BYD Sealion 7 vs Tesla Model Y — why did you choose BYD?

Simple, it wasn’t a Tesla. F Elon.

Because Elon musk is a prick and i also like the door handles and the HUD, and the drivers display. I also refuse to support America at the moment with their geopolitical posturing. Not that im particularly happy with china's reputation, but at least they dont have a known paedophile/rapist in charge, and they arent actively threatening an allied country with military action (i am aware of the tensions re China and Taiwan et al. Id say thats a slightly more nuanced situation, I personally have more issue with their stance against their own indigenous populations but honestly if I chose my cars based on racism I may not be able to buy any vehicle, and I cant just ride my bike everywhere due to my work.) Tldr; Its complicated, but i like poppy out door handles.

Didn't consider Tesla because - Elon is a twat. - The BYD is way cheaper and probably better quality - The BYD has more physical switches for stuff (although it still puts the temperature controls in the touchscreen) - In Japan BYD charges with Chademo which is everywhere whereas Telsa uses NACS which isn't supported much. (Apparently people buy an adapter that they only sell in Korea.) But in practice this hasn't really made a difference to me because on the rare occasions I charge away from home I use the Flash chargers, which also support NACS. The software isn't great, the app is a bit meh and Tesla is probably better, but it's good enough. Good surprises: - Really nice quality - Incredibly relaxing to drive - Awesome handling on ice/snow Bad surprises: - The car turned out to be bigger than I expected, it's slightly unwieldy. I know, this shouldn't really be a surprise because how hard is it to check the size of a car before you buy it, but I somehow didn't appreciate how big it was at the dealer's. - Buying it turned me into a huge EV bore, I didn't know this would happen to me. PS Seal not Sealion but close enough

1. It's not a Swasticar 2. It actually has a dashboard, rather than just a monitor in the middle. I don't want to glance over to see how fast I'm going etc.

Not a swastika car. Car feeling like a car, buttons, instrument cluster dashboard etc. Not going to give my money to felon

What do you mean by performance? - Sealion 7 has soft suspension and is not well suited for tall people: [https://www.reddit.com/r/BYD/comments/1mq9re3/seat\_position/](https://www.reddit.com/r/BYD/comments/1mq9re3/seat_position/) so if you mean handling / cornering / sport driving it's more like a family car. I was considering Tesla Y and Sealion 7 but ended up with Seal, as my primary focus was on performance, handling, cornering, driving experience, i didn't care about having a SUV.

Excellent points. Don't know if it is the same everywhere, but BYDs are holding their resale value much better than Tesla here. Sit in the MY and the SL 7 and you will see the difference in build quality. Oh, and (I don't know if it is related to the resale value but) Elon is definitely a twat and you are not supporting his agenda.

More affordable as a company car.

Because Tesla is a tablet on wheels, and I need a car. Also... Tesla is made by an aggressor country.

For me, it was quite a simple decision. I test drove both the Tesla Model Y and the BYD Sealion 7, and overall the Sealion appealed to me more. In terms of technology and software, I do recognize that the Model Y is probably ahead. However, as a complete package, the Sealion 7 convinced me more, especially when it comes to driving comfort, build quality, and overall feel. Just to clarify as well, I have nothing against Elon Musk, I know that for some people that’s a factor, but in my case the decision was purely about the car itself. On top of that, I think the Sealion 7 is a very good-looking car, which also plays a role. In the end, it was simply the better fit for what I’m looking for.

Chose BYD as like a number of people here the Musk madness was an issue but I also don’t like the everything on the main screen system. I would have thought after all the feedback they’ve received over the years that they would have introduced a HUD system by now but so far no and I hate having to look over at the screen for everything. Don’t get me wrong, as a car the MY is probably better than my SL7 in a number of ways but at least I have a dashboard on my car so I’m not looking away from the road. I also hate the lack of physical buttons for some basic essential functions which is the current trend in interior design 🤦🏽‍♂️ The Musk madness is also the reason why I don’t bother with the Tesla Powerwall for my home but least with that I don’t need to make any compromises with getting a Sigenergy system which is way better IMO.

The BYD Sealion 7 is like a luxury Mercedes inside (Tesla interior is cheap and uncomfortable) Both the Tesla and BYD obviously accelerate like a Ferrari. BYD’s in-house batteries capabilities and engineering background is the main reason, given the main cost and component of an EV is the battery. (Tesla buys its batteries from 3rd parties, including BYD.) The founder of BYD, is the orphan son of peasant farmers, saved by his older brother and sister in law, who recognised his potential, sacrificed themselves to keep him in school. He repaid them by building a global high technology company devoted to improving the world. He did it from a standing start. He gave his own shares in the company to the staff share option scheme, demonstrating his integrity and true mission. It is hard not to admire the man and his associates. (Elon Musk is a financial promoter, ego maniac and Nazi. I would rather put a black mamba down my shirt, than use, or purchase any product, or service he is associated with. Not because I dislike him intensely. Rather because I don’t trust him, or his products or services.) I will say, the Tesla cars did look great a few years ago but they look dated now and I would be embarrassed to be seen in one today given the Musk reputation.