Trying to decide between BYD Sealion 7 vs Tesla Model Y (family + road trips)

Zeekr 7x. Also tesla chargers are open to others but they're not really that big in Australia that's an American and online tesla thing, at last count tesla had 130 stations with 817 plugs and Australia has 1,492 fast charging stations with 4,472 plugs.

You got young kids so I think you need to be aware of the Tesla emergency door release lever. In an accident where you lose power, kids at the back are expected to pull the emergency manual door level located down the bottom side of the door to open. This is not the same as the normal electric door button/lever. There was a Tesla accident in Canada a few days ago and the car caught on fire and people outside weren't unable to open the doors. Just be aware.

You can charge your Byd at Tesla charging points, but there is also plenty of infrastructure on the syd - Brisbane route,

I have a SL7, best car I ever had. We are regional and drive to the big smoke often. Range is around 500km. We can get to the city and back with lots to spare. We mostly charge at home. There are a few fast chargers along the way but we rarely use them. Most tesla chargers are open to other brands, so that advantage isn't all that significant anymore.

Neither. The Zeekr 7X would be the king of the hill with fast charging on long distance trips, mainly because it doesn’t suffer from the rapidgating issues that the BYD has on 150+ kW chargers. The charging curve of the 7X might as well not be a curve, it’s more like a high, flat plateau the shape of the Uluru; it can sustain high speeds all the way to 85%. Coverage of fast non-Tesla chargers on the east coast from Sydney all the way to Cairns is quite good.

To clarify, around 40% of Tesla Supercharger sites are locked to Tesla.

For ease of road tripping, easily Tesla. You just put in destination and any stops and it automatically adds Supercharger stops for you with charge time estimation at each Supercharger and will adjust based on your driving. If there is congestion it’ll let you know ahead of time what the wait time or if there are any faults and reroute. App will send you notification when you have charged enough to reach your next stop. Downside is this only works with Superchargers and not other networks. Also you get the discounted rate when using Tesla Superchargers and you don’t need to activate - just plug and charge. BYD tend to be heavier so their efficiency is not great and the cooling system can allow the battery to “rapidgate” and throttle the charging rate. I’ve been told the in built navigation can plan charging stops, but it’s quite new and won’t have live information unlike Tesla. Suspension is definitely tuned for comfort compared to even newest Model Y. Zeekr 7X is more luxurious and can reach the highest charge rate compared to BYD and Tesla, but you’d need to find 800V 300-400kW capable chargers. When plugged in to Tesla Supercharger they’ll max out around 130 kW due to Tesla Supercharger limitation of 400 V.

i own a BYD Seal. decent car for the money, but if had time again would go the Tesla route.  and while most Tesla charging stations are now open to all cars, there are still some exclusive to Tesla. not a big deal if only traveling around town, but beneficial if doing longer road trips.  post sale support of BYD isn’t great either. while the quality is decent and chance of issue is relatively low, in the situation you do need post sale support or warranty, dealing with BYD can be time consuming and frustrating. Tesla’s post sale support is vastly more mature, with modern workflows built from the ground up. Tesla also have local parts warehousing in Aus. BYD and most Chinese EV brands will ship from China. in terms of features, Tesla is a long way ahead with software.  boot space of Sealion 7 is an issue for me too. similar to the Seal, can’t even fit golf clubs in the boot. Model Y has a lot more storage space in boot and frunk.  BYD decent choice if highly budget conscious, otherwise Tesla is well worth the extra $ in my experience. (keep in mind, servicing charges of BYD are more expensive than Tesla.. so over a few years, the actual $ difference is minimal).

Just so you know google maps now does all this by default once you set up your vehicle profile and Most chargers provide live data to Google now. >For ease of road tripping, easily Tesla. You just put in destination and any stops and it automatically adds Supercharger stops for you with charge time estimation at each Supercharger and will adjust based on your driving. If there is congestion it’ll let you know ahead of time what the wait time or if there are any faults and reroute.

Specifically for family road trips I’d go the Tesla Model Y. It is significantly more efficient and has a better charging network. It’s cheaper because it needs less electricity and also has lower/no servicing costs. The Model Y also has a larger boot and frunk which will be helpful for all the kids gear. Having said that the Sealion 7 is also a good car. But for this particular usage I’d go the Tesla.

Sealion 7 would be my pick. I'm a big fan of the design! For day to day and roadtrips there will be no difference. Both can plan charging stops for you. Both spacious. I would probably be tossing between Zeekr 7x and BYD sealion 7. Zeekr 7x offers better everything but the support could be limited.

We went the SL7, Zeeker is just too new a brand, the dealer network isn't there, and they had supply issues with cars which made us wonder if parts support would be the same and Tesla, we just can't do it, the Elon factor has killed the brand for many, just don't want to be associated with that sort of thing.

They both will probably do the job just fine. It really depends on your preference so go and drive them if you can. There also some other good options such as the Kia EV5, Zeekr 7x (limited dealer network), and Skoda Enyaq - I would try to test drive them as well.

I recently went through this and purchased the Model Y Juniper. I had eliminated the Sealion 7 earlier and was down to EV6 vs Model Y. My reasons of Y over Sealion 7. 1. Efficiency, Tesla is just best in class here. At 90 kmh the Juniper LR used 125 wh/km vs 189 wh/km for the Sealion 7. 2. Driving. This is subjective but I think the Tesla is a much more fun car to drive. 3. Software: The tesla software is on another level better. The one downside is it doesn't have Android Auto and Apple Carplay. 4. The boot is slightly bigger in the model Y. 5. One Pedal drive. BYD doesn't offer one pedal drive. 6. The tesla has a better lane keeping system. BYD generally wins on price. My feeling is that is just isn't that compelling a car. I was more excited about the EV6 but the rear headroom and boot are poor and it 's software is rubbish in comparison. I feel like a TeslaStan writing this but as someone who hates Elon and tried to buy something else I just think it's a very compelling car.

On the efficiency point - how much does this really matter? I’m in the “research phase” of transition to EV, but everything I’m seeing is so much cheaper per km than ICE that I’m not really worried about kWh/km. Best I can tell, the efficiency difference works out to a couple of hundred dollars extra per year (depending on how you ‘fill up’), and much less if you’re reliant on solar or the free energy in the middle of the day. Efficiency combined with the battery in the vehicle certainly matters, but that’s really just to say the car’s range under different conditions. Apart from the Long Range Y (which is $15k extra?) there’s not a big difference in highway range, so wouldn’t factor efficiency in personally.

Worth mentioning the fsd factor for road trips. We do trips down the peninsula, and being able to get on a freeway and set and forget is pretty amazing - I’d imagine for longer trips it’d be even more of a benefit.

It also contributes to lighter weight & better packaging

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I was leaning towards the Model Y but wasn’t sure if paying an extra $20K was worth it. I’ll also check out the Zeekr 🙏

I agree, efficiency isn't all that important. At least to me it isn't. My SL7 has a bit over 17 kWh/100km which isn't best in class but still not bad.

Around 40% of Tesla chargers are Tesla-only, typically on the more busier routes between major cities

Yeah always do your efficiency maths at large scale. So 125 wh/km vs 189 wh/km is 12.5 kwh/ 100km vs 18.9kwh/100 km 1250 kwh/10,000km vs 1890kwh/10,000km At Queensland price thats $192 home charging and $384 at chargers a year if you're doing 10,000kms a year or $1,920 and $3,840 over 100,000kms/10 years. Much easier to save that money up front choosing the right vehicle and/or trim. I believe the average is 12,000kms a year.

I don't really get the whole need to make a door handle more complicated generally. Am I missing something other than the "cool factor"?

The best route from Sydney to Melbourne in the zeekr is stopping at the 350kw evie charger at Ampol Foodary - Tarcutta

Yeah efficiency isn't everything. The Sealion 7 has a bigger battery than the standard RWD Model Y, which gives it a higher range even with worse efficiency (on paper). And IIRC the higher trim Model Ys use NMC batteries, which aren't recommended to be regularly charged above 80%, vs BYDs LFP batteries which handle 100% charging a lot better. In real world usage the Tesla's efficiency gains don't translate to that much of a range increase.

I heard coups were instant death traps and anyone in the backseat instantly died because they didn’t have their own door. In summary, don’t believe all the anti Tesla hype which plays out the smallest things as if they are huge issues

Honestly, you'll be happy with whichever one you get. I have a Sealion 7, and would highly recommend it. It's a great car, nice to drive, plenty of power and range, build quality is excellent. It's the best value for money in the segment IMO. I test drove a Tesla (pre-Juniper) and apart from being ultra minimalist inside (which I didn't love) it was really similar to drive. Boot space is better in the Tesla but backseat space is better in the Sealion. They both have their pros and cons, but you won't be disappointed with either of them.

Does google maps auto reroute when charges are full or filling up?

Does Tesla offer more than 4 years warranty now?

Easily the Tesla. No car is perfect but it’s an incredible product. The Tesla drives much better. Better ride and handling balance, more precise steering, better throttle feel and one pedal driving. Feels more agile and much more enjoyable. The Tesla is also much better packaged with more interior room, bigger frunk, bigger boot and bigger under boot space and higher payload. You also have much better software and tech with higher levels of integration. Basically the best software and app in the industry currently. The BYD doesn’t have a UWB digital key like the Tesla, so you have to take the phone out of your pocket and tap your phone on the drivers side mirror of the BYD where NFC sensor is which is annoying. The Tesla has Sentry and 7 camera dashcam including interior, all viewable live from your phone is cool and handy with dog mode. Tesla customer service and support is also great and it’s all manufacturer owned and not third party franchisees. They also have Tesla owned crash repair centres if needed. Efficiency is also a lot better on the Tesla, which reduces costs on long distance trips and future proofs if EV overnight electricity rates disappear. For long distance driving having the full Supercharger network fully integrated with your car, as well as rear screen for YouTube, Disney, Netflix for the kids is good too Full self driving is there if you want it (and pay for it). Model Y also recently got Car of the Year and the best crash safety results that ANCAP ever tested.

Yep absolutely! Most chargers provide live data to Google now.

🤣🤣🤣

If you can ignore the Elon factor Tesla’s are amazing vehicles. I have had a Y for 3 years and it’s excellent - hoping the Chinese offerings catch up before I need to replace it as I won’t buy another Tesla for the foreseeable future.

Yes, 5 years, unlimited km

I would say it is entirely dependant on your situation. If you extrnsively DC fast charge it will add up. If you home charge it just means it will take a bit longer and cost slightly more.

The Elon factor was one of the main reasons I never considered a Tesla and was originally planning to get a PHEV from BYD. However, considering our usage it made more sense to get a BEV. However, with the Juniper release it’s hard to ignore the Model Y (Especially the additional range)

Absolutely that as you are driving to a charger the vehicle will auto reroute so you don’t turn up when it’s full or it lets you know how many people are using it and you have to check later?

Efficiency makes a difference, especially for road trips where charging time is important. If the BYD needs 50% more to do the same distance that would mean 50% more time spent charging (all other things being equal).

Yes all of that plus it'll also tell you if drivers have had issues or not charging there in the last 30 days. Google maps pretty much has full live EV integration now.

That’s great news!

Finally

I drive from Melbourne to Cairns/Port Douglas in my Tesla Y juniper and it’s excellent. No issues with charging, it’s fast and convenient and that’s even right up north. Coincides with your usual toilet breaks. Combine that with autopilot or even better FSD and you’re laughing. We drove 15 hours per day using FSD, and did the whole drive in 3 days, and there’s no way we could have driven that much without an autopilot. If you’re going inland Australia you may have slower charging, so you probably need to see what sort of routes you usually take on your drives and what the charging situation is. Has never stopped us from doing this drive inland but we don’t have kids to think about yet. Not sure what the byd acceleration is, but mine is 4.2 seconds 0-100 and it’s a dream for overtaking on two lane roads, you feel very safe during an overtake because most of the cars out there are ICE and usually slower. Don’t know if that helps at all but that’s my two cents!

Don’t let the emotions dictate your tens-of-thousands-of-dollars worth of decision. Elon isn’t going to be sitting with you when you are enjoying a drive. Speaking from personal experience, Model Y is an excellent vehicle with a supercharger network that is unparalleled. The car is actually smart and will get smarter with time. Actually evaluate your options. Test drive all your shortlisted cars. All the best !

Yeah, Tesla doors being difficult to open in an emergency is a nothing burger. Teslas are among the safest vehicles. I’d recommend a Tesla especially because OP has young kids.

That is a great summary. The only other thing I’ll add is Tesla’s supercharger network. I know other brands can now access a bulk of it. Tesla still has the advantage here.

I agree with the post by sirpunsalot. All billionaires are ego maniacs, look at our own local billionaire who laid of 1200 people because AI was eating his lunch or the other billionaire who is a philanthropist but secretly is out to make more money by patenting crops and medicines. Fuck Elon .. but I love my Tesla and am waiting for my MYP to be delivered.

It kind of is an important factor. Bigger battery is heavier and makes it worse in a less efficient car. Absolutely nothing against Sealion (it is a great car), but the efficiency penalty is real. Read u/ApprehensiveSize7662 ‘s comment above for the A$ impact (sorry I’d link the comment here but I don’t know how to).

It's true and route planning when supercharging exists is excellent. I did a trip in Brisbane with a rental model 3 and the superchargers were always working which I couldn't say for the chargefox network. I think the piece that has surprised me is that the Supercharging network is often cheaper than other chargers and sometimes by a pretty significant margin.

Tesla chargers are cheaper for tesla owners. And tesla owners can use all tesla chargers and all non tesla chargers. As for road trips and kids ive found stopping to charge is better with kids. It helps break the trip up a bit for them. Get em out take em to the dunny and/or have a snack. Most stops are just a top up and doesnt take long at all 10-15mins. And thats a good excuse to get em back in the car and get going again. Not 100% sure about byd but also tonnes of storage for a roadtrip in frunk and under floor boot in tesla allowing for plenty of room in the backseats. Take em both for a test drive and see what you think after that.

1. Tap the 3 dots 2. Share 3. Copy link 4.https://www.reddit.com/r/EVAustralia/s/M2BMaamY9p

Thanks. It maybe just me, but that seems to copy the link to the post, not the specific comment.

Oh absolutely. My experience with superchargers in NSW is very similar.

You hitting the 3 dots on the comment not the post? Left of the reply button.

Each to their own. I don't understand what you mean by hype when the fact of the matter is you have doors but you can't open them under certain conditions. That's different to buying a 2-door coupe and you know you have 2 doors. If people are aware of the manual door levers they have to use in an emergency and choose to buy, that's fine. Just like the 2door coupe. I never said for OP to not buy, but to understand what he/she will be putting the kids into. I don't think China looking to ban the door handles because they're anti Tesla.

Just to add to the software . I found Tesla software very intuitive and seems to work for you and is human centric just trying to make your life better . I didn't find this with the BYD. Little things like walk and enter where the byd your hunting around your pocket for keys.

Hey what regional you referring too? I said to the dealer today I want a EV and was looking at SL7 and said I want to drive from Melb to Bendigo and back. He said I probably need to charge at Bendigo before driving back to Melb

Maybe it’s the best idea to save some cash and drive something cheaper until you can afford to buy a home.

I'm in SEQ about 160km from Brissie. Usually have between 30% and 40% left after a return trip. Very hilly.

Do you have any real life reports of this being an issue? As I said with Tesla there are a million invented major issues with Tesla that people love to roll out but many many are nothing

The dude was throwing heil Hitler's, I think it's a perfectly reasonable stance to exclude Tesla, especially when there are lots of alternatives.

Just off the top of my head. Toronto news last week reported Tesla MY crashed, caught fire. "People rushed up within seconds to help but the doors would not open." Investigation on going. I don't think China banning electronic door handles is because it's nothing.

I said report, not what people claimed not what the media said. What an authority report said? Tesla sells all over the world, may many different countries and insurance groups have independently tested their vehicles and yet none seem concerned with this serious critical issue that literally puts everyone’s life’s at risk. Weird, maybe it’s not a thing at all and you shouldn’t believe everything the Toronto news says

Where do you get those stats

Except it is locked to 80-100kw at tesla chargers

I just checked Google maps and there's no where to enter the range of your car? Can't really give great route planning without that info?

What was the first sentence of my first comment? Surely you can't expect me, a stranger on the internet to hold your hand in setting up your account? Like I don't care if you can't set it up properly.

Not much to use Tesla superchargers to be honest, other than being cheaper. Non-Tesla chargers that are 150 kW or faster are equally as reliable. It’s only sub-100 kW non-Tesla chargers that are often broken.

odd take. personally I don't think it's an issue - as long as you know where the manual release is, I also keep a glass breaker in all my cars, but there are many well documented cases of this happening and a known issue. a corporation sacrificing safety for profit is a tale as old as time

I loved the zeekr, the drive.. the interior and everything felt superior.. but the price difference was too much vs the SL7 that it made it not feel worth the stretch. Very happy with our SL7 performance

Odd take? I asked for actual evidence and you recollected a news report. Again you say many well documented cares, so show the actual cases. Not media reporting. Actual official reports. People deserve to know how bad these death traps are

what's your definition of official? you think Tesla is going to tell you how unsafe their cars are?

Governments will. Police departments will. Insurance companies will

I chose byd because they are better looking than the homer simpson bubble car. Also, dont you need a subscription for a tesla? No thanks.

NHTSA is doing an investigation. Is that official enough? NHTSA investigates Tesla emergency mechanical door handles; China bans flush EV handles | Repairer Driven News https://share.google/xcBdmeLadkiTHWUGJ Tesla redesigning door handles that drew scrutiny over safety, Bloomberg News reports | Reuters https://share.google/crmSB7IINbT01vzD8 Is this official enough that the car maker have to change their stupid design because of deaths? Getting used by families who were trapped in a Tesla because of the stupid door. Tesla sued by family who says faulty doors led to wrongful deaths from fiery crash | Reuters https://share.google/fhuUK6cotdz7uySWe You just hope you don't get into an accident in a Tesla because no one can get you out.

You are conflating a few things here. The first is flush EXTERNAL door handles. The second is that there was a petition and NHTSA js investigating gnat petition. Like they have to do for all petitions. Doesn’t mean anything is real yet. Just like reporting a crime then police come and investigate if a crime actually happened. Yeah Tesla is trying to make the door handles simplier because it’s safer and simpler. Less parts. Like they do constantly. But let’s go back to first principles do we have any actual verifiable cases of people dying or being injuried because of these handles?

During my research 3yrs ago between a Tesla MY and Hyundai I came across a YouTube video of the Blackmagic steps you have to do to unlock the doors if your 12v failed. I said no way, esp with young kids. So here's an NHTSA of parents with kids stuck in the the back because of the 12v flow voltage or dead and can't open the doors. Reinforces my decision to not go MY and also why I posted here. INOA-PE25010-18817.pdf https://share.google/VvVuKKH9XZjuv3JNL

Are you paid? It’s like there is three accounts constantly up and down in damage control trying to attack Tesla at every opportunity. Why do you care so much about a car you don’t like?

classic 'this comment challenges my worldview so must be bot/fake news'

It’s just weird. Like when a Tesla article comes out positive it’s always weird how some people need to comment about how they don’t like it despite it not being about their car or something. Tesla attracts people like this

You can check my history if I care much about them or posted any other some bad designs which are safety issues. I happened to cross this post and posted a warning because of the young kids. The NTHSA report of the 9 incidents where parents got trapped kids in the back because of the dead 12v backs up my concern as well. It's not that I don't like Tesla. I was comparing the MY and Ioniq5 back in '22 but I didn't like a lot of the Tesla "designs". What I don't understand is why a simple warning about the door handles triggered you. It's a valid warning because of the many deaths and now investigations to back that warning. I'm not telling people to not buy a Tesla, just be informed what they put their kids into.

I went inside an atto 3 I promise you it’s the ugliest piece of shit I’ve ever seen

Wait till you hear about all the other vehicles with the same mechanism. Oh you won’t because Tesla makes the news

Another item to consider between the two with regards to long road trips is whether you will plan to use FSD.

Don’t buy a Swasticar!

Not all charging stations are equal. Tesla superchargers are all actually fast (150-350 kW), have multiple plugs and very high uptime, while random "fast" chargers can be as little as 50 kw (half that when sharing), often have only two plugs, and are frequently down. That said, on core routes like SYD-BNE there's plenty of chargers on all networks these days.

He is wrong. You could easily do it and still have 15-20% battery remaining.

I rented a Tesla twice once the rental company didn't have a BYD available. Hated the Tesla, for me 6'2 tall blindspots and constantly having to do everything via the screen including looking at the speedo! Ended up buying a BYD , Better technology,.works on Apple & android auto. Speedo right in front, wipers.and common items have buttons or stick! Why on earth would you support anything that mad country (USA) are involved in? Killing innocent children? Let's support that country! Telsa are made in China why not go with the latest technology over something that has to be approved by a Yankie?

You ok with supporting a nazi, and publicly doing so?

Route planning including incorporating chargers along the way to use, is done by Tesla or ABRP, but not google maps.

Tesla 100%.

thing is, if OP actually tried FSD they wouldn't be asking this question in the first place 🤣

They're both good cars, but Tesla has better resale. Hard to believe, I know, but BYD is generally lower. Tesla has a much larger boot (~822L rear + underfloor storage, vs Sealion 7's ~500L) plus a bigger frunk (~116L vs ~58L). So it's better for family trips, groceries, or luggage. Also take the servicing into account when comparing. Tesla has no regular servicing, BYD does. Sealion 7 has a more comfortable ride, but is less composed. So it depends if comfort is the main goal, or some handling ability as well. The 300kg lighter Tesla also affects handling/braking/nimbleness. Tesla tends to be more energy-efficient in real-world driving, leading to better effective range despite a smaller battery depending on the model. BYD will hopefully have long-term brand reliability and support, but they're still quite new to the Australian market. Their reliability so far has been good, but time will tell if that's the case after 5+ years.