BYD Seal, Hyundai Ioniq 6 battle for Cat A supremacy

Two mid-sized rear-wheel-drive electric sedans, one winner in the slightly less punitive COE category

- Christopher Tan

If you are among the minority of motorists who still prefer sedans for their sleeker, lower-slung design and the attendant superior driving dynamics, here are two mid-sized options.

Both are electric rear-wheel-drive models that qualify for the slightly less punitive Category A certificate of entitlement (COE).

In one corner, there is the Hyundai Ioniq 6, measuring 4,855mm long, 1,880mm wide and 1,495mm tall with a 2,950mm wheelbase. The model comes with a 401-litre boot and a 45-litre frunk. It has a 5.9m turning radius and weighs 1,833kg with a 53kWh battery.

In the other corner is the BYD Seal, measuring 4,800mm long, 1,875mm wide and 1,460mm tall with a 2,920mm wheelbase. It has a 400-litre boot and a 53-litre frunk. The car has a 5.7m turning radius and weighs 1,922kg — partly on account of its larger 61.4kWh battery.

Visually, they differ in size a lot more than the numbers suggest, with the Hyundai coming across as substantially larger.

Perhaps it has to do with the Korean's design, which I think makes it look a tad like a compressed Volkswagen Beetle — with its bonnet, roof and boot forming a continuous convex line.