Electric Cars Comparison: BYD Seal vs Tesla Model 3, how to choose?

The BYD Seal and the Tesla Model 3 are positioned in the same sub-market domestically. So, how should these two models be chosen on the basis of budget? This article will compare them from three aspects: price, performance parameters, and appearance, in order to provide guidance for your purchase.

1.Price: The Tesla Model 3 is on average RM30,000 more expensive than the BYD Seal!

The BYD Seal and the Tesla Model 3 both offer three models to choose from, and the positioning of the three models can be divided into standard, long battery life, and high performance. The target audience for the models is quite similar, but overall the Tesla Model 3 is priced noticeably higher than the BYD Seal, with an average price difference of RM30,000.

(Left: BYD Seal  Right: Tesla Model 3)

There are three models of the BYD Seal available domestically, with prices ranging from RM 163,800 to RM 199,800. Notably, the entry-level model, the BYD Seal Dynamic EV, was recently released and is approximately RM10,000 cheaper than the previous two models. This shows BYD Seal's attention to the lower tier market while focusing on improving the cost performance of products.

2024 BYD Seal Dynamic EV: RM 163,800

2024 BYD Seal Premium (Extended Range): RM 179,800

2024 BYD Seal Performance AWD: RM 199,800

There are also three models of the Tesla Model 3 for sale domestically in China, priced between RM 181,000 and RM 242,000.

2024 Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive: RM 181,000

2024 Tesla Model 3 Long Range: RM 210,000

2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance: RM 242,000

2.Performance parameters: Both explosive power and endurance have advantages!

Regarding the performance of explosive power, this article will compare the high-performance models of two models, BYD Seal Performance AWD and Tesla Model 3 Performance. The 0-100 acceleration time of BYD Seal is 3.8s, slightly inferior to the 3.1s of Tesla Model 3. It's worth mentioning that the top speed of the Tesla Model 3 can reach 261km/h. The power of the BYD Seal Performance AWD version can reach 530 PS (about 390 kW), and the peak power of the Tesla Model 3 Performance high-performance all-wheel-drive version is 460 hp (about 338 kW).

About the endurance performance, this article selects the long-range versions of two models for comparison, namely BYD Seal Premium (Extended Range) and the Tesla Model 3 Long Range. The endurance performance of the BYD Seal is 650km, superior to the 629km of the Tesla Model 3.

3.Appearance: Different aesthetic designs!

The appearance involves everyone's aesthetics, which is a relatively subjective evaluation. Therefore, this article will neutrally describe the appearance of the two car models. The specific aesthetic preferences can be judged and decided according to your own preferences. Here are the descriptions and pictures of the appearance of the BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3.

BYD Seal :

At the front of the car, the BYD Seal headlight design combined with the ripple LED light strip at the air intake on both sides of the front bumper can enhance the visual presentation.

On the side of the car, the BYD Seal adopts line design, extending from the front headlights to the rear taillights. The body size is 4800 mm (length) x 1875 mm (width) x 1460 mm (height), the wheelbase is 2920 mm, which can provide a relatively spacious interior space. The waistline design on the side of the car helps to reduce the coefficient of drag to 0.219 cd, slightly better than the Porsche Taycan's 0.22 cd, which is beneficial for improving the car's performance and cruising range.

At the rear of the car, the BYD Seal adopts a through-taillight design. Although this design is quite common in current car designs, the taillight group of the BYD Seal still has its design features. It can coordinate and integrate with the overall shape of the car body, and it is not abrupt.

Tesla Model 3:

The front face of Model 3 adopts the symbolic grille-less design, and the headlights use LED technology. The overall keeps the standard design of the Tesla product family.

On the side of the car, the roofline of Tesla Model 3 gradually slants backward, creating a sedan-racing visual effect. The door handles of the car body adopt a hidden design, which is flush with the car body and will pop up automatically when the driver approaches. Although this technology is used in many electrified cars, it still reflects the intelligence sense of electrified cars.

The rear portion of the Tesla Model 3 displays a minimalist design style, with clean and neat rear lines. The LED tail light design is unique, reflecting the design concept of "less is more".

If you value price and endurance performance more, BYD Seal, with its relatively affordable price and slightly superior endurance capability, would be a more practical choice. However, if you prefer brand influence, power, and tech-savvy, as well as enjoying a more comprehensive charging network and software ecosystem, then Tesla Model 3 would meet your expectations. So, which model to buy mainly depends on which aspect of the product you pay more attention to, what would be your choice?