China’s BYD has become the world’s largest electric vehicle maker because it controls its entire supply chain, from batteries and motors to electronics and assembly, which allows it to cut costs and react quickly to market changes. Unlike most rivals, including Tesla, BYD designs and manufactures its own lithium iron phosphate LFP Blade batteries completely in-house. This pack offers owners impressive durability, safety, and much more competitive affordability. The brand’s vertical integration means it doesn’t have to rely on outside suppliers, which protects it from global shortages. BYD also benefits from government incentives at home, but it is subject to aggressive exports to Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
The Seagull is the brand’s entry-level EV offering, which it launched in China in April 2023. As of May 2025, BYD confirms that the Seagull has sold 60,131 individual copies, making it one of BYD’s top-performing models. Across the global market, BYD sells hundreds of thousands of vehicles monthly. January 2025 alone saw it sell 300,538 EVs, and in 2024 its monthly output climbed steadily, peaking above 500,000 in December. BYD achieves this despite not having any presence in the American market whatsoever, which is an incredible feat considering this region is one of the fastest-growing ones for mass EV adoption.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from BYD and other authoritative sources.
How Much A Seagull Would Cost In The U.S.
It’s Quite A Task To Add Tariffs And Import Estimates
Pricing for the BYD Seagull starts at around 55,800 yuan, which roughly converts to $7,800 as per the exchange rates at the time of penning this. It benefits from such an obscenely low price because the region’s government has applied some aggressive rebates and cuts. Originally, the Chinese brand had it priced at around 69,800 yuan, which is about $9,700.
To try to get some understanding of what you’d pay for one of these in the U.S., we have to hypothesize a series of import duties, taxes, and other fees. Shipping is the first cost that we have to consider, as the Seagull is exclusively assembled in China. Assume ocean freight will typically run you $2,750 per car, plus the standard U.S. MPF entry fee, which is 0.3464 percent with a floor near $33, and a 0.125-percent HMF fee. MPF is a broader fee for all imports to cover customs processing costs, calculated as a percentage of cargo value with minimums and maximums, or a flat rate for informal entries. HMF applies only to ocean shipments to fund harbor improvements.
BYD Seagul Export Cost Estimate
|
Component |
Value |
|
Base MSRP |
$9,700 |
|
Section 301 Duty |
$9,700 |
|
Passenger Car Duty |
$242.50 |
|
Extra 25 Percent Tariff |
$2,425 |
|
Ocean Freight |
$2,750 |
|
MPF |
$33.60 |
|
HMF |
$12.12 |
|
Estimated Dealer Margin |
$1,739.42 |
|
Final Price |
$26,603.65 |
Section 301 on Chinese EVs dictates a 100-percent tariff on the Seagull’s purchase price, plus the normal 2.5-percent passenger car duty. If the additional 25 percent global auto tariff that is now in force stacks as well, the final price increases to about $26,603 MSRP. No US federal EV tax credit would apply because the car is not finally assembled in North America, and battery rules disqualify Chinese-built models.
How Much Europeans Are Paying For The Seagull
BYD launched its tiny EV in Europe under the Dolphin Surf moniker, just beneath the compact Dolphin EV, with three trims and a starting MSRP of €22,990, which roughly converts to $26,685.70. This falls in line with our calculations above, but the region has its own set of unique taxes and tariffs.
The EU imposes a 17.4 percent import duty on BYD EVs, plus the standard 15 percent tariff, raising landed costs significantly. This elevates the final sale price in Europe well above the China baseline. This is even before transport and dealer markup are added.
The Seagull’s Impressive Standard Features
BYD offers the Seagull in two configurations with standard features that are typically consistent across the global market. The entry-level Active model’s standard features include:
- A seven-inch combination instrument cluster
- Leatherette seat upholstery
- Manually adjustable front seats
- Single-zone climate control
- A 10.1-inch central touchscreen infotainment system
- Four-speaker sound system
On the exterior front, you get conventional halogen headlights and a full-width LED taillight configuration, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, and 15-inch steel wheels. Upgrading to the more premium Fly trim adds 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a faux-leather-upholstered steering wheel, a wireless smartphone charger, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, and front seat heating.
It’s Not Going Anywhere In A Hurry
As you might expect, the BYD Seagull isn’t what you’d necessarily call a performance EV. Efficiency is the primary objective for this product, which the brand executes via a single front-mounted permanent magnet synchronous electric motor that generates just 74 horsepower and 100 pound-feet. This is enough to get you from 0-60 MPH in about 13 seconds before hitting the limited 81 MPH top speed.
For the sake of keeping things simple and compact, BYD equips this model with a 30-kWh battery pack, which is enough to cover Active for 190 miles and the Fly for 252 miles. The brand bases these figures on the Chinese CLTC, which is known to be a very generous testing cycle. Thanks to the battery’s compact proportions and 6.6-kW onboard charger, you can expect the battery to recharge from 30 to 80 percent via a DC Level Three fast charging, limited to 30 kW, in just 30 minutes.
Urban-Focused Exterior Proportions
BYD Designs This Small Hatch For The City
BYD has designed its entry-level EV with urban and extra-urban environments in mind. It measures just 148.9 inches long, 67.5 inches wide, and 60.7 inches tall, with a generous 98.4-inch wheelbase, thanks to its incredibly short front and rear overhangs, and 59-inch front and rear track.
The brand doesn’t disclose interior dimensions, but you are only going to get to make use of 8.1 cubic feet of trunk space, making it an incredibly impractical vehicle option if you’re even planning on lugging a medium-sized suitcase around. This is strictly an urban commuter vehicle, so trunk space isn’t really a priority for those looking at this model. You can expand this to 32.8 cubic feet by folding the rear bench down.
America’s Hesitance To BYD’s Business
While we have conducted this pricing estimation, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever get to see BYD’s products on American roads. This is due to a mix of political, economic, and regulatory barriers that create an uncompetitive commercial environment for Chinese automakers, regardless of how well their products perform in global markets.
The U.S. government has consistently viewed Chinese companies in strategic sectors like energy, technology, and transport as national security risks. With BYD being a state-supported firm with ties to the Chinese government, it falls into that category, without contention. Current U.S. policy already limits Chinese-made vehicles through tariffs, such as the aforementioned 100 percent markup on imports. This makes it impossible for BYD to sell cars competitively without building local factories. Even if it were able to do so, American production by a Chinese company is blocked by political pressure, with lawmakers on both sides warning against Chinese automakers setting up manufacturing in North America.
Additionally, U.S. electric vehicle incentives explicitly exclude foreign-made EVs that rely on Chinese supply chains, undermining one of BYD’s biggest advantages of low-cost batteries and vertically integrated production. On the industry side, U.S. unions strongly oppose Chinese automakers entering the domestic market, fearing job losses, while American automakers lobby aggressively to keep rivals like BYD out. Even if BYD wanted to focus on fleet or commercial vehicles, which it already does in limited capacity with electric buses assembled in California, expanding to mainstream passenger cars would invite immediate political backlash. Taken together, trade restrictions, lack of access to subsidies, bipartisan political hostility, and public suspicion make the U.S. the least viable major market for BYD, so the company continues to focus on Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and other regions where regulations are less politically charged and entry strategies are more feasible.
How BYD Made Its Mark In A Growing Industry
BYD began in 1995 when chemist Wang Chuanfu founded the company in Shenzhen with the aim of producing rechargeable batteries at a lower cost than Japanese rivals by relying on cheaper labor and vertical integration, quickly becoming a leading supplier of lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium batteries for global electronics firms such as Motorola and Nokia before moving into the automotive sector in 2003 after acquiring the struggling Xi’an Qinchuan Auto.
Wang applied BYD’s manufacturing model to cars, focusing on cost control, in-house production of key components, and rapid scaling, which gave the company an advantage as the Chinese government started promoting electric mobility to reduce pollution and reliance on imported oil. BYD’s early experiments with plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles positioned it ahead of many legacy automakers, and by 2008, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway recognized its potential, investing $230 million for a 10 percent stake that boosted its credibility.
Success came from its ability to control the entire supply chain from batteries to semiconductors to final assembly, ensuring lower costs and fewer supply disruptions, while aggressive domestic expansion in China built the scale needed to undercut rivals. As global EV demand grew, BYD leveraged its home market dominance, extensive research into iron phosphate batteries, and government incentives to surpass traditional carmakers, eventually overtaking Tesla in 2022 as the world’s largest EV maker.
Unlike many competitors that rely on suppliers, BYD’s integrated approach and willingness to innovate quickly allowed it to build a vast lineup of affordable and premium models across sedans, SUVs, and buses, making it a dominant force in domestic and global markets. Wang’s vision of combining battery expertise with vehicle production enabled BYD to rise from a modest startup to one of the most influential automakers in the world.