2025 BYD Sealion 6 Premium Extended Range joins PHEV line-up

BYD Australia has announced a new flagship BYD Sealion 6 Premium Extended Range version of its plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV has joined its line-up.

The top-spec all-wheel drive is priced from $52,990 before on-road costs - exactly the same cost as the Premium version with the standard battery.

Choose the larger powerpack and the BYD Sealion 6 Premium Extended Range can travel 130km on all-electric power alone, up from the 80km the mid-size plug-in can cover with the standard battery.

Like before, the Sealion 6 remains all-wheel drive, but the new Extended Range version switches out the 18.3kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery for a larger 26.6kWh LFP pack that is now available Premium as well the Dynamic trim announced recently.

But unlike the $1000 premium you have to pay to specify the larger battery in the Dynamic grade, the combination of Premium trim and bigger battery are priced at an identical $52,990 plus on-roads as the Premium Standard Range.

With the bigger battery, the Sealion 6 comes with a 150kW/300Nm front e-motor and a smaller 120kW/250Nm rear motor that is fed electricity by a 96kW/220Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine.

Combined fuel use is claimed to be 1.1L/100km, up from the 0.8L/100lm claimed for the less well-equipped Dynamic trim with the same powertrain.

Signalling a win-win for the identically priced Extended Range, total system power for the Sealion 6 with the larger power pack is 253kW (up from 238kW), although total torque remains pegged at an identical 550Nm.

Off the line, the Sealion 6 Extended Range takes 5.5 seconds to sprint from 0-100km/h, 0.4 seconds quicker than the Premium Standard Range.

The new battery can be topped up at 6.6kW using AC power and 18kW using a faster DC charger.

Standard equipment for the new addition matches the existing Premium trim, with LED headlamps, 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic roof, electric tailgate, adaptive cruise, rear privacy glass, head-up display, 12.3inch digital instrument cluster, 15.6-inch infotainment system, 10-speaker premium sound system and a heated and ventilated 8-way electrically adjustable driver's seat (4-way passenger).

Driver assist kit includes blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, front cross-traffic and rear cross-traffic assist and safe-exit warning.

Available with just two interior colours, the flagship plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV comes in either Arctic White, Stone Grey, Harbour Grey or Cosmos black paint options.

The new BYD Sealion 6 Premium Extended Range landed in Australian dealerships from the beginning of September.

The BYD Sealion 6 range starts at $42,990 plus on-roads for the front-wheel drive Essential Standard Range.

The BYD Sealion 6 is already a firm hit Down Under, with more than 4375 of them finding homes this year so far, a comfortable lead over the genre-defining Mitsubishi Outlander (2961) that invented the segment.

Only the Shark 6 PHEV ute outsells it in the BYD line-up.

The arrival of the new Extended Range in combination with the Premium trim could tempt yet more converts to the Chinese brand.

Offering plenty of kit and an EV-only range that will help most Australians avoid the petrol engine Monday-Friday and a combined range of more than 1000km come the weekend or holidays, the new BYD Sealion 6 Premium Extended Range is a tempting proposition at an attractive price.

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