BYD Sealion 7 cashes in on COE system

The premium electric car has been tuned to make just 100kW of power, qualifying it for Category A COE

- Lee Nian Tjoe

Butchering a central theme from the 1945 literary classic Animal Farm, you can say that all cars are created equal, but some are more equal than others when it comes to the certificate of entitlement (COE) system.

There are two COE categories used to register cars.

Electric cars with up to 110kW of power come under Category A. These are supposed to be smaller mass-market electric cars. By keeping the premium models out, buyers of Category A cars do not have to fight with those who can afford larger, more powerful cars.

That is no longer the case these days as larger and more premium electric cars are appearing in the Category A segment because their power output has been kept below the threshold.

As the price of Category A COEs tend to be lower than Category B’s, the difference can be passed on as a cost saving to the car buyer who is willing to accept having no more than 110kW of power on an otherwise premium model.

The BYD Sealion 7, a relatively large and plush electric sport utility vehicle, is the latest to be available in Category A COE-compliant form.

It serves as the entry-level version to the Sealion 7 range, slipping below the 230kW Category B version, which continues to be sold.

Visually, there is very little to differentiate this latest 100kW version from the one with 230kW.

The body has a rakish profile, with slightly squarish black plastic wheel arch extensions. The door handles are motorised and extend when the car is unlocked.

The handsome 19-inch alloys wear premium Continental-branded tyres, and the ones on the rear axle are wider than those in front, a trait more common among high-end sports cars.