The BYD M6 arrived late last year and is probably the best bang-for-buck EV on the market still.
Last year proved to be a key turning point for BYD in Malaysia. The Chinese electric car company beat Tesla locally with over 8,500 units sold and with entries like the M6 and Sealion 7 being launched in the last quarter of the year, the sales momentum will be kept up in 2025. While the Sealion 7 feels a lot like a crossover version of the already popular Seal, the M6 feels like its own thing on many levels.
Here’s what we mean. Of all the electric vehicles sold in Malaysia, the BYD M6 stands alone in being the only compact MPV with three rows of seats well below RM200,000. In fact, it’s the only one of its kind below RM250,000. Within BYD’s own range, the M6 also stands alone as being the only vehicle with roots that trace back before the 2020s. The vehicle is derived from the Song Max from 2017. Both of these unique characteristics have their part to play in the M6’s package.
Starting with the price to performance, there’s no denying BYD hit a home run with the M6. They’ve got a one-of-a-kind vehicle on their hands – something that will cater to upgraders from a Perodua Alza or Honda BR-V, yet something that also comes in at just RM110,000.
That starting price is about as low as one could ask for given the artificial RM100,000 price barrier set up by the Malaysian government on imported electric vehicles. The RM123,800 BYD M6 Extended Range model we tested may sound like a much worse deal given it has the same torque output, however, the upgrade in range makes it the best deal for Ringgit spent kilometer of range of any electric vehicle.
There’s no denying the value proposition of the BYD M6 regardless of which trim level you’re looking at. Plus, they’ve done a fine job in perceived quality. Step inside and it doesn’t feel like one of the cheapest cars in its class. Wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and a 12.8″ rotating display? Luxury amenities pre-pandemic.
The screen is large (and rotates in typical BYD fashion), you get a large panoramic sunroof, brown leather upholstery, and enough equipment to satisfy at this price point. There are ceiling mounted air cond vents for each row too. So, what’s the catch?
Well, the catch is that it’s really not that usable as a 7-seater. At launch, there was a lot of talk about how the M6 was closer in size to an Innova than it was to a Veloz. Well, I think that may have set some unnecessarily high expectations.
Just like the Perodua Alza, the BYD M6 is best treated as a 5+2 seater rather than a 7-seater. Mind you, we still think it’s better to have 2 extra seats and not need them but this is no direct replacement to a purpose-built MPV like the Nissan Serena, Honda Odyssey or Toyota Innova. The ‘Space’ on the C-pillar betrays a certain insecurity the company has about this product – it’s not really as big as it looks.
The first thing that really tipped me off to this was when I moved from the driver’s seat to the middle row. I found my knees a little constrained with the driver seat in the position I had left it, indicating to me that if four 6 feet tall adults found themselves in this one car, it would be a bit of a squeeze.
That being said, for your typical ‘Malaysian-sized’ commuter, the BYD M6 should serve just fine. Another aspect of the M6 that ‘over-promised’ was the range. This model’s official range quotes the generous NEDC protocol, where WLTP has become recognised as the more realistic measure. That being said, even when roughly converted to WLTP ranges, the BYD M6 is still a range topper in terms of Ringgit per KM spent.
In terms of drive, there’s not much to complain about. The BYD M6 Extended puts out 204PS and 310Nm of torque which gets you from 0-100km/h in just 8.1 seconds. Contextually-speaking, this is plenty of power for a car of this class and price point. Being an electric vehicle, it’s utterly quiet as well. NVH is top notch too.
This isn’t a particularly dynamic vehicle, but it’s about as sorted as one could expect. The only weakness seems to be the way the rear suspension handles harsh undulations at speed. It almost feels as if the weight of the entire battery pack comes crashing down on those rear tyres if you’re going even a little faster than you should be over a speed bump.
Are there other gripes? Yes, of course. BYD continues to disappoint with slow 7kW AC charging and DC fast charging speeds aren’t anything to write home about either. Additionally, while I’m all for smaller sized wheels on MPVs, the 17″ wheels look at least a size too small by 2024/2025 standards. In fact it might be one of the few remaining cars over the six figure mark to have wheels of this size as the largest option. I also found it a little bit unsettling that the car came with analogue dials. On principle, I like the concept of having a touch of ‘mechanical’ in an otherwise digital car, but in practice the instrument cluster just looks out of place and even lags behind user input significantly.
In summary, there’s very little to complain about with the BYD M6. The people at the showroom may try to sell you on the karaoke function (and some of my younger colleagues have actually enjoyed this function), but the essence of the key selling point of the car is the amount of utility it offers for the price.
As I noted at the beginning of the review, there’s nothing in the segment that offers this many seats at this low of a price. If you must have one EV and it must do all things for the least amount of money then the BYD M6 makes a case for itself. However, if you’re in the market for a proper people mover, then the Aion Y Plus has rear doors that open wider and rear seats that are more accommodating (though the car only seats 5) and the Nissan Serena offers a more versatile hybrid powertrain with a much more passenger-pampering seat layout (though it’s pricier, older and worse in many other aspects).
2024 BYD M6 Extended Specifications
Motor: Single Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (FWD)
Range: 530km (NEDC)
Charging Speed: 115kWh DC, 7kW AC
Max power: 204PS
Max torque: 310Nm
0-100 km/h: 8.6 seconds
Price: RM123,800
