The BYD Zeeleeuw 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV just got even cheaper with a new entry-level Essential trim, priced from $42,990 excluding on-road costs.
The Sealion 6 was already Australia’s most affordable plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and the best-selling PHEV in our market last year, and the new Essential brings the cost of entry down by $3000 compared to the previous Dynamic.
Only the Essential and Premium feature in the 2025 model year lineup, with the latter priced unchanged at $52,990 before on-road costs.
Orders open today and vehicles will arrive in March.
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Although the company announced the prices in a press release, it didn’t say what features have been removed from the old Dynamic to reduce the price, other than to say “all five-star ANCAP safety features have also been retained”. No images of the Essential have been released either.
We will update this article as more information becomes available.
The Essential has the same 18.3 kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery as other Sealion 6 models, and like the Dynamic it has a total system power of 160 kW and 300 Nm.
Unlike the premium Premium, it has front-wheel drive and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds.
Claimed electric-only range is 92 km on the NEDC test cycle, while BYD also claims fuel consumption of 1.1 l/100 km – or 4.8 l/100 km if the state of charge is below 25 percent.
The Sealion 6 is the latest BYD to get the Essential treatment, following last week’s announcement of budget versions of the Atto 3 and Dolphin.
The Atto 3 Essential brings the cost of entry into the electric SUV range down by $4509, while the Dolphin Essential is $6900 less than the Dynamic version it replaces.
Both models have lost features compared to the previous entry-level models, with the Dolphin Essential and Atto 3 Essential missing features such as panoramic glass roofs and wireless phone chargers.
MORE: Everything BYD Zeeleeuw 6
