Toyota Camry vs BYD Seal 6

What's the difference?

Ah, gotta love a sedan that knows its audience and the ninth-gen Toyota Camry Ascent proves once again why it’s a popular choice.

On top of the space and practicality, you get a shiny new design and technology. Overall the Camry Ascent is a well-rounded base-model - what’s not to love?

The 2026 BYD Seal 6 proves a compelling offering at a time when cost and efficiency should be nearer the top of your new car consideration list. Not just for its long range, but its clever use of electrons and fuel to keep costs down even after the initial humble outlay.

It helps that the Touring Premium remains sub-$40,000, before on-roads, and offers plenty of features, a spacious interior and the right kind of drivetrain for everyday use in Australia.

While rivals like the Toyota Camry or Skoda Octavia are more polished and can almost compete on price, the BYD’s features and efficient PHEV powertrain will outweigh the brand names and more refined on-road behaviour of established rivals for, we would guess, a significant number of buyers.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

There is a strong 'taxi'-association with the Camry because of how popular it is as a commercial fleet car and while the design has been updated and modernised, that vibe still remains. It's a Camry, after all.

But the new tapered nose with its slim LED headlights look sharper than the previous model and the rear slopes into a neat spoiler that accentuates a sharper rear end.

The new design looks far more modern and dare I say it: sporty.

A lot of the changes are in the cabin where the Camry benefits from a completely restyled dashboard that looks sleek and stylish, with the tech screens integrated into the panelling.

The cockpit still feels very driver-oriented, which is always appreciated, but now not at the expense of the front passenger.

The cloth seats look much nicer than the standard basic stuff you usually get and there are enough tactile dash and door panels to make it feel cosy, despite it's soft-touch points still looking too plasticky.

The overall feel for the cabin is one that is pleasant and well-built, although cloth seats always give me anxiety when kids are around.

The Seal 6 Touring might be BYD’s best-looking car. It boasts a handsome wagon shape and its features don’t overdo the brand’s aquatic design language.

It’s not fussy with too many elements, but it’s not anonymous like some designs from China can seem on Australian roads. It’s definitely a BYD, but it’s not shouty about it. This means it should, visually at least, appeal to buyers who just want a sensible-looking sedan or wagon. Watch out again, Toyota.

The tail-lights and lower trim at the rear don’t leave too much blank space and the whole shape of the rear is sleek enough without cutting too far into the boot space.

Inside, the Seal 6 looks ‘classic BYD’, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not enormously interesting. It’s got enough points of difference from the layout Tesla has popularised and many Chinese brands now default to, but some daring style elements wouldn’t go astray.

Sedans tend to fly under the radar when people think of cabin space but that's a mistake. Head- and legroom in both rows will make taller occupants very happy and the transmission tunnel isn't massive, so middle seaters will still be able to get comfortable.

Despite being a low-profile car, access is easy enough and it's only the sloping roofline at the rear that might make you bump your head as you get in.

Seat comfort is excellent with thick padding and cushioning to be enjoyed. The front seats are manually adjustable but lack lumbar support, which you'll notice on a longer trip.

The window sills don't sit too high, so my seven-year old had a good view this week but the cloth seats have upped the anxiety as he tends to be messy. He also loves having directional air vents and that keeps him happy on hotter days.

Storage is great for the class with a 7.0L middle console, large glovebox that can hold a manual and other bits, two map pockets, four cupholders, four drink bottle holders, a sunglasses holder, and a functional centre console tray that has multiple cubbies to delight those that travel with lots of stuff.

The boot capacity hasn’t changed and sits at a large 524L capacity, which is decent for a sedan. The boot aperture isn’t too narrow either, so it's easy to access items that roll to the back. The rear seat has a 60/40 split, to open up storage as well.

The boot has a powered boot release that can be accessed via the key fob and while you have to manually close it, it's a super light lid to operate.

Technology feels well-rounded now with the upgrades and the touchscreen multimedia system sports the same system you'll find in Lexus models, which is far superior to the older Toyota software. Basically, it's simple to use and looks good, which is a great combo.

The phone mirroring apps are now wireless and that means one less cable to worry about and charging options are good with five USB-C ports (3/2), and a 12-volt socket but you do miss out on a wireless charging pad at this grade level.

Basically, the Camry now offers better technology and style but the practicality of the cabin remains at an all time high.

When it comes to practicality, a long trip will reveal plenty of things you might not notice day-to-day. Things like whether the seats really are comfortable, or how useful the cupholders are for different vessels.

Fortunately, the BYD Seal 6 holds up rather well in a few key areas.

Its seating adjustability and the seat itself are comfortable and easy to find the right driving position for an average-heighted man (me), though the bolstering on the seat won’t hold you in place tightly during spirited cornering.

The wheel is nice to hold and it’s easy to feel your changing position while steering, and the controls on it are clear, though more physical controls in the rest of the cabin would be an improvement.

The Seal 6 suffers from a reliance on the touchscreen that a number of car brands’ head designers and engineers are moving away from. The software’s menu system is not quite up to the task of being the only point of contact for functionality, as it requires scrolling through and can be distracting on the road. That will set off the driver monitoring, by the way.

Wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay and a wireless phone charger (which is out of the way) provide a good workaround and ensure your phone doesn’t die on a long journey.

There’s storage under the centre console where the cupholders are, a nice spot to keep things out of the way, plus there are USB-A and USB-C ports down there.

Behind the front seats, the second row isn’t lavishly spacious but allows a 178cm adult to sit behind their own seating position with kneeroom, headroom and shoulder room to spare. The sunroof makes it quite nice and light back there, too.

The second row seats fold down 60/40 to turn what was a 670-litre boot into a 1535L boot, though that seems to be measured to the roof rather than the tops of the seat-backs.

There is, disappointingly, no spare tyre under the boot floor, just a repair kit. I’d want a space-saver at least if I was travelling interstate (without a launch event support car).

The price tag attached to the Seal 6 adds to the growing pile of reasons why BYD has become the best-selling Chinese car brand in Australia.

Starting from $34,990, before on-road costs, the Seal 6 Sedan in Essential grade undercuts the Toyota Camry by $6000.

It features a decent list of standard equipment like wireless phone mirroring, synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats and a 12.8-inch multimedia touchscreen.

But on launch, the Seal 6 Touring Premium was the focus and the only car available to drive.

Not only is it more powerful with a larger battery, but it starts at the same price as an entry-grade Toyota Camry - $39,990, before on-roads.

It comes with a big panoramic sunroof, heated and vented front seats and more improvements in the drivetrain department.

Given even traditional hybrid sedans like the Camry or Euro petrol sedans like the Skoda Octavia are effectively thousands more expensive, the plug-in hybrid Seal 6 already has an advantageous position in the market.

The 2025 Camry has the new and improved hybrid system that Toyota is rolling out and a redesigned electronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) – both changes are welcome to the 2.5L four-cylinder engine.

This combo produces up to 170kW of power, which is up from the previous model but the torque remains the same at 221Nm. 

The BYD Seal 6 has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that helps a front-mounted electric motor drive those two wheels.

While the engine’s outputs are 70kW and 120Nm, the electric motor does the bulk of the work, with its 160kW and 260Nm outputs.

As such, the Touring we’re driving on this trip has total outputs of 163kW and 260Nm, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 8.1 seconds feeling about right despite a peppy enough take-off from standstill.

The Seal 6 Sedan by comparison has the same engine but a less powerful electric motor, resulting in total outputs of 130kW and 210Nm.

The outgoing model had an excellent combined fuel cycle figure already but the new hybrid system improves it again to just 4.0L/100km. With the 50L fuel tank, that gives you a theoretical driving range of up to 1250km. Outstanding for a family car!

After doing 803km this week and those kilometres being mostly open-road driving, which is where hybrids are at their least efficient, my real-world figure was 4.4L, which is still great. Expect it to be even better in the city.

While the efficiency of a new car is sometimes difficult to test on a launch driving program due to car-swapping and unusual driving conditions like filming or dynamic testing, the car we drove for the full two-days was the same one, and only used for the journey.

That means its full trip of 996.3km (frustratingly not officially the 1000km promised) is a faithful example of what an interstate trip might mean for one or a couple of travellers.

Officially BYD claims a 0.8L/100km figure under NEDC testing for the Touring, but tests like those are misleading for plug-in hybrids as the battery does a lot of lifting.

So BYD tested before this event the claim it could drive a Seal 6 from Sydney to Melbourne, then double-checked it.

But Sydney to Melbourne on a single tank and a single charge turned out to be accurate, even after running down a significant chunk of the Touring’s claimed 100km of electric range as tested under WLTP conditions.

Unfortunately we couldn’t verify the total fuel used over the 996.3km traveled in car number four without first checking the tank was properly full and then refilling it again at the end.

Given the car estimated 68km left in the tank at the end of the trip, you could assume a fuel consumption reasonably below 6.5L/100km given the 65-litre tank still had some juice after near-1000km.

The trip computer’s claim of 4.5L/100km as an apparent cumulative total (including the several hundred kilometres of running-in before the launch) seems fair with a few extra battery charges under its belt prior to the drive.

Charging maxes out at 27kW on DC, or 6.6kW on AC by the way. DC charging should take less than an hour for the Touring’s 19kWh battery.

Toyota really does the hybrid thing well – the engine and electric motor handle duties effortlessly between them, with minimal fuss like noise or gear changes.

The well of power feels deep enough to really let it loose on the highway, if need be, but that also makes it zippy in the city.

This is sure-footed in most scenarios and I like the comfort that brings to the driving.

The steering is direct enough to feel responsive but not sporty. It handles corners well and suspension is well-tuned, so you don’t wince when you hit bumps.

Being set low and having average-sized windows means visibility can be a little hampered when heading down a hill as you bob and weave to see around the rear-view mirror and thick pillars.

The Camry is 4920mm long (33mm longer than previous gen) and it fills out a space. With it's low profile, you have to be careful not to scrape the bottom on anything but it’s still relatively nimble in a car park because of its tight steering and clear 360-degree camera system. 

If I had to buy a BYD today, the Seal 6 Touring makes a very strong case for itself in many ways. But unlike some of its stablemates, the way it drives is one of those ways.

The first day (of two) on the local launch saw a drive from Sydney to Albury on the Hume Highway, not known for being particularly dynamic. But the Seal 6’s relatively compliant suspension and lack of roaring road noise was welcome, at least for sections you couldn’t otherwise blame on the road’s surface.

The second day through some of Victoria’s high country and past Lake Eildon allowed the Seal 6 to prove it’s not a slouch, though calling it a sports car would be a stretch. Instead, the Touring's powertrain tune and apparently well-adjusted suspension and chassis meant spirited driving around twisting mountain roads and through winding backroads was easy, if not always exciting.

Big bumps would sometimes unsettle the Seal 6, but its predictability in most cases makes it feel safe and planted. The steering feel isn’t sportscar-like, but doesn’t leave you guessing and the same goes for pedal inputs.

I do wish the Seal 6 was a little more eager, but it’s not disappointing off the line and certainly has enough pep for daily duties.

There are drive modes, Eco, Normal and Sport plus a Snow mode, though the difference between the three doesn’t seem to be enormous. Eco definitely does what it says on the tin, though. The two regenerative braking levels also don’t seem to be incredibly different.

Also a let-down is the eagerness of the driver monitoring to direct your attention back to the road. When the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) settings were all active I started to tune the monitoring chime out because it would sound with every look at the multimedia screen.

The BYD Seal 6 boasts a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, with a fairly comprehensive safety suite including adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning and automatic braking intervention if a potential collision is detected. There’s also child detection to alert the owner or driver if a child is left in the car.

Seven airbags form the last line of defence in the Seal 6, including an important front-centre airbag.

Critically, these features are all standard across both variants.

The Camry comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty but that can be upped to seven years if you exclusively service with Toyota and on schedule, which is good for the class.

You get five-years capped-priced servicing at just $255 per service, which is extremely reasonable and intervals are good at every 12-months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

The Camry likes the good stuff though and only drinks a minimum of 95 RON unleaded petrol.

BYD’s six-year/150,000km warranty is probably more than you’d need in terms of distance but is behind competitors who offer seven or eight years with unlimited kilometres, even 10 years conditional. An eight-year/160,000km warranty covers the battery, which is about par.

Finally, BYD has set servicing for every 20,000km or 12 months, with  the first five services totalling $2775, an average of $555 a visit. The fourth service is a hefty $1225, for reference.

BYD has more than 100 dealerships in Australia, with the brand still growing quickly.