Yes, BYD Cars Philippines has yet another brand-new car launch, but this one is poised to be a particularly important model. The BYD Seagull is a fully-electric subcompact hatchback. It’s BYD’s entry to the emerging small-EV segment, and is positioned as an affordable, easy-to-drive starter electric vehicle.
Just how affordable? Read on.
Watch: BYD Seagull first drive
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Variants and prices
At launch, only one variant exists for this model: the BYD Seagull GLX, with an introductory price of P898,000. We’ll let you know what the regular price will be once the introductory period is over.
Exterior
The Sprout Green hero color seen here gives away the fact that the Seagull’s target market is Gen Z (or their parents). But even if you opt for the Delan Black or the Apricity White exterior color, this is still a very eye-catching car with an angular silhouette, atypical character lines, and extroverted styling. Where most tiny EVs entering the market go for a cute image, the Seagull presents itself as more cool than cute.
The hatchback measures 3,780mm long, 1,715mm wide, and 1,580mm tall, making it 510mm shorter from end to end, 55mm narrower, and 10mm taller than the Dolphin with which it shares the same platform. Its wheelbase is 2,500mm, and riding on on 16-inch wheels with 175/55 tires, it has a ground clearance of 120mm.
Interior
You’ll find more of the exterior’s angular shapes on the dashboard architecture and interior door panels of the Seagull. The cabin color scheme is black and a very light grayish blue, with highlighter-green accent stitching and A/C vent details.
The seven-inch instrument display and the 10.1-inch central touchscreen look like a smartphone and a tablet, respectively, so young drivers should feel particularly at home in this cockpit. Party trick coming up: That central touchscreen rotates, so it can be oriented horizontally or vertically depending on your preference. We’re happy to report there are physical buttons on the dash and the steering wheel.
And yes, those front seats are bucket seats. You have to wonder if a car like the Seagull needs this type of perch, but we’ll find out how comfy they are once we’re able to do a proper test drive.
In the back, cargo capacity is 230 liters with all seats up. Flip the rear seats down and that space expands to 930 liters.
Powertrain and specs
The Seagull gets a single electric motor that generates 74hp and 135Nm of torque, delivered to the front wheels. The provided acceleration stat is 0-50kph in 4.9sec, en route to a top speed of 130kph.
It draws charge from a BYD Blade battery, which claims to have improved safety and longevity over regular EV batteries. The 30kWh unit here promises driving range of up to 300km (NEDC). You probably won’t get that far if you go around in Sport mode, but for more range-conscious driving situations, there’s Normal and Economy.
With a CCS2 charger, the Seagull supports DC charging up to 30kW and AC charging up to 6.6kW. When plugged into a fast-charger, the battery can be topped up from 30% to 80% in 30 minutes. A wallbox can recharge the battery from 0% to 100% in five hours. Because the car supports V2L, you can plug in gadgets or small appliances using the included V2L adapter.
For its underpinnings, the Seagull sits on MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam at the back—standard fare for this class of car. Stoppers are a combination of front vented discs and rear solid discs. These work in tandem with the regenerative braking system to provide additional charge to the battery while you’re on the go.
Extra features
The Seagull packs a respectable amount of tech and safety features for its price point.
Aside from the smart key, you also get an NFC card for keyless entry. Smartphone integration is delivered here via Wireless Apple CarPlay and Wireless Android Auto in addition to Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calls and audio streaming. Sound output is via two speakers and two tweeters.
If you’re really allergic to cables, there’s a wireless charging pad, too. Got more gadgets to charge? There’s a USB-A port, a USB-C port, and the good old 12V power socket. Voice assist is also standard, but we’ve yet to try that out.
You don’t get much by way of advanced driver assistance, but BYD has equipped the Seagull with the DiPilot system, which includes a rearview camera, three sensors, and cruise control. For safety, there’s also traction and stability control, vehicle dynamic control, and hill-start assist, among others.
BYD is offering a six-year vehicle or 150,000km warranty (whichever comes first) for the Seagull. There are separate warranties for the electric components, too, namely an eight-year battery or 150,000km warranty and an eight-year or 150,000km motor warranty.
What are your thoughts on the latest EV to arrive on our shores? Do you think the BYD Seagull is a good point of entry into the world of full electrification?
More photos of the BYD Seagull 2025:
