BYD Seal vs Tesla Model 3 Malaysia 2024
BYD has taken the country by storm with the Seal, an electric sedan designed to go head-to-head with the fan-favorite Tesla Model 3. With bold pricing and cutting-edge features, the Chinese automaker is turning up the heat in the EV market.
Naturally, many of you are itching to know how the Seal measures up against Tesla in terms of price, size, and specs. So, let’s dive in and see how BYD’s newest contender stacks up against its fiercest rival!
Pricing: Seal undercuts Model 3 considerably
- BYD Seal Dynamic RWD – RM163,800 on-the-road without insurance
- BYD Seal Premium RWD – RM179,800 on-the-road without insurance
- BYD Seal Performance AWD – RM199,800 on-the-road without insurance
Designed to rival the Model 3, the BYD Seal is unsurprisingly similar in size. That said, it edges out its Chinese-built American counterpart by being 80 mm longer and 19 mm taller, though the Tesla is 42 mm wider.
This slight size advantage could mean more interior space for the Seal, but the Model 3 remains far from cramped. When it comes to luggage capacity, however, Tesla holds the edge: 425 liters versus 400 in the rear, and a significant 88 liters versus the Seal’s 40 up front. Still, the fact that the Seal includes a front trunk—a feature missing from the Atto 3 and Dolphin—is a notable plus.Performance and range: Seal is faster, Model 3 can drive further
Tesla is known for providing a staggering amount of performance for your money, but it’s been upstaged by BYD here. The Seal Premium RWD makes 313 PS and 360 Nm of torque and is able to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in a claimed 5.9 seconds.
Meanwhile, the Performance AWD variant churns out 530 PS and 670 Nm from its dual motors, enabling it to complete the century sprint in just 3.8 seconds. That’s six tenths of a second quicker than the Model 3 Long Range AWD. To be fair, the Seal Performance AWD is more of a competitor for the Model 3 Performance, which in its latest Highland guise isn’t out yet. We’d expect the latter to be significantly more expensive.
The cheapest Seal is the one that has the most range (as the 82.5 kWh LFP battery comes standard). Even so, the Model 3 Long Range comfortably beats the Seal Premium RWD with a range of 629 km, versus 570 km for the BYD (both figures are WLTP) – despite the fact it has all-wheel drive.
Battery and Engine Details
The Model 3 will also charge quicker when plugged up to an AC charger, as it can support up to 11 kW, compared to just 7 kW for the Seal. The latter takes a staggering 15.2 hours for a full charge.
And that’s with the right 7 kW single-phase or 22kW three-phase charger. If you use an 11 kW three-phase charger thinking it’ll be faster, the Seal’s onboard charger will step down to between 3.5 and 3.7 kW, meaning that it will take twice as long (more than a full day) compared to a technically slower 7 kW charger. Electric vehicles with a three-phase OBC aren’t affected by this issue.
It also goes without saying that only the Model 3 can use Tesla’s Supercharger network as well as its Destination Chargers.
Battery Type: LFP Blade Battery
Battery Capacity: 61.4 kWh
Number Of Motors: 1
AC Charging (0-100%): 8.5 Hours
Emission: 0 g/km
Battery Warranty: 8 Years or 160000 km
DC Charging: --
Battery Type: Lithium-ion
Battery Capacity: 57.5 kWh
Number Of Motors: --
AC Charging (0-100%): --
Emission 0 g/km
Battery Warranty: 8 Years or 160000 km
DC Charging: (10-80%) In 25 Minutes
I am surprised that i hardly see car reviewers mentioned about this when they do comparison on range and conveniently omit this fact.
Yes, i understand that consumer only care about how much a car can travel in one liter of fuel (or 1 kW of power etc) but a more scientific way of comparison is to factor in the weight if you want to know how efficient the car is.
This is akin to comparing fuel efficiency of Toyota Camry against say Volvo S60 without highlighting the differences in kerb weight.
So, my recommendation for car reviewers, next time when you want to say this car is more fuel efficient than the other car, please also include in your sentence that this car is how many kg lighter in kerb weight than the other car.
Maintenance: Less servicing with Model 3, but shorter warranty
It’s here where you really see the difference between Tesla’s unconventional attitude to maintenance and BYD’s more traditional approach. The former hardly has a service schedule at all, simply recommending you to replace your cabin air filter every two years and an air-con desiccant bag replacement and brake fluid check every four years.Tesla does not provide any pricing details on its Malaysian website, nor the cost of a replacement cabin air filter, which is user-serviceable. However, the Tesla Shop in the US lists the latter at US$17 (RM81) at the time of writing. We assume all these maintenance jobs (along with tyre rotations, recommended every 10,000 km) can be done by third-party workshops, although Tesla warns this may affect warranty coverage.
By contrast, BYD will sell you various service packages to keep you in its after-sales network. The Standard package includes tyre alignment, single-speed transmission oil service, air-con filter replacement and refrigerant service, brake fluid service, motor coolant service. This is priced at RM2,688 for three years, RM6,288 for six years and RM8,288 for eight years (add RM200 each for the Performance AWD model).
Speaking of which, Tesla’s more lenient maintenance schedule means you get less warranty coverage – just four years or 80,000 km for the vehicle, compared to six years or 150,000 km for the BYD. The Model 3’s battery and drive motor warranty is at least competitive with the BYD, with the same eight-year/160,000 km coverage (the BYD’s warranty for the drive motor is only up to 150,000 km).
Conclusion?
Safety and driver assistance features are just as comprehensive, with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centring assist, and a remarkable nine airbags—including rear side and driver’s center airbags.
In contrast, Tesla offers a more à la carte approach, requiring you to tick several option boxes. Alloy wheels (lowly 18s as standard); Colors (Only white is free); Autopilot (Choose between standard, Enhanced, or the controversial Full Self-Driving package). On the bright side, Tesla’s standard Autopilot is one of the best in the business, and the Model 3’s standard 15.4-inch front and eight-inch rear touchscreens remain impressive.
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