity of SUVs and utes.

But is a wagon actually a better and more family-friendly daily driver than a bigger, taller SUV or ute? Perhaps.

And throw a mild-hybrid system into the mix and it could be an even more appealing purchase.

Skoda’s Octavia has built a strong following in Australia and now comes its new mild hybrid grade, available as a wagon or liftback.

So, what’s the Skoda Octavia Select mHEV wagon like as a daily driver for families?

Read on.