BYD Sealion 7 vs Tesla Model Y Juniper - Spain

I know this subject has been poundered so many times it's not even funny, I still would like to share my "experience" in choosing between these two. For full transparency, I don't own either of the cars at the moment, but I am waiting for a Sealion 7. I moved to Spain about almost two years ago and because it was expensive for me to get Spanish plates for my DS7 Crossback, i decided to sell it and buy something in Spain. After a lot of deliberation and research of ICE, BEV and (P)HEV cars, used and new, my mind was set on new EVs. I initially didn't consider Tesla because I thought it was more expensive, and BYD was not even a thought. None of the Chinese brands were. I was looking more into Kia and Hyundai models more, Ioniq 5 being something I considered. But after a lot of research I waived Kia (for the reasons I can't remember) and Ioniq 5 because of it's issue with the battery and accompanying systems that seem to have persisted even in 2025, after last year's recalls. But then a friend of mine who actually deals in used cars suggested to check out the Sealion 7 as he heard it first hand from some of the owners that they find it great. In the days after, I spent dozens of hours looking at the reviews and opinions of others on Reddit, YouTube, etc, doing research. As new Tesla Model Y Juniper came out as something SL7 was constantly compared to, largely because it is considered to be a rival to that specific Tesla's model, I decided to do my research on it too. I never owned a Tesla, never sat in one. Never owned a chinese car, never sat in one. I owned a couple of Fords and 5 different French vehicles, namely Renault and DS. So, my experience as a car owner is of someone who is used to comfort and space. After doing all the research and learning about the two models (Tesla Model Y Juniper Premium Long Range AWD and BYD Sealion 7 Excellence AWD), I was under the impression that after I look at them first hand and test drive them, I'm going to have even bigger issue in deciding which one I will get. And initially I was right. I have to say first that Tesla pre-sale process is far superior to BYD's. The way you schedule a meeting, to how quickly you actually get it, the level of service overall in the process beats the one of the BYD. BYD in my area is being sold by Quadis or one of their subsidiaries Quadis Dream. Now, Quadis sells a lot of different brands, so maybe they handle too much at the same time (even though they have separate salons for BYD), maybe something else. But all in all the service of Tesla is far ahead of BYD's, based on my experience. I tested SL7 first and it felt like home, tbh. High seating position. US people I think call it bus or a truck driver position. I think it's otherwise called Commander position and something that I as a former DS7 Crossback owner enjoyed very much. I'm 192cm tall and have around 105kg. SL7 has a lot of room inside, almost as much boot space as DS7, though not quite (520L vs 555L). The reason I mention this is that a few people here on Reddit commented on this and have found it to be a weird position. I actually found it great. There is still enough headroom in the front, so all good there. In the backseat, however, when I sat down, my head bumped into the roof. I could fit in, but it was just enough for my head to touch that roof to feel uncomfortable, even though I never drive in the back of my car anyways. That's because of the hatchback sort of an arch line that SL7 has. That was with fully reclined back seats though. It took just a bit of decresing that recline of the backseat and it was all good and I could fit just nice. So definitely something to consider if you're a tall person and is looking to seat at the back or drive tall family members in the back. A few other things, that I find important, to consider: \- A BYD rep in the showroom told me that the car has L3 hardware, which I don't think is accurate. We talked about it and I told him I'm of IT background, so he was either straight out lying trying to sell the car or he just didn't know, but based on all my research the SL7 sold in China market does have L3 hardware but not the ones meant for EU market. \- I was told that modding and installing evasive aftermarket equipment or doing side installing of APK packages on the system would void the warranty, if detected of course. You can, however, buy a third party AI box that would provide support for Android Auto and CarPlay. I've seen info that a number of people suggest that Smart World App2Car adapter for SL7 specifically works great. \- The BYD store supports Google Maps or Waze Maps. I didn't confirm that because I don't remember seeing it installed and I didn't really look at the BYD store inside the car system. One or the other is what I find important for my driving, so not having to use the actual third party adapter is great. \- I was told that the system doesn't have an app to plan your journey based on charging points, like Tesla does. I think this is something that BYD has implemented though in one of their most recent OTA update. At least I think I read it somewhere. I cannot yet confirm. Anyways, after a few hours talking to the rep, looking at the car and driving it, I was done and sat in my wife's year 2013 Peugeot 2008 and thought to myself "Oh, no, back to this can :)" Kidding of course, it's a decent car for it's age, still serves us very well and I actually enjoy driving it because it's a manual shift version, it's small and light. After SL7 it was time to test Tesla Model Y Juniper. We hit sort of a bump for a bit because the location where we went to didn't have the specific model I was interested in, only the Standard RWD version, which is significantly different inside and out. But Tesla's rep answered all of my questions, and I was quite happy with everything. My first impression when I saw the looks of it outside was "This car actually looks nice" even though it's not a version of the Juniper that has the front lights across the entire width. Inside was the minimalistic design I thought I would dread. But really, I was very much surprised how it didn't annoy me at all and I actually found it refreshing. Again, the car was different inside and out, but I liked it. It was a sort of a feeling I wasn't expecting. In any case after all said and done, they sent me to a close by location where they had the exact model I was interested in to test drive it. The guys there were about to go on a break and in Spain that means at least an hour, so we had the car more than an hour for my wife and I to drive it in Barcelona. Again, a few things, I find important, to mention: \- No modding allowed, so everything that is evasive will potentially void the warranty, if detected of course. Which I think in case of Tesla there is actually a higher chance than with BYD. This means that anything that is tempering with internal systems, power lines, etc, that you see people in US do, it's a big no-no in Spain. \- Tesla's system is a closed one, so you get access to what they allow. It also means no CarPlay, no Adroid Auto. You can, however, again, get the AI box and connect it via USB. \- When asked about the FSD-C becoming available in Spain, she said she thinks it will be available next year. I wish it does become available, but with the recent move by EU from backing off the initial 2035 ICE car ban and just how much the EU loves their rules, I don't know. Anyways, went to the other location and got the model I wanted. Looked better than the Standard version inside and out and had features that the Standard doesn't have. I won't go over them, there's plenty of info available online. One of the first things I did when I got it is I sat in the back and reclined the seats all the way, and just like with SL7 I had the same issue where my head bumped into the sloping roof. When I changed the recline just a bit, it was ok, again, just like in SL7. I actually thought this was not going to be a problem in Tesla, due to it's more boxy shape, but apparently it is. I mean, it's not a problem, more of an inconvenience that is solvable, luckily. The second thing I noticed, Tesla seating position is more like a standard car, not so much as an SUV. At least not Renault Koleos or DS7 that I'm used to. It's ok, just different. I drove sedans and hatchbacks so I don't find anything wrong with it, it's just different than what I drove in the past few years. I also noticed that when I turn around, I don't have a lot of room in the cabin. Don't get me wrong, it's spacious car, but it seems the cabin room is smaller than SL7. Most likely due to it's boxy shape again and the fact that it has a significantly bigger trunk. Speaking of a trunk, the size of that thing is just great. It also has big sidepockets where you could install additional stuff like small compatible fridges or such. It's something I find SL7 lacking, unfortunately. What I also noticed is when I adjusted my seating position upfront and sat behind the driver's seat, there was less room for my long legs than in SL7. Pushed the pedal and off we went. Boy, does that car drive well. I definitely understood what they mean when they say "you feel connected to the road". I mean it just felt very responsive, very intuitive, I got used to the screen right away, even the onscreen shifter. I have also turned on the auto shift feature which works ok, though it definitely has room for improvement. The information about the surrounding environment is quite awesome, even though in the busy streets it would display a person chasing me behind the car, even though it was actually some lady on the scooter :) The parked motorcycles on the streets were presented as motorcycles driving along you. Not a complaint, just found it a bit funny. Up until this point when I started driving it I thought I was going to have a bigger problem deciding, even though getting a Tesla would mean paying a few thousand more for the color I wanted and EAP (Enhanced Auto Pilot) because FSD still doesnt' work in EU, so there's no point in getting it. But soon after we went for a ride, I started feeling this pain in my thighs on boths sides and in my lower back. I have tried everything while I was driving it, then stopped and spent time to try to adjust it, but the uncomfort was so big that it affected my focus on driving the car and it's just plain out hurt. Even my wife who is 167cm and 58kg said the car is pretty stiff and the seats are very uncomfortable. I tried adjust it across all axes, but it was no good. And I don't know if with the lumbar support was better or actually worse. After an hour driving it, I sort of got used to it, but my thighs were still feeling the plastic vertical edges inside the seat filling and my lower back hurt quite a bit. So much so that when I sat in my wife's Peugeot 2008 I thought "What a relief". Finally, what I also noticed is that the details in the interior felt somewhat flimsy and cheap. It looks nice, but compared to not just SL7 but my other ICE cars that I drove, some of the details were just not suitable for a 50.000+ EUR car. Things like sunshades above driver's and front passanger's seats, the molding behind the steering wheel, some plastic parts of the doors. All in all, once I was done I had no doubt in my mind I would go for SL7. I feel Tesla is technologically superior, drives very well (though SL7 drives good too). It has significantly more trunk space, and of course, has more range a more efficient battery. I can't confirm that obviously, but that's something that pretty much all the reviewers agree on. Somewhat cheap interior feel would be something I could get used to. Stifness probably too. But the discomfort and pain of the seats while driving it was just too much and a deal breaker. Even if I wouldn't buy SL7, I still wouldn't buy this Tesla model. I would just buy something else. I'm sure they'll refine it more in future revisions and facelifts, but it's just not for me at this time. Anyways, this is not a praise for BYD over Tesla, this is not anti Tesla rant nor it's CEO. In fact, I don't have anything against Musk and am investor in the company. I just wanted to share my experience in case there is someone out there with my constitution and affinity for comfort that is comparing these two cars, so something to consider. Honestly, I didn't want to share this in the Tesla subreddit because I don't want people to take it as an atttack on the company, it's cars or it's owner, which would be expected if they did. It's not a Tesla thing, it's just something that is logical when you kind of say something "against" the person or a thing in a surrounding where most of the people are pro that thing or a person, for one reason or the other.