BYD Seal 2024 review: Performance | Is this new electric car better than the Tesla Model 3 EV?

The 2024 BYD Seal electric car might be new to Australia, but there’s no mistaking its target: the Tesla Model 3. The American mid-size sedan has been the best seller in its segment for years now, but the Chinese newcomer is looking to flip the script with its intense focus on value for money.

Of course, the Seal isn’t the first EV to come for Tesla’s dominant market share, but it is looking to do so with a proposition that’s quite convincing on paper. Think low pricing and a long standard features list, including three different powertrain options, prioritising driving range or performance and everything in between.

In this expert review, CarsGuide Contributing Journalist Stephen Ottley takes the Seal’s Performance flagship for a spin to find out just how it rises to the Model 3’s challenge. Spoiler alert: it’s so convincing, in fact, that it just might be able to mimic the success of its sibling, the Atto 3 mid-size SUV.

#BYD #Seal #Review

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00:00 Intro
00:37 Design
02:44 Practicality
05:07 Pricing and features
06:18 Under the bonnet
07:07 Efficiency
07:36 Driving
10:07 Safety
11:36 Ownership
12:08 Verdict

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CarsGuide - Go beyond the test drive

In Thailand, BYD has crushed Tesla since the beginning.

[Clove_Parma]

Great breakdown. At the end of the day a fundamentally good car with room for improvement, much of which should be ugh an OTA update. Is it hands down better than the benchmark? No, but is it another good option for people who don’t want the sterile minimalism of the Tesla? Absolutely. It’s great to have more options of high quality EVs on the market

[mogensen]

I never use my climacontrol. I only adjust the temperature, which can be done by using the voicecontrol "Hey BYD - Set clima to 25c" .. It's pretty straight forward and doesn't take more than a few sec.

[ateiviz]

Lovely review with concise points and well rounded approach. The Seal is by no means the best thing of all time but the hardware is all there it just needs a few software updates to get the best out of it.

[DirtyWest]

Hopefully they will bring the SUV version of this (Song L or Sea Lion 07) to Australia soon!

[ItsJonesy]

I’ve had my Seal Performance for 2wks now and I will say I agree that ELKA and ISLI are a must to turn off before each drive. Europe has already received an OTA to dial back to ELKA so hopefully we get that soon enough.

As someone who was between this and a Model 3 Highland for so long, it took me all of 10mins in the Tesla to know the Seal was the right choice.

Great video and echoes most of my thoughts to a tee.

[younger]

BYD have pushed out an OTA update to "tame" the ADAS systems and make it easier to turn them off.

[jeffreygriffith]

You note the lack of air system control ls and whether that is safe. You do know that you can speak to the BYD? It works very well.

Hi BYD, set air to 23. Set fan speed to 2. Works well. Don’t need separate controls.

[AJ-nokw]

Picked one up yesterday. great review.

[Steve-jxmh]

I had a look at one in the BYD showroom a while back, and I must say that it impressed.
I am keen to see it compared to a Renault Megane E-tech which is very much on my radar for my first EV.

[dingbatt]

More of a sales threat to the Polestar 2 and Ioniq 6 I would have thought, as they are EVs with a more conventional interior. The biggest positives to me are the LFP battery and driver’s display. It’s a shame about the ADAS but that is a symptom caused by testing authorities, not car manufacturers. That includes having to disable those functions for every drive. I would like to see the settings saved as a driver profile, even if you have to acknowledge what has been turned off before you can drive it.

[teslabot]

Bought it, ❤ it.(premium)
Completely agree about the calibration of the lane keep assist - jerking of the wheel

[ALWH]

There is zero manual button not even gear shifter or signal turn stick on Tesla 3. The single screen is also distracting for driver to view speed, electricity consumption, not only have to take your eyes off road but it’s very difficult for who needs reading glasses.

[lucisleesion]

Tesla is like a crude and less refined product (both exterior and interior) in comparison to BYD

[Cam-uoey]

Good review, and having the premium model myself, I do agree about the safety systems. Hoping a software update can sort them out soon.

[saahan-nnfe]

Why do you want physical buttons? You can directly say commands such as open the window, open the skylight, turn on the air conditioner, adjust the temperature to 20°, etc.

[rsat]

Regarding the range of the Seal Pefromance, I have had this car for the past 3 months and I have brought it with me to upcountry twice. With average speed of 70-90 km/hr I could squeeze 450-460 km range from 90% battery easily. However, when I really step on the pedal a bit harder (120-150 km/hr for 20% of the driving) I can only get around 380-420 km range. It is surprising how fast the battery is depleted with just 40-50km of heavy speeding toward the end of my journey.

[johnsmith]

Great review - More of this guy please :)

[simonwile]

Was wondering when the AU journos were going to get to reviewing this. No mention of the HUD, charge speeds or included kit (home charge cable). On my test drive list.

[dmhboag]

You can use voice commands to adjust air con and other functions, no need to crash the car fiddling!