r/BYDAU

VFACTS just dropped the April 2026 numbers and it’s wild. BYD is now second only to Toyota, beating out Mazda, Kia, and Ford. The Sealion 7 alone moved 1,780 units last month. Do you think this "podium finish" will finally kill the "cheap Chinese car" stigma, or is the 140% year-on-year growth just a result of people fleeing high petrol prices? Also, how are the service centers handling this massive influx- are you finding it harder to book a service now?

The Dolphin seems hard to beat for the price, but I keep hearing people say the Seal or Atto 3 makes more sense long term if you can stretch the budget a bit

Hey all,

Looking to upgrade in the near future and the sea lion 7 is ticking a lot of boxes.

One of my concerns (not just with cars, but with everything these days) is privacy.

I know most modern cars are collecting info, but my test drive with byd was concerning because it seems they have cameras constantly recording? And the vibe with electric cars these days feels like they are always online (correct me if I'm wrong)

I'm assuming they also collect all the other data too. Location/driving habits/microphone etc.

With other technology in my life, I've been able to take steps to limit the sharing of my data (self hosting my music/movie streaming, blocking trackers on my network, etc) its worked for some, but not all.

What has your experience been with your BYD?

Can your car function normally "offline"?

Is it even possible to stop it contacting home?

Is there any clear info on how the data is collected?

Buying a secondhand Atto 3, and I’m planning on removing the “Build Your Dreams” badge from the back. Anyone come up with some good anagrams that I should consider rearranging and sticking it back on as?

so we've had our little Atto 1 for 3 weeks now and we still dont have any sim data.

The app on our phones works and we can preheat or cool the car and lock and unlock, see charging states and all that jazz.... but whenever we try to use the store or anything that needs data it still says no connection.

I realise this isnt a huge deal as we will pretty rarely actually use it, but just wondering if this is normal or if we should try contacting BYD for support.

Hi everyone. What experiences did anyone have with regards with their BYD orders for this year? We ordered last March 23 and still no vin allocation as of this date. We ordered a premium seal in Wollongong.

Just tracked my VIN on Rover and it says "RAV Entry Date" was 11/05/2026. In other's experience, does this mean that it has cleared the port and is in transit to the dealer?

Australia- been told that the 12v battery on the atto 3 needs to be replaced yearly. Is that normal? It’s AUD 300 at the dealer. And this is a special battery that we must get from BYD. Ouch!

Just laying out some of my trial and errors and how I have finally made my monthly bill to be cost neutral and hopefully it helps someone out!

I have a FoxESS 42kWh battery with a 10kW inverter and 6.5kW solar.I have two EVs (one hybrid) to charge – the hybrid needs daily charging.One EV battery is 35.6kWh and the other is 82.56kWh.Charge time 0-100% EV 36 = 5 hours EV 83 = 11.5 hours Charger supplies 7.2kWh (single phase).

With my current provider:

• Daily supply rate is $1.50
• If I don’t use the grid between 6–9pm I get a $1 credit
• I can export 15kWh at $0.15/kWh between 6–9pm, otherwise it’s $0.05/kWh from 4–11pm
• Free electricity during the day (3 hours)

Solar generally starts around 8–9am (assume 9am) and stops around 4:30pm (WINTER). So from ~4:30pm to ~9am (about 16–17 hours), the house runs off the battery.Base house consumption is generally around 400–700W, so assume ~8kWh over that period. Battery cutoff is 10% In winter I run the heater in the morning for about 1–1.5 hours (~6–7kWh), and sometimes at night for another ~1.5 hours.

So roughly battery capacity:

• Start: 42kWh
• Minus 10% reserve → 37.8kWh usable
• Base house load (overnight) → ~8kWh → 29.8kWh
• Morning heater → ~6kWh → 23.8kWh
• Night heater → ~6kWh → 17.8kWh
• Cooking etc → ~3kWh → ~14.8kWh remaining

That leftover is what I’ve got to either charge the cars or export.

Charging:

• 1 hour = 7.2kWh ≈ 36km
• 2 hours = 14.4kWh ≈ 72km
• 3 hours = 21.6kWh ≈ 108km(roughly 1kWh = 5km)

Depending on our schedule the next day and battery %, I might charge 0, 1, 2 or 3 hours. Every day I get a 3 hour free grid import window. During that time:

• I recharge the battery (~20% per hour, so ~60%)
• Solar then tops it up to 100%
• I’ll also charge the EV if I’m home
• Appliances (washing machine, dishwasher etc set on timer if practical)

I’ve got a Zappi charger which will use excess solar to charge the EV before exporting, but I don’t rely on that as it depends if we’re home. The full EV does about 300-400km/week driving. The car range (based on 20kWh/100km will roughly be 400-450km. So I only really need to do one big charge a week not daily. I would usually charge over the weekend using the free window plus solar. Plus I usually have a WFH day so over those 2-3 days it will always reach 100%.

The hybrid generally gets charged daily either overnight or during the free window/solar.

Exporting I only export when it makes sense:

• If I’m not using the heater → I might export ~5kWh = ~$0.75
• If EV battery is full and/or low driving next day → 10–15kWh = $1.50–$2.25
• Weekends I can usually export up to 15kW during peak time.

My goal is cost neutral.

Monthly Cost/Credit:

• $1 credit per night (no grid 6–9pm) → ~$31
• Export target average ~3.6kWh/night → ~$16.50
• Daily supply charge → ~$46.50
• So it pretty much nets out to ~$0 electricity bill.

On top of that, we used to run diesel SUVs at 10L/100km ($20-25/100km), with total fuel costs around $5–8k/year (say ~$6k). That’s basically gone now.

For this to work properly:

• You need a 10kW inverter (anything less struggles to recharge fast enough)
• And a decent sized battery.
• If you have only one EV even better.
  • On the lower consumption days you can discharge max export 15kWh for 2.25 credit. (you only need to do this about 7 times a month to be cost neutral!)

How to set it up.

I do not use Foxess app. I use the Energy Stat app. ( I use this instead of foxess app cause foxess app has caused me issues eg negative house consumption etc). Note someone has told me when logging into the Energy Stat app they could no longer change the export limit when the logged online. I know that you cannot change export limit in the foxess app which is another benefit of energy stat. Most people I talk to haven’t had any issues using the app.

1. Download the Energy stat app
2. Sign in to the FoxESS Cloud portal using your standard credentials.
3. Log into the V1 interface (often accessible at the same URL) using your username rather than your email.
4. Navigate to Profile: Click on your User Profile or Personal Center icon (typically located in the top right corner).
5. API Management: Select API Management or Open API from the menu.
6. Generate Key: Click the "Generate API Key" button. Be sure to copy and securely save the key immediately, as it is required for third-party integrations like Home Assistant
7. Sign into Energy Stat using the API key

Energy Stat

1. Go to settings
2. Inverter
3. Manage Schedule
4. Force Charge 11:00-13:59:59 (Force charge at maximum inverter value mine is 10.5kW up to 100%) Free window charge
5. Force Discharge 18:00-20:59:59 (Force discharge at maximum value of inverter mine is 10.5kW. I cap it at 40% cut off)
6. All other times set it as Use as is. Prepopulate – You can pre populate times based on what you may do e.g.
7. 21:00:00 to 22:59:59 use as is (if you are away on holiday etc and wanted to discharge extra kWh (extra $) than you can easily change this setting from use as is to force discharge).
8. Go back
9. Choose Export Limit. This is where you will determine how much you will discharge over the Forced Discharge period. If you want

• 10kWh = 3400 /hour over 3 hours.
• 15kWh = 5000 /hour over 3 hours
• 0kWh = you can put 0 I usually put 100 I find changing the Export limit easiest way to manage how much I will export that night.

Things to be aware of –

• if your inverter is say 5kW and you export 4kW that leaves 1kW capacity to feed your house. If you consume more than 1kW it will DRAW FROM THE GRID.
• If your consumption at peak is say 6kW (heater cooking etc) than limit export to be less than your inverter size e.g. 10kW inverter therefore target 3.5kW discharge or 3kW to ensure you do not import from grid.
• If you have a Zappi charger on ECO+, when exporting it will think the difference between your discharge and inverter capacity is “excess” and will discharge the difference.
  • I am still trying to find an easy way around this rather than stopping charge in the app during the 6-9 period.

Extra things to do Meter compensation – (People do anywhere from 30-80 depends what you notice as usually being “imported”) Foxess App (iOS)

1. Press me
2. Contact us
3. Support
4. Fill out form (which Product choose others)
5. Include your Inverter Serial Number
6. Submit.
7. They usually respond via email very quickly

Other contact details if you need extra support Foxess 1300 377 369 or service.au@fox-ess.com

I am happy to answer any questions and help where I can. You can DM me.

I am with GLOBIRD Zero Hero plan. If you like I can send you a referral link and we both credit. Regardless happy to help so message away.

Goodluck!

Brisbane buddies- timeline!

I ordered on 13/4, Mist Grey premium. Changed my mind on the colour (I’m impatient!) to Cosmos black and got my VIN and sales contract 1/5.

Been obsessively checking Moleace and Rover. Finally today, the vin is tracking on Rover! Which means it’s come off the boat!! Hopefully have delivery in the next few weeks…!

There seems to be so much mixed info on how LFP batteries should be charged.

The manual basically just says you must charge 100% at least once a week and keep at lower charge when stored for extended periods. Otherwise it gives no info.

Many people seem to just plug it in every day and keep it fully charged constantly. The Engineering Explained video seems to suggest that LFP batteries prefer to be run down by quite a lot and then charged up by a lot

What's YOUR routine and how isd it working for you?

I received another email from BYD today. I ordered a Sealion 7 Premium (Perth dealer) at the end of March. I had already received an email last Tuesday that others have posted here, the main difference I see between this an the last, which may be or not be significant is:

Previous email: Great news! Your order is active and moving smoothly through our allocation process.

Today's email: Great news, your order is secured and positioned for upcoming allocation as vehicles become available.

Secured seems a lot stronger than active, so I am hoping my discount still applies*.*

Hey all

I finally got my car today!

BYD Atto 3 Extended Range etc etc.

I went over that vehicle with a fine tooth comb and then some (its my first ever car in Australia/first brand new car ever / second car ive ever owned in my life vibes) and noted some issues. It was all brought up to their service advisor on-site who said he'd book the car in with the service centre to get it fixed in the upcoming weeks

But the main thing I wanted to know from folks who've collected vehicles..

1. Does anyone else do these type of deep checks before accepting delivery of the vehicle?

(A couple behind us, literally got into their new car and left..no checks nothing)

2. When you did collect your car... was it charged?

It was on 14% when I got home and I dont exactly live ages away from home, more like a 15min drive. (again, second car of my life/first time owning a new car so I dont know how this works in general and am just asking for curiosity sake)

What’s better:

1. A dealer demo Nissan Ariya Evolve (The Top-Spec AWD one) for $57,990 (About 7,000km on the Odometer)

2. A brand new BYD Sealion 7 Premium

Both on a novated lease.

I don’t care about new screen tech, CarPlay is sufficient!

The main thing I car about is ride handling and space in the rear seats for a family of 4.

 hey has anyone else gotten this email yet? its the second update i got since ordering my seal on the 22th of April but still has no date or anything in it yet. wondering how long its usually after this email before you get a VIN allocated? I’m in VIC and its a black seal.

“
Hi,
 
We wanted to keep you updated on your BYDorder.
 
Great news! Your order is active and moving smoothly through our allocation process.
 
We have a significant number of vehicles arriving into Australia and excellent stock availability across our network, we’re well positioned to match your order as vehicles land.
 
Your vehicle is progressing through allocation, and as soon as it’s matched, our team will be in touch straight away with the next steps”

Has anyone had to have repairs done on their sealion 7?

We picked up our new car on FRIDAY and have wiped out my driver side wing 😭

How long does repairs typically take, do they have parts in the country or will I be waiting for months for a replacement.

Hi everyone.

Ordered a Seallion 7 premium on the 31st of march.

Been getting unrealistic timelines from the dealership ever since. Have not been allocated a VIN yet.

How’s everyone else’s orders tracking?

I bought a sealion 7 via novated lease. I ordered direct from the website and picked up the car last Wednesday.

So far I'm super happy with the car, but I am yet to receive back my initial deposit of $1000 as they are required (full cost of car covered under the lease).

They told me they processed it last week but I don't believe them as it hasn't landed in my account. I've asked for a receipt as proof but they just ignore it.

Has anyone else had this challenge? I'm really happy with the car but the service of BYD has been deplorable from the get go. I don't know if they're overwhelmed but there is zero communication or care factor for the customer.