I drove to watch England in Euros in amazing BYD electric car

After being invited on this year’s London to Brighton, Paris and Geneva EV rally I was delighted but there was a clash.

I had tickets for England’s third group match in Cologne against Slovenia and as a massive fan of the Three Lions I was not going to miss it.

But there was no problem. the EV Rally’s partners BYD, makers of high spec electric vehicles, are also sponsoring the European Championships and were more than happy for me to test out the range on one of their Seal cars, by leaving the EV gang in Paris and heading to Germany.

The EV rally has been going from strength to strength.

It was set up by PR guru Bill Murray and Big Lemon bus company boss Tom Druitt to showcase how the range of electric vehicles has improved. And to test what it is like finding and using charging locations.

The first ever London to Brighton Electric Vehicle Rally ran in 2021 with 71 vehicles crossing the finish line next to the Palace Pier, having been driven 59 miles from Parliament Square to Brighton.

It gained the support of more big name sponsors like EDF and 2022 was another great rally, with solar-powered cars, self-builds, e-bikes and even an electric plane following the route to the city.

I joined in 2023 and drove the Build Your Dreams (BYD) Atto 3 to Paris and back. This year I was in the BYD Seal.

With a full charge range of 350 miles my ‘range anxiety’ was already avoided.

We first met up at Westminster City school, drivers including the likes of top gear host Quentin Willson, for the first leg to Brighton.

The trip through Parliament Square, across Westminster Bridge and down to the seafront barely touched the surface.

I joined the thousands of visitors enjoying the EV village on Madeira Drive and seeing all the latest technology and enjoying the attractions, from football skills and electric scooter stunt shows to the latest electric bikes.

The EV Rally was heading off from Newhaven on the ferry and to Paris the next day.

I decided to charge up at the Seaford Morrisons car park. That was ok once I logged in via the web to pay. And after no time at all I was back up to full charge and ready for mainland Europe.

Once across the channel, or La Manche, as the French call it, I was on those big open roads and had more time and space to enjoy what the Seal has to offer. I am no car expert. Not a petrolhead. But do really enjoy driving and am ready to convert to electric since I tried the BYD Atto 3 last year.

That was only further enhanced by the Seal. I was told it was a more sporty vehicle.

Again, the huge tablet screen, which moves to either landscape or portrait, had the wow factor. The in-built sat nav is spot on and I loved the air purification system.

What else can I tell you about the car? The driving is so smooth, with eco and sport modes. That sport mode has impressive acceleration if needed while still feeling nice and steady. The car is smooth in every way. There’s the voice activation to open and shut specific windows, turn on the heating or air conditioning. Turn on ambient lights or change the colour.

On those European motorways I loved the warning lights on the wing mirrors showing when it was unsafe to pull out.

There there is is the driver assistance, which I thought was exceptional. You can choose a speed, which it will drive at for you. Then you can set up so that it keeps within the lines of the road for you too. Now you cannot let it drive for you - it is set up to start beeping at you and de-activates if you were to take your hands off the wheel. But it makes for a safe and relaxed drive on long distances. There are three settings for how far you want to be from the car in front so that the Seal stays as far back as you choose.

This is great for safety with little traffic and when I got into heavier traffic near Paris it meant the car moved for you and you didn’t have to do all the gear changes, clutch work and breaking that is such a pain in traffic normally.

I stopped to recharge at a service station near Paris and was delighted to see Engie high voltage chargers.

In Brighton the Fédération Française des Associations d’Utilisateurs de Véhicules Electrique (Fauve) had told me Engie chargers were good if you wanted to just pay by card without using your smartphone.

While I enjoyed a quick coffee the car topped up and I was off.

Now quite how Tom Druitt arranged this I’m not sure. But we met up on a patch of parking next to the Arc De Triomphe.

The BYD had room for my road bike in the back. I was there nice and early and had time for a cycle up and down the Champs-Elysee, imagining I was on the final stage of the Tour De France.

The next morning I was heading to Dusseldorf, where I would be staying before heading to watch England in Cologne.

I topped up again in the same way just as I was leaving Paris to be safe and that was going to be enough for my 499 kilometre (310 mile) trip north east into Belgium, past Liege and into Germany.

Once at Dusseldorf I was delighted to find a charger outside where I was staying.

They seemed to be on many streets there, way ahead of the game. And I arrived way ahead of the game, with an evening in Dusseldorf soaking up the atmosphere with Albanians, Spanish, Croatians and Italians in and around the Euros fan park. Albania v Spain was happening just along the Rhine from the old town at Fortuna Dusseldorf’s stadium.

The short trip to Cologne for England’s match with Slovenia the next day was a joy, with England sealing top spot in their group.

At the match in Cologne

Then it was time for the trip back. No charge needed to get back to the ferry in France. I noticed at service stations in Belgium and Holland that you needed to use apps or log on online if you wanted to charge, as opposed to a quick card transaction.

But I was soon back crossing the channel, having enjoyed a whirlwind ride visiting five countries in four days, and only charging four times too, knocking out well over 1,000 miles.

What an adventure.