Yangwang U8
The Yangwang U8 was the brand’s first model, a full-size off-road luxury SUV that remains its flagship, sold alongside a longer-wheelbase U8L variant aimed more squarely at chauffeured, executive use.
It’s built on BYD’s own e4 platform, using four independent electric motors, one per wheel, for a combined output of 1,180 hp and 1,280 Nm of torque, enough for a 0 to 62 mph time of just 3.6 seconds despite the U8’s considerable size and weight.
Power comes from a range-extender setup: a 2.0 litre petrol engine acts purely as a generator, working alongside a 49.05 kWh LFP battery for around 112 miles of electric-only range, and a combined range approaching 620 miles between the battery and a full tank. The U8’s party trick is arguably its most famous feature, independent wheel control allows it to rotate on the spot like a tank, and BYD says it can float and slowly propel itself across water in an emergency, a genuinely unusual capability for a production SUV.
The 2026 model year U8 gained BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery and flash-charging technology, with a starting price in China of 1,008,000 yuan, around £110,000 converted, while the longer U8L starts from 1,300,000 yuan, roughly £142,000.
The Yangwang U8 has not launched in the UK, with BYD targeting a UK entry for the wider Yangwang brand in 2027.
