Want another off-brand Land Rover Defender? Well, too bad, because you’re getting one. This time, it’s not an unknown startup trying to take from the rugged SUV’s heritage because it couldn’t buy the tooling for the real thing. This time, it’s a near-carbon copy of the modern Defender, and it’s from one of the largest automakers in the world.
Make that a low-carbon copy, because the BYD Ti 7 seven-seater is a plug-in hybrid with strong signs of EREV.
BYD Is More Like Build Your Defender
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Chinese automaker BYD sells more new-energy vehicles – EV and PHEV – than any other automaker in the world. If you’re in Europe, you’re probably more familiar with its stylish but soft-looking cars like the Dolphin and Seal.
But now the BYD Shark pickup is getting a rugged SUV to join it at showrooms in the UK. It’s called the Ti 7, and it’s the company’s first seven-seater in that country. It also bears more than a passing resemblance to the Land Rover Defender.
No, we’re not calling every vaguely Defender-shaped SUV a clone. There’s only so much you can do when it comes to the shape of a practical off-roader. But just look at the lower front bumper, which is an almost exact copy. In fact, we used an image of the real Defender for the lead and you haven’t even noticed. Ok, we didn’t, but our point is that we could have.
Get beyond the Defender shape outside – it’s also very familiar on the inside – and the specs begin to set it apart. For a start, this is a PHEV. A 35.6 kWh BYD Blade Battery gives it up to 102 miles of electric range, the company says.
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A 1.5-liter four-cylinder makes around 147 horsepower, but the turbocharged engine spends most of its time generating electricity. Thanks to two electric motors, the SUV makes 402 hp and can do zero to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds. Just what a seven-seater needs.
To give you an idea of this SUV’s size, it will hold 65 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seats folded. A Defender 110, the shorter of the four-door Defenders, will hold 80. So this SUV isn’t big.
It is well-equipped, though. Leather is standard, as is a 15.6-inch center screen. You can get it with heated and ventilated seats in the front and the second row, and the front cupholders can be set to warm or cool your drinks. In the UK, it will only be offered in top-spec Excellence trim.
Will This Steal Land Rover’s Lunch Money?
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The BYD Ti 7 might be a bit smaller than the Defender, but it’s a lot cheaper. A UK-spec Defender 110 starts from £64,315, or around $87,000 US. The BYD starts from £47,995 ($65,000) and BYD is already offering an extra £500 off on top of that.
So far this year, BYD is 14th on the UK’s list of best-selling brands. It moved 37,795 vehicles in the first half, and not that it competes with Land Rover directly, but it beat it by a few thousand. However, BYD has already nearly doubled sales when compared with the first half of 2025, impressive progress.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
If you’re Land Rover, it might be very concerning. A look-alike fuel-sipper for way less cash is a problem. But BYD mentions nothing about off-road capability, a feature Land Rover relies on and delivers. Land Rover is also still a brand with more prestige in Europe. For now, at least.
The BYD Ti 7 arrives on the market in England in January 2027.
