Typically, your expectations can’t be high for any car priced below P 900,000, let alone a battery electric one; after all, the ones launched thus far may have provided its drivers no emissions driving, but at the expense of any semblance of comfort or refinement. That’s before the BYD Seagull came to town. Now that it’s here, it’s managed to upend not just what entry-level BEVs are capable of, but in the process, managed to do the same for any and all sub-B-segment hatchbacks.

These proportions also contribute a lot to give the Seagull its unique looks. With the wheels pushed out far to the corners as possible and the use of sharp angles throughout, it has a strong futuristic brutalist vibe—something that’ll make it fit with in the Blade Runner aesthetic, the Sprout Green colorway notwithstanding. The black garnish that traces the fenders and runs through the lower part of the doors is a nice touch too as it reduces the tall boy appearance, while also highlighting where the BYD Blade Battery lies. Any issues? Honestly, just one: the absence of a rear wiper. Although the rear spoiler juts out far enough to possibly deflect light rain, rear visibility might become an issue during instances of heavy downpour.

Having said that, any semblance of high-speed driving will quickly deplete the battery. With just 75 horsepower and 135 Nm of torque to command, the Seagull doesn’t cut it on expressways and highways—even if features like cruise control come as standard. 50 km/h comes quickly enough (4.9 seconds), but it takes almost three times as much (13 seconds) to reach 100 km/h. Top speed is set at just 130 km/h. But even before the speedometer hits three digits, the thin glass results in copious amounts of noise. Once or twice you’ll wonder if you left any of the windows open.

Another high point for the Seagull is its interior. Again, sub-B-segment hatchbacks conjure up images of bargain bin plastics and build quality reminiscent of anything from Temu; that’s not the case here. Hard plastics are still the order of the day, and you’ll find them easily on the dashboard and door cards, but the quality is convincing enough to offer a feel of durability. Even better, the strategic use of soft PVC material on the doors and center console as well as colors uplift the entire experience.

For those who’re not fans of screen swiping, there’s a row of physical switches below the screen. This allows quick access to commands like the infotainment volume, drive modes, auto hold, and AC controls. It also happens to integrate the gear selector which you toggle up twice or go through the detent for Reverse or down for Drive. Pressing the button at the side puts it into Park.

The Seagull loses points in two areas. One, is its ability to quickly cool the cabin. Because the AC coolant is the same one that conditions the LFP battery, it can sometimes take a while for it to blast cold air to the occupants. Once or twice, you’d think you switched the compressor off or that the AC conked out. This can be a genuine issue, compounded by the heat-absorbing PVC seats. The second is its lack of luggage room. Although the 230-liter hold is good enough to fit a couple of hand-carry luggage and duffel bags, any trip to a big box store means having to collapse the rear seat. Though it grows to 930 liters, the lack of a 60/40 split-fold cuts down the passenger count to just two. And even so, the load bay’s not flat. Plus, unlike other EVs, there’s no false floor here. Bring the tire inflator kit and portable charger, and you’ll see the available luggage room quickly disappear.

And that’s pretty much the gist for the BYD Seagull. Not only does it achieve what it’s designed and intended to be, meaning an urban runabout, but it does so with very high marks. Among the BYD EVs we’ve tested, and that includes the Dolphin and Atto 3 so far, this is the most convincing one yet. When BYD said they’d democratize EV ownership with the Seagull, nobody had any inkling that it’ll come up with something this affordable, yet so well-made. Not only does the BYD Seagull manage to outclass other EVs in this price range, it’s managed to outclass every other sub-B-segment hatchback in the market.