'We're tossing up the idea of a new family car and what I’m learning is changing everything.'

Thanks to our brand partner, BYD

I knew it was time to start thinking about a new family car somewhere between hour two and hour three of the road trip.

My husband was driving, relaxed as always, as if we weren't trapped in a metal box with three children in car seats, one of whom was scream-crying because someone else looked at her banana weirdly. The boot was packed so tightly I was scared to open it when we arrived. And somewhere past Lithgow, I realised I couldn't feel my left foot because it was slowly being crushed by one of four lunchboxes crammed into my footwell.

I love our car. It's been with us since baby number two, it's never let us down and some weeks it feels like we spend more family time in there than in our actual house. But life has gotten bigger and our car hasn't.

So we've started looking. Nothing serious yet, just… flirting with the idea. But like everything in parenting, what started as a practical decision has ended up revealing way more than I expected.

Learning 1: The car needs to fit your life, not just your stuff.

When we first started the conversation, my husband and I made a list: safety, boot space, maybe something hybrid. That list quickly got out of control.

Can it fit the pram, his omnipresent golf clubs and the shopping without needing to do a repack in the Westfield car park?

Can it handle swimming pickups, karate drop-offs and the weekend dash from gym to birthday parties without a meltdown (from me, not the kids)?

We're not just a family of five. We're a mobile unit, constantly on the verge of chaos. And apparently, we need a vehicle to match.

Learning 2: The right car might not be the one you expected.

I was chatting to a friend at school pickup about how we were tossing up the idea of a new family car, and she said, "Have you looked at the SEALION?" I blinked at her blankly.

My experience with sea lions began and ended with watching Finding Dory approximately 600 times with the kids. But one search later, and I found the BYD SEALION 6. It's the car I didn't know existed and now I'm a little bit obsessed.

It turns out it's a plug-in hybrid, which means you can drive electric for the school run or gym dash and then switch to petrol for a long drive to the country to see the off-grid cousins without breaking into a cold sweat about charging stations.

There's also a very fancy feature called V2L. Basically, the car becomes a giant power bank. You can charge an iPad, run a mini fridge or even straighten your hair at a campsite if that's your thing (for the record: hair straightening is very much my thing, camping… not so much).

Most importantly, the battery is one of the safest and longest-lasting on the market, which is something I never thought I'd care about until I had three kids strapped in the back.

Learning 3: The little things are the big things.

Once you've ticked off the big stuff — safety, space, price — it's the tiny things that start to matter because they're often the things that make or break your day.

It's not just about fuel type or drive modes. It's about cup holders. It's about wide doors for wrangling toddlers into car seats. It's about a boot that fits everything without me having to channel my inner Tetris champion.

When test-driving or even just browsing for fun, here's what I've learned to check:

• Can I open the boot one-handed while holding a toddler and three bags of groceries?

• Will the pram fit with the school bags and swim gear or do I have to choose?

• Are there enough USB ports to prevent iPad wars in the backseat?

• Are the back doors wide enough to do the car seat buckling dance without pulling a hamstring?

• Can I reach the middle seatbelt without crawling across the whole back row like I'm doing a Ninja Warrior course?

• How many cup holders are we talking? (This matters. Deeply.)

Not all of these things show up in the glossy spec sheet but they're what determine if a car works for your version of everyday life. So write your own version of that checklist or use mine. Then take it into the dealership and inspect the car.

Learning 4: Everything's a trade-off and it's overwhelming.

I had no idea how many decisions were involved in car shopping until we actually started. It's like an interview no one told me to prep for.

Do you want seven seats or five with more boot space?

Leather seats or fabric?

Sunroof or no sunroof?

Bigger wheels or better fuel efficiency?

Even choosing a colour becomes a full-blown identity crisis. Will black get too hot? Will white show every scuff from school bags and scooters? Is navy "cool" or just "trying too hard"?

Everything is a trade-off. And each decision (no matter how small) somehow feels like it's going to determine how functional your life will be for the next five years.

So you can see why I'm giving BYD extra points for making it just a bit easier — the SEALION 6 comes in just two versions: the Premium and a new Essential model.

The Essential keeps the same look and heart of the car but skips a few of the non-essentials (like heated seats, a 360-degree camera and a wireless phone charger). The trade-off? A tidy $10k saving on the price before on-roads compared to the Premium.

Learning 5: It's less about horsepower, more about headspace.

This whole process has made me realise something big: The car isn't just how you get places. It's the thing that carries your entire life.

And while I don't know yet which car we'll end up choosing, I do know this: it's not about getting the "perfect" family car.

It's about getting the one that makes real life just that little bit easier.

The one that has room for everything (and everyone).

The one that helps you feel just slightly more together — even when you're definitely not.

Book a test drive for the BYD SEALION 6 online or visit your local dealership.

Feature Image: Supplied.

Meet the BYD Sealion 6 – Smart, Safe, and Ready for Aussie Families.
Stylish, spacious, and super-efficient, the BYD Sealion 6 is the perfect plug-in hybrid SUV for busy families. With low running costs, advanced safety features, and enough room for the whole crew, it's built for school runs, weekend trips, and everything in between.
Family driving just got a whole lot smarter.