BYD Denza Z: In This Article
Taking on an established classic like Porsche is an ambitious move, but that is exactly what BYD’s premium brand, Denza, is doing with the Denza Z. This fully electric, four-seat supercar makes 1,582bhp, hits 62mph in as little as 1.96 seconds and starts at £142,900, undercutting a Porsche 911 Turbo S while making more than double the power. It certainly looks the part. The question is whether it can win over buyers who still equate the word supercar with a badge from Stuttgart or Maranello.
I have some sympathy with the doubters. Working at Nissan when the 350Z launched, it was clear that even a very credible manufacturer could not simply muscle in on enthusiasts who prize heritage above all, and perceptions shift slowly. The best answer is to build something with genuine wow-factor that also performs, and on paper at least, the Denza Z has a very good go at exactly that.
Specification
| Denza Z | key specs |
|---|---|
| Powertrain | Triple-motor AWD: one front (680 PS), two rear (462 PS each), fully electric |
| Power | 1,604 PS (1,582bhp) / 1,240Nm |
| 0 to 62mph | 2.25s Coupe, 2.3s Spider, 1.96s Racing (semi-slicks) |
| 0 to 124mph | 6.36s Coupe, 6.0s Racing |
| Top speed | 186mph, up to 217mph (Racing) |
| Battery | 76kWh second-generation Blade (LFP), Cell-to-Body |
| Range (WLTP) | 254 miles Coupe, 249 Spider, 236 Racing |
| Charging | 10-97% in about 9 min on FLASH Charging (up to 1,500kW) |
| Dimensions | 4,780mm long (4,870 Racing), 1,975mm wide, 2,780mm wheelbase |
| Kerb weight | 2,230 to 2,300kg |
| Seats | Four |
| Price | From £142,900 (Coupe) to £172,900 (Racing) |
What Is the Denza Z?
The Denza Z is the first proper supercar from Denza, the premium, technology-led brand of Chinese giant BYD, built around the ethos it calls Technology Drives Elegance. It broke cover at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed on 9 July, unveiled by BYD executive vice-president Stella Li alongside 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button, on the largest stand in Goodwood’s 33-year history.
The The Denza Z comes in three flavours, the Coupe, the open-top Spider and the track-focused Racing, with a wilder Special Edition to follow. All are four-seaters, which is unusual in this company, and at 4,780mm long it is the most compact Denza yet to reach European buyers.
Denza Z Performance and Price
Every Denza Z uses the same triple-motor setup, one motor on the front axle and two at the rear, for a combined 1,604 PS (1,582bhp) and 1,240Nm, more than double a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Each motor pulls its weight, with 680 PS at the front and 462 PS at each rear wheel, and because the rear pair are controlled independently the Z can even pull off what Denza calls a compass turn, pivoting around its front wheels.
How quickly it reaches 62mph depends on the variant, and this is where the original figures needed a gentle correction:
| Variant | 0 to 62mph | UK price from |
|---|---|---|
| Coupe | 2.25 sec | £142,900 |
| Spider (convertible) | 2.3 sec | £159,900 |
| Denza Z Racing (track) | 1.96 sec | £172,900 |
The Denza Z Racing manages its 1.96-second sprint on optional semi-slick tyres, along with a 217mph top speed, and will crack 0-124mph in around six seconds. And if that is somehow not enough, a track-only Special Edition with more than 2,000 PS is being readied for a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap-record attempt this autumn, complete with full carbon bodywork, a drag-reduction system and a claimed sub-1.7-second 0-62mph. Imagine that.
The Aggressive Look of the Denza Z
The look is aggressive, with a forward-leaning stance that makes the car seem to defy gravity even standing still. The design comes from Wolfgang Egger, the German responsible for shaping cars at Alfa Romeo, Audi and SEAT and now BYD’s Global Design Director, who calls the Z a living sculpture of speed. It is not all for show, either: an S-shaped airflow path runs from a central front intake up through outlets on the bonnet, balancing drag, downforce and cooling, and the pearlescent, multi-layer paint even shifts shade depending on the angle. In Racing trim, with its optional three-position carbon rear wing, the aero generates around 1,060kg of downforce at full pelt.
Inside the Denza Z
Inside, the layout wraps around a motorsport-style steering wheel with six physical buttons for the likes of Boost and Track modes. Ahead of the driver sits an 8.88-inch digital display, with a 12.8-inch touchscreen running Google built-in, so Maps, Assistant and the Play Store are all present, alongside.
The front seats get eight-way adjustment with heating, ventilation and massage, and the audio is a Devialet system with up to 12 speakers and Dolby Atmos, including a spherical module on top of the dash and speakers built into the headrests. There is even a synthesised engine sound you can pipe inside, outside or both, from a conventional growl to something more sci-fi.
Being a four-seater, it is more usable than most rivals, helped by a 2,780mm wheelbase close to an executive saloon’s. The Coupe swallows around 250 litres, rising to 550 with the rear seats folded, while the Spider makes do with 131 to 176 litres.
Standard kit is generous, with vehicle-to-load power output, a digital rear-view mirror, soft-closing doors and wireless charging, and personalisation is vast: ten exterior colours from Le Mans Blue to Monte Carlo Orange, ten interior schemes, four caliper colours and, on the Spider, optional roof colours.
DiSus-M and the e³ Platform
Underneath sits Denza’s dedicated e³ Sports Car Platform, or e-cube, built from the ground up for this kind of car. The Coupe and Spider ride on air suspension while the Racing swaps to coil springs for a firmer edge, and all three use DiSus-M magnetorheological dampers that change firmness in milliseconds.
Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard across the range, six-piston at the front and four at the rear, shaving around 30kg of unsprung weight, and you can even choose the caliper colour.
A Vehicle Motion Control brain ties the brakes, steering and suspension together with a 10-millisecond response, and the battery is built into the structure using BYD’s Cell-to-Body method for a stiffer, more space-efficient package. For track days there is launch control, a drift mode and telemetry you can export to USB, plus a boost function that adds 30 per cent more torque for 20 seconds at the push of a wheel-mounted button.
Encouragingly, BYD is tuning the UK cars specifically for our less-than-perfect roads, which suggests the Z is meant to be lived with, not just lapped.
Is the Denza Z a Grand Tourer?
There is a GT lurking in here. A 76kWh second-generation Blade Battery gives an official range of 254 miles in the Coupe, 249 in the Spider and 236 in the Racing, though independent testers reckon nearer 200 in spirited use, so it is worth going in with eyes open. The trump card is charging: on BYD’s FLASH Charging network it will go from 10 to 97 per cent in around nine minutes, or 10 to 70 per cent in five, at up to 1,500kW, and even in bitter cold it manages 20 to 97 per cent in twelve. The catch is infrastructure, as the only FLASH charger in the UK currently sits at BYD’s Uxbridge headquarters, though more are on the way.
UK pricing starts at £142,900 for the Coupe, with the Spider at £159,900 and the Racing at £172,900. Orders open with Denza’s first UK retail sites in late summer, and deliveries begin before the end of 2026. Put next to a Ferrari Luce at around £470,000, or even a 911 Turbo S, the Denza Z starts to look like remarkable value, on paper at least.
Who Are BYD?
If the name BYD is new to you, it will not be for long. BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, was founded in China in 1995 as a rechargeable-battery maker before moving into cars in 2003. It is now the largest maker of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the world, having overtaken Tesla, was the first carmaker to stop building purely petrol and diesel cars, and has topped new-energy vehicle sales in China for 12 years running. Its own Blade Battery, a lithium-iron-phosphate design praised for safety and packaging, underpins much of the range. In the UK, BYD sold more than 50,000 cars in 2025 to become the country’s sixth-biggest car brand, quite something for a marque most Britons had barely heard of a few years earlier.
Denza is BYD’s premium, design-led arm. It began in 2010 as a joint venture with Mercedes parent Daimler, launched its first car in 2014, and is now wholly owned by BYD, arriving in Europe through 2026. The Z is its statement of intent: a halo car meant to show that the technology in BYD’s more sensible models can also produce something genuinely thrilling.
Denza Z: Your Questions Answered
Yes. The Racing version reaches 0-62mph in 1.96 seconds against roughly 2.5 for the Porsche, and makes more than double the power.
From £142,900 for the Coupe, £159,900 for the Spider and £172,900 for the Racing.
Officially 254 miles in the Coupe, 249 in the Spider and 236 in the Racing, though nearer 200 is realistic in spirited driving.
From 10 to 97 per cent in about nine minutes on BYD’s FLASH Charging network, at up to 1,500kW.
Denza, the premium brand of BYD, the world’s largest maker of electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
Four, across all three body styles, thanks to a long 2,780mm wheelbase.
Images: denza.com, media.byd.com
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