BYD Sealion 7 vs GAC Aion V: Which Electric SUV Should You Buy in Australia?

The BYD Sealion 7 vs GAC Aion V decision comes down to one trade. The Aion V is about $12,400 cheaper, goes further on a charge and carries a longer warranty. The Sealion 7 is bigger, quicker and has a much larger boot, and it comes from a brand with a far bigger dealer network.

Both are five-seat electric SUVs with LFP batteries, both scored five stars from ANCAP in 2025, and both are under the FBT threshold for a novated lease. They are not the same size of car, though, and that matters more than any single spec. The Sealion 7 is 225 mm longer and rides on a 155 mm longer wheelbase. If you are cross-shopping these two, you are choosing between a mid-size SUV at a bargain price and a larger one that costs more.

Both brands are running sharp offers right now, so the gap on paper is not the gap you will pay. Here is how they compare on the numbers that matter.

BYD Sealion 7 vs GAC Aion V: the key specs

The Aion V wins on price, range per kWh and warranty. The Sealion 7 wins on power, space and charging speed. Every figure below is for the Australian-delivered car.

	GAC Aion V Premium / Luxury	BYD Sealion 7 Premium	BYD Sealion 7 Performance
Price before on-roads (Oct 2026)	$42,590 / $44,590	$54,990	$63,990
Drive	FWD	RWD	AWD
Power / torque	150 kW / 210 Nm	230 kW / 380 Nm	390 kW / 690 Nm
0 to 100 km/h	7.9 sec	6.7 sec	4.5 sec
Battery	75.26 kWh LFP	82.56 kWh LFP Blade	82.56 kWh LFP Blade
WLTP range	510 km	482 km	456 km
Peak DC charging	180 kW	150 kW	150 kW
Onboard AC charger	11 kW	11 kW	11 kW
Length / wheelbase	4,605 / 2,775 mm	4,830 / 2,930 mm	4,830 / 2,930 mm
Boot (rear + frunk)	427 L	500 + 58 = 558 L	500 + 58 = 558 L
Braked towing	Not rated	Check with BYD	1,500 kg
ANCAP	5 stars (2025)	5 stars (2025)	5 stars (2025)
Vehicle warranty	8 years / unlimited km	6 years / 150,000 km	6 years / 150,000 km
Battery warranty	8 years / 200,000 km	8 years / 160,000 km	8 years / 160,000 km

Sealion 7 specs are from the BYD Australia Sealion 7 page and its 2026 spec sheet. Aion V battery, range, charging and warranty figures are from the GAC Australia Aion V page. Prices, Aion V power and boot figures are from Australian launch coverage, so confirm with a dealer.

Price and current offers: what you actually pay

The Aion V costs less in every scenario. As of October 2026 the Aion V Premium lists at $42,590 before on-road costs and the Luxury at $44,590. The Sealion 7 Premium lists at $54,990 and the Performance at $63,990.

Offers change the picture a little. BYD’s offers page lists a $4,000 cashback on both Sealion 7 variants for finance approved by 21 December 2026 and delivered by 31 December 2026. BYD also lists a 6% novated lease discount on the Sealion 7. GAC is advertising a free 22 kW wall charger with the Aion V on its Australian site, and The Beep’s October 2026 price listing shows a $2,000 cashback on the Premium.

Run those offers through and the real gap between the two Premium models is still around $8,000 to $10,000. That buys a lot of electricity.

Novated lease buyers often see a smaller weekly difference than the sticker gap suggests. One quote we saw had the two cars only about $25 a week apart once cashback and the lease structure were applied. The reason is that lease payments come from pre-tax salary and the GST credit trims the purchase price. Get both cars quoted by the same provider, on the same term and kilometres, before you decide. Our novated lease calculator gives you a starting figure.

Both cars sit well under the FBT luxury car threshold of $91,661 for 2026–27, so both qualify for the ATO electric car FBT exemption. The May 2026 Budget announced a wind-back of the exemption for pricier EVs from April 2027, but both of these cars are priced below the level where that change would bite.

Range and efficiency: the Aion V goes further on less

The Aion V claims 510 km WLTP from a 75.26 kWh battery. The Sealion 7 Premium claims 482 km from 82.56 kWh. That is 28 km more range from a battery that is 7.3 kWh smaller.

Efficiency explains it. The Aion V is smaller, lighter and drives its front wheels with a single 150 kW motor. The Sealion 7 Premium weighs 2,225 kg at the kerb, according to BYD’s spec sheet.

Australian road tests back this up. Chasing Cars measured the Aion V at about 15 kWh/100km. The same outlet recorded 18.4 kWh/100km around town in the Sealion 7 and 21.5 kWh/100km on the highway. The Driven saw about 23 kWh/100km at highway speed, which works out to roughly 360 km between charges on a long run.

What does that mean in dollars? Say you drive 15,000 km a year and charge at home for 30c/kWh. At 15 kWh/100km the Aion V costs about $675 a year to run. At 19 kWh/100km the Sealion 7 costs about $855. It is a real saving, but at $180 a year it should not decide this comparison on its own. Try our EV charging cost calculator with your own tariff.

Both cars use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry. LFP is a battery type that tolerates regular charging to 100% without the degradation worries of nickel-based cells, so the full claimed range is usable day to day.

Charging: faster DC on the Aion V, same AC at home

The Aion V charges faster on a DC fast charger. GAC lists a 180 kW peak, and Australian reviewers quote 10 to 80% in about 24 minutes. The Sealion 7 peaks at 150 kW, and the claimed 10 to 80% time is about 32 minutes.

On a road trip that is an eight-minute difference per stop. It is noticeable, though most people will be buying a coffee anyway.

At home there is no difference. Both cars have an 11 kW onboard charger. The onboard charger (OBC) is the part inside the car that converts AC power from your wall into DC power for the battery, and it sets the ceiling for home charging speed.

This is where the Aion V’s free 22 kW wall charger needs explaining. Buyers keep asking whether it will charge the car twice as fast. It will not. The car can only accept 11 kW, so a 22 kW charger runs at 11 kW at best. That requires three-phase power, which most Australian houses do not have. On a typical single-phase supply, any wall charger tops out at about 7.4 kW. That still refills the Aion V from 10 to 100% overnight. Check whether the offer includes installation, because a standard install usually costs more than the hardware.

If you are unsure what your house has, our guide to single-phase vs three-phase EV charging explains how to check.

Both cars also offer vehicle-to-load (V2L). V2L lets you power appliances from the car’s battery through an adaptor. The Sealion 7 is rated at 3.3 kW, while GAC lists up to 7 kW for the Aion V on its Australian page. Either is enough for a fridge, power tools or a camping kettle.

Space, comfort and cabin

The Sealion 7 is the bigger, more upmarket car. It has a 558 L boot including a 58 L front trunk, against the Aion V’s 427 L with no frunk. If you carry a pram, golf clubs or dog crates, test both with your own gear.

Inside, owners and reviewers keep praising the Sealion 7’s materials and seats. BYD fits heated and ventilated front seats to both variants. The driver gets power lumbar adjustment and a power leg rest. There is a 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen, a Dynaudio sound system and a powered sunshade for the glass roof. The Sealion 7 has been one of Australia’s best-selling EVs in 2026, with 19,964 sales to the end of September according to VFACTS and Electric Vehicle Council data compiled by The Driven.

The Aion V fights back on rear-seat comfort. Its back seat reclines, rear passengers get their own vents and heated outboard seats, and legroom is generous for the car’s footprint. Both trims have heated and ventilated front seats, and the Luxury adds front massage.

Ride quality splits opinion on both. Reviewers describe the Sealion 7 as comfort-tuned, with frequency-selective dampers front and rear. Some testers found it fidgety over sharp bumps, especially on the Performance’s 20-inch wheels. The Aion V is smooth around town but softer at the rear, and Australian testers found it bouncing on rough country roads. If your commute includes potholed back roads, drive both on them.

The Sealion 7 is also faster. The Premium does 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds and the dual-motor Performance in 4.5 seconds. The Aion V takes 7.9 seconds, which is adequate but not quick when you are merging onto a freeway with a full car.

Driver assists and infotainment: annoyances on both

Both cars nag. That is the most consistent complaint from Australian reviewers and owners for each model.

The Sealion 7’s lane-keeping assist was described as hypersensitive in some tests, and its driver-attention monitor switches back on every time you start the car. The Aion V has the same reset-every-drive driver monitor and a lane-keep system that can steer sharply. The Aion V puts nearly every control in its 14.6-inch touchscreen, including mirror adjustment, which means leaving Apple CarPlay to change a setting.

Neither problem is a deal-breaker, but both are worth testing on a real drive rather than a lap of the dealer car park. A test drive of at least 30 minutes, including a stretch of highway, will tell you whether the alerts will drive you mad.

Towing, warranty and ownership

The Aion V cannot tow. It is not rated for a braked trailer in Australia, so it rules itself out for anyone with a caravan, boat or even a box trailer. Australian spec listings give the Sealion 7 Performance a 1,500 kg braked rating. The Premium’s figure varies between sources, so confirm it with BYD before you buy if towing matters.

Warranty favours GAC. The Aion V’s vehicle warranty runs 8 years with no kilometre limit, and its battery is covered for 8 years or 200,000 km. GAC also includes 5 years of roadside assistance. The Sealion 7 has a 6-year, 150,000 km vehicle warranty and an 8-year, 160,000 km battery warranty, according to BYD Australia.

Servicing is due every 12 months on both. The Sealion 7’s interval is 20,000 km and BYD publishes capped-price servicing. The Aion V’s interval is 15,000 km, and GAC had not published capped prices when we checked.

The bigger ownership question is the brand. BYD has a national network and a large owner base, which helps with resale and parts. GAC launched here in late 2025 and had about 30 dealer locations by May 2026, according to The Driven. Sales are still small, with 937 Aion Vs delivered from July to September 2026 in the same data set. That leaves more uncertainty about resale values. Our guide to EV depreciation in Australia explains why newer brands tend to lose value faster.

Which one should you buy?

Buy the GAC Aion V if price and efficiency come first. It suits a household that doesn’t tow and wants the most range and warranty for the money. It is a good fit for a commuter who mostly drives with one or two people on board. It also suits anyone salary packaging who wants the lowest possible weekly cost.

Buy the BYD Sealion 7 if you need the space, the performance or the towing. It is the better family car for long trips with luggage. The interior feels a class above, and the larger dealer network is a genuine safety net if something goes wrong.

If the Sealion 7 is on your list, our full BYD Sealion 7 review goes deeper on running costs. Our Tesla Model Y vs BYD Sealion 7 comparison covers its most obvious rival. You can also line both cars up against other models on our electric vehicles hub, including the Sealion 7 Premium spec page.