BYD’s Denza luxury arm hits UK with Z9GT EV and PHEV
- 10 April 2026
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Denza, BYD’s luxury powerhouse brand, has officially landed in Europe with the debut of the Z9GT as its first model. Arriving in all-new Denza showrooms within weeks, this
Denza, BYD’s luxury powerhouse brand, has officially landed in Europe with the debut of the Z9GT as its first model.
Arriving in all-new Denza showrooms within weeks, this high-performance shooting brake challenges the Porsche Taycan and marks a defiant arrival for the brand.
Built on the brand’s e3 platform, the Z9GT will be available as both a pure EV and as a ‘Super Hybrid DM’ (Dual Mode) plug-in hybrid model to give customers a choice between “significant zero-emissions range and ultimate long-distance flexibility”.
The fully electric version gets a triple-motor setup, delivering a massive 1,156hp that exceeds performance from many luxury brands’ V12 petrol engines. It’s able to accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 2.7 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 167mph. The Z9GT EV also gets BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery with 122.49kWh, delivering 372 miles of range on the WLTP Combined cycle.
A rear-wheel-drive edition of the Z9GT EV, featuring the same battery, will join the line-up in Europe before the end of 2026, offering increased combined range of up to 500 miles.
The plug-in Super Hybrid version is built using the same cell-to-body construction as its all-electric stablemate and also features three electric motors but incorporates a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine primarily designed to keep the 63.82kWh battery charged. Total system output is 776hp, and the Z9GT DM has 173hp from petrol power alone. It’s able to dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 3.6 seconds and head onto a top speed of 161mph.
The 63.82kWh Blade Battery offers 126 miles of pure-electric range – putting it in the 7% Benefit-in-Kind bracket for 2026/7.
It’s also billed as a standout performer on long-distance flexibility; thanks to the intelligent management of its electric motors and hybrid system, a full charge and a full tank of petrol can take the car 500 miles.
Regardless of powertrain, the Z9GT comes with BYD Group’s Flash Charging. The technology delivers up to 1,500kW of power through a single connector (Chinese market), allowing refill times that rival refuel times for conventional combustion engine cars. The system can take the Z9GT from 10% to 70% of battery capacity in five minutes, and from 10% to 97% in nine minutes.
The e3 architecture delivers three-motor independent drive, along with Vehicle Motion Control (VMC) to achieve enhanced safety, managing high-speed tyre blowouts at up to 112mph via rapid 10-millisecond response times. Its independent rear-wheel steering enables a 5.35-metre turning radius, ‘crab-walk’ functionality and superior stability, complemented by an all-aluminium, dual-chamber air suspension system.
At the same time, the Cell-to-Body construction, in which the battery is integrated into the structure of the vehicle, brings gains in packaging and also in torsional rigidity, delivering benefits to safety and on-road dynamics.
The exterior has been conceived to “mix elegance with practicality” while the interior is where “premium, limousine space meets cutting-edge technology”.
The cabin comes with premium finishes, plus front seats with eight-way electric adjustment, 10-point massage and ventilation/heating, and a 17.3-inch central display that ‘floats’ in front of the fascia. There’s also a 50-inch augmented-reality head-up display, a refrigeration compartment, and a “class-leading” audio system powered by Devialet and Dolby Atmos that “turns every journey into an opera-house experience”.
The Z9GT launches, in both three-motor EV and DM guise, in a single trim level with a “lavish” specification; the only choice customers are required to make is between EV and DM power. A longer-range, rear-wheel-drive EV will follow later in 2026.
The Z9GT will go on sale in the coming weeks in newly established Denza stores in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, with additional markets added in the second half of the year.
Denza says customers will enjoy a premium ownership experience, with dealer interactions such as servicing organised through the brand’s bespoke smartphone app, minor updates and maintenance conducted on location at homes or places of business, and even a complimentary valet service.
In addition to this, the Z9GT will come with a year’s free Flash Charging as standard. And anyone who orders a Z9GT before the end of September will receive an additional six months on top of the standard period, giving them 18 months of Flash Charging refills.
