Seal vs Tesla M3

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The model 3 has been the same car for 10 years, the Seal is a modern car. I've had the seal for 18.months and considered both, the Seal was the clear winner.

Seal look s way better plus the interior is superb

Tesla’s model range just looks dated now - even the new ones. I know a few people with them and they are always saying that the cars have rattles that don’t go away, trim that lifts and just general poor build quality. I’ve not driven one and chose the Seal Excellence. No complaints and the four motors instead of two makes a difference (in my head at least). If there’s a broken down EV on the side of the road, it’ll most likely be a Tesla (I know there are a lot of them so the proportion would be higher but I’ve only ever seen Tesla and one VW).

I have sympathy for early Tesla adopters. But since Musk [did this](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/elon-musk-daughter-vivian-jenna-wilson-salute) it *baffles* me as why people, especially in Europe, would want to continue funding him by buying his cars because it signals that you’re ok with that.

Difference is the Seal has an interior.

Hahahha, tbh by now I don’t know whats the appeal to get a Tesla! They have trash interior, BMW or Benz lvl prices and drive like trash. BYD does everything better for cheaper, while being a better daily

I sold my Model 3 LR last year and bought a Seal Excellence - the Seal is definitely the better car, and excellent value for money. Every finish feels more premium...oh, and it has a dashboard (and a fairly pointless HUD 🫤). I used to own a Jaguar I-Pace HSE too, which was an excellent car, and the Seal might just pip that too. Love my BYD, no regrets.

We first bought a BYD M6 EV people carrier for ferrying the family around. It replaced a Gen-1 Nissan Leaf. Overall, the M6 blew my mind on the bang-for-buck scale plus the overall plushness. So much so, when the HV battery finally conked out on my trusty Gen-3 Prius (my personal daily driver), I naturally headed back to BYD to test drive the Seal Premium and duly put down a deposit. As it happened, there was a bit of a wait-list, so in the mean time I wandered over to Tesla to test-drive the Model 3 RWD just to satisfy my curiosity. Long story short, I ended up cancelling the booking for the Seal 🙂. Whilst the Seal was a nicer car overall, the Model 3 just drove so much better and I was completely sold on the one-pedal driving. Add to that, I'm constantly hitting 11-12 kWh/100km. TLDR; the Seal is a better car, but the M3 is a better EV. In my humble opinion of course 🙂 https://preview.redd.it/etjzvyonngjg1.jpeg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bcfa3577daea109378ad4392736e05ed90b63a06

Why in europe especially?

Did I say ‘only in Europe’?

Read my comment again. I am interested about you developing your argument.

The last place where this gesture and the ideology associated with it was prominent, was Europe. I’m old enough to have grown up with living family members that fought in the resulting conflict when it was prominent. Europeans, whose generation also lived and fought through it, especially have less excuse to not understand what it means.

It's the early adopters who Elon started to hate. Then the adopters began to hate him, and the people Elon was pandering to have been programmed to hate ev's so none of this makes sense til you realize Elon is a megalomaniac conman who craves the spotlight more than he craves ketamine. And Yeah, I had always wanted a Tesla but was never settled down and was always working different jobs all over the world. I always told myself that once I settled back home I'd get a Tesla. Then after 2019, Elon just started getting exhausting, and then more exhausting, and then just seemed to be a conman desperate for the entire world to always pay attention to him. Fast forward to 2024 and I'm settled in Asia. Tesla isn't so big in the country I live, but I wasn't gonna buy 1 anyway. Then byd was gaining market share tremendously in Thailand and Vietnam. It was in my country but slowly from 2023 and there was so much hype more dealerships opened. So I got 1. I wouldn't even know who the ceo is if he knocked at my front door, and I like that. If I had gotten a Tesla, I'd be reminded of Elon as I drive it, every time I went online, and every time I turned on the news! Also, the byd I've got was like 1/3rd the price of a comparable tesla. I hate to see an American car company go bankrupt, but as long as Elon is there, Ill stay far away from tesla.

He is indeed another rich asshole but I dont see whats wrong with the salute js cuz h did it doesn't mean anyone who does it is acting like a na zi

Yeah, my byd only cost $27k equivalent in usd dollars. Yet, it feels premium and just luxurious. I've never really been a car guy, but I love this car and it's so comfortable to drive.

End of 2024 I was looking for my first EV, was between a Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2. The Tesla had the better drive, but ergonomics and the basic interior was definitely not for me. I had some regret I bought a single motor Polestar 2, looking at the facelift dual motors they were at least 45k EUR second hand so started to look for others. The Seal ticked every box, and was very good for the price. I've got my Excellence for almost 3 weeks and love every drive. I get some Tesla drivers with me in the Seal who say it could be a bit less engaging to drive compared to the Tesla, but every one of them says they prefer the Seal interior.

Tesla is a poor man's seal.

Oh sure maybe not everyone who makes that gesture is a ‘na zi’ but it’s so widely and deeply associated to that ideology you’d have to be a completely naive idiot to make that gesture and not understand that people who see you do it will think you are one. I don’t for a second believe that Musk is that stupid.

Got a M3 now, due to Musk I'm now looking to move away from Tesla for my next car. My 2 options are a Xiaomi SU7 or a BYD Seal.... Both look great, but for me the experience is what counts the most, and is the only thing I really enjoy in my M3 now...

He might be doing it as a joke but idk I doubt hes doing it foreal since he was friends with epstine according to what the files say he really wanted to go to the island

‘A joke’. How is it funny? Who is it funny to?

tesla software is superior, we have both cars.

Idk he was never a funny guy

Tesla made for AI to drive. BYD Seal is made for human to drive.

Seal all the way. Tesla M3 is so unreliable and old.

This..

I've got a model 3 and could've had another for my next car but chose the Seal Excellence. I get it in 3 weeks so can't give hands on feedback for you but I can give you the reasons I chose it over another TM3. Both cars are free for me barring a little bit of benefit in kind difference. Tesla's indicator and gear selector disaster The interior is more premium in the BYD BYD is faster (could only get single motor model 3 for free) BYD UI is more customisable To give you an objective view, here's what I like and don't like about the Tesla after driving one for 3 years... Good bits... Lots of space Tesla charging network Sound system is OK It farts Decent m/kwh (in comparison with our Volvo EV) Bad bits... Other people hate Tesla's (or maybe me!) Lots of weird noises like the clunk from the heat pump when it's cold Not the best handling car in the world, it's not horrendous but I'd expect better

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Something i despise about Tesla's is that all of your driving information, that would be on the dashboard, is off to the side on a tablet. Something I love about the Seal is the HUD that sit just below my eye line. I also hear about build quality issues with Tesla, things like panels not properly aligning and such. Things like that always have me concerned about long until the Tesla becomes a money pit junk car.

simply not true.

Not true that Tesla quality is bonkers or that Benz and BMW are best in terms of of luxury and driving feel?

i’ve owned Seal Performance for 2 years now. what i’ve learned in my experience from owning Seal and driving friend’s Model 3 Performance  Handling and braking : M3P is superior. Seal is not only 350KG heavier, but the suspension is too soft, bounce around corner.   Seal’s blended breaking system is average, any time you want to push the car and braking you’ll notice what feels like the brakes grab when it transitions from regen to friction. brakes on M3P are much predictable and effective.  Software Tech and features - Seal has basic software features and remote functionality. best thing about Seal is you can “hack” the IVI and load your own apps. though this is still limited and for the most part isn’t great. Tesla’s software and functions are on another level. if you like your tech, Tesla wins hands down. many features i am envious of.  Seal doesn’t even have Sentry mode.  Boot space - BYD have sacrificed boot space for extra leg room in back seat. i can’t even fit golf clubs in the boot. i’d much prefer larger boot like M3 has while sacrificing a little rear seat space.  Support and Servicing - this applies to Australia at least, but support from BYD is almost non existent. any warranty issue, big or small, is a major effort with BYD. with friend’s Tesla, seems like a breeze. everything is streamlined and easy when dealing with Tesla. it’s all 1st party compared to BYD there’s a lot of agents 3rd parties involved in importing, servicing, warranty and customer service.  ADAS - Seal’s ADAS simply sucks. i turn off most ADAS features every time. quite annoying. OPD - non existent on Seal. Overall the Seal is still decent value for money. but if you like tech and/or enjoy a car that performs great, it’s hard to go past the Model 3.    at this point once Tesla release HW5 in the M3P, i’ll be selling Seal to buy one.

lol nice trolling. this joke will never get old i guess

Model 3 can do both. Seal cannot.  Seal is a lot heavier than M3.  Seal blended braking sucks compared to M3.  M3 handles better, brakes better, accelerates faster.  if you enjoy driving a car hard, Model 3 Performance is the way to go.  (i own a Seal Performance)

how so?

Explain

Buying a Tesla signals you're ok with what Musk does - yes, very well stated. Tesla did not even get considered when we researched EVs. We wouldn't have bought one even if it was technically the best choice, which I'm sure it wasn't. We ended up with a BYD.

“BYD does everything better for cheaper” complete ignorance

>The model 3 has been the same car for 10 years Model 3 deliveries only started in the second half of 2017.

Which model and where are you located?

“BYD is better at everything for cheaper” Tesla Model 3 advantages over BYD Seal:   • Self-driving: Superior Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised with advanced lane-keeping and city navigation.  • Software features: Responsive interface, OTA updates, integrated music/podcasts, superior route planning, Auto Shift for parking/turns.  • Sentry mode: Available with video recording; BYD lacks equivalent.  • Handling: hundreds of kilograms Lighter, quicker steering, better grip, more agile and composed.  • Tyre wear: Seal Performance lucky to get 20kkms out of a set of tyres. Model 3 Performance easily 40kkms+  • Acceleration: Model 3 Faster 0-100km/h  • Boot space: Larger 594L + 88L frunk; more practical.  • Servicing: Condition-based via sensors; no fixed intervals, lower long-term costs.  • Post-sale support: deal with Tesla directly for everything, with BYD it’s usually some agent or 3rd party for every country outside China.  • Software automations: Better setting retention, fewer glitches.  • Smartphone/watch integration: App-based keyless entry, remote commands; seamless. Remote voice commands “Hey Siri, i’m about to leave in 5 minutes” will pre condition your Tesla ready for when you get in. BYD app slow and cumbersome.  • One-pedal driving: Smoother regen braking to full stop; standard and superior.  • Additional: Battery pre-conditioning, efficiency (Wh/km), navigation, sound system, fewer annoyances. Seal advantages over Model 3 • factory HUD (available as a 3rd party option for M3) • cheaper (better for budget conscious people who just want to get from A to B) • IVI runs Android Automotive - while doesn’t look very polished, you can hack it and load your own apps to a certain degree.  • rear seat leg room, BYD sacrifices boot space for extra rear seat space. (EG cannot fit golf clubs in boot)

In the Philippines. Bought my byd sealion 6 may 2025. Amazing vehicle.

Down voted for the cut & paste

Lucky you. It costs double in Europe: https://byd-auto.rs/modeli/byd-sealion-7/ 44k Eur comes out to $53k US. Sales tax is 20% and customs duty is 12.5% so the difference is not only due to those (and I assume Philippines also has customs duty and sales tax).

I know that's the sealion 7, but shouldn't cost that much more. Is it cause the taxes and import fees? And what would an equivalent tesla cost? Mine cost P1.6m Philippine pesos which was $27k at the time. And I think that's with at least $7500 in import duties and taxes.

Tesla is not sold in Serbia directly. Used grey import Model 3s go for around 28k USD.

yes i pasted from Notes.  have fixed the paragraphing now, thanks.  happy to talk about any point further.

Byd is nicer in every way, except the Tesla is better to drive with 1 pedal driving We have both at my work and have driven them both a lot

Agree, but not having apple carplay in the Tesla sucks

Tesla’s integration with iOS is pretty tight , syncs most things and notifications still appear on Tesla display.   looks at calendar, suggests routes based on calendar events etc.. i find the best thing about CarPlay on Seal isn’t CarPlay itself, but rather the ability to run Android boxes though the CarPlay protocol, allowing you to run any Android app, stream TV while in D, etc etc.   and of course ability to use Waze.

Yeah it is tight, not as elite as CarPlay proper tho

i have both. m3 technology is way ahead compared to the seal.

it’d be nice if BYD implemented the full CarPlay capabilities, with CarPlay cluster, gauges and everything etc. but i doubt that’ll happen, they seem set on their own custom iteration of Android Automotive to control everything, while offering basic Android Auto and CarPlay enablement.

I was shopping both. It was between seal performance and Tesla performance 3. The cost wasn’t an issue, I just needed to get an EV so I could charge with solar given the driving I do. seal was just a better car. I test drove both, 3 times each, over a 2 month period. What I found: - seal interior felt more premium. Better put together, no rattles. And to this day, 1.5 years later despite left in the sun all day, no rattles. - Tesla had no speedometer or tacho type display. If you want to see the driving speed, you have to look at the centre screen. That killed it for me. - the sunroof on the Tesla in 2024, was letting in so much more heat. Don’t know if it was thinner glass or just cheaper glass, but the heat difference was very real and being in Australia this mattered. - no gear shifter. Some people like the minimalist, but are you telling me if the screen blacks out I won’t be able to reverse the car? Pass. - the Tesla for rid of the radar sensors. So in the rain, or bad weather, the auto cruise control relies on cameras? Terrible cost cutting and lack of care for safety to save a buck. - no indicator stalks. I had to go through an s bend on my drive and while holding the steering wheel at 12 and 6, I had to go left and could get the indicator buttons which are tiny, on the steering wheel. Again, more cost cutting for safety being sold as “design”. Hard pass. - Seal had better quality seats, heads up display, much heavier, substantial doors, better heat insulation, - as a rev head, the Tesla was faster , and was really in crisis choosing because I wanted the speed but with the above I could justify getting a Tesla. Even the insurance was double, which I was OK to pay but too much fell short. - the thing that blew my mind was software. For the Tesla , I said “change interior lights to green”. Didn’t know what I meant. So I tried like 4/5 different ways. We never got there. In the seal, it just worked first time straight up. This was shocking and took the potential sale away. The Tesla at this point had nothing, for me, over the seal but the speed. And give the seal is like <4sec to a 100. It was the right choice. I will say I thought the M3P in red looked stunning, and being a lot lighter , it cornered better for sure, if that’s your thing. The BYD though, despite being heavier by a lot braked better. And more consistently. This is just my needs, one person of many people buying EVs. Would still consider a Tesla next time but they got fix a few things and actually make a better car. Oh and my use has 16.1KW/hr lifetime so far. I just use auto cruise everywhere and gun it when I need to go which is usually every time I drive.

In the Philippines, the car that cost me $27k would have cost $35k cause of the taxes and it being such a corrupt country. Then around mid 2024, they lowered the costs for hybrids and ev's cause gasoline was so expensive. They did something right for a change. But yeah, I wouldn't pay $53k for this vehicle. I love it. I'm just not enough of a car guy to pay that much for any vehicle even if I'm rich.

Rich Napa leather…

I bought my Sealion7 last November for USD$36,000 in Melbourne, Australia. Brilliant car, but truth be told, my other car is a 1974 Holden Torana.

What's that? My bar is set quite low: an interior that looks better than unfurnished apartment, I like. An interior I can escape during a battery fire and not BBQ alive, I also like.

The seats in my Sealion7 are fitted out in Napa leather. Standard. Yummy!

Yeah, fuck that fascist piece of shit.

you must be fun at parties

Same. I despised him from well before he really ‘came out’. I’m in 🇦🇺 got a BYD, 21k klm, very happy. On the subject I don’t have much experience with Tesla’s but they could be twice as good and half the price and I wouldn’t touch one.

Also, the seal has 100% less Nazi.

Nobody cares about self-driving. Most people don't need Sentry Mode. The seal is very quick. I don't accept your argument about tyres. That's probably anecdotal. No CarPlay or Android Auto. Nobody cares about one-pedal driving. It's overrated. Can't think of a single reason to buy the Tesla and as I mentioned earlier 100% less Nazi with the seal.

the “nazi” narrative is overrated and childish. stop being so ignorant. you’re emotionally compromised to have any meaningful discussion.    your only valid argument is CarPlay/AA.  Sentry mode, OPD, you’ve never experienced it, you’re just jumping to whatever conclusion is in favour of non-Tesla.  (and OPD isn’t just something you can judge based on a 20 minute test drive. it takes time to adjust, vast majority of people who dislike OPD haven’t even experienced it or understand how it works exactly and the numerous benefits it has to driving).  as for tyres, it may be anecdotal to a degree, but the fact Seal Performance is almost 20% heavier than Model 3 Performance would play a big part too, based on reality and physics at least - whether your hate for Musk allows logic discussion though is yet to be seen.

https://preview.redd.it/87wyievjzqjg1.jpeg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d8eb21a2a429aa4ee9e467013e854e78dc34a9c You want to defend this guy then keep rolling with that life choice and let me know how it works out for you. lmao

He has preset notes on Tesla so he can paste it into other groups. How fucking pathetic is that?

legit can’t tell if you’re trolling or just genuinely troubled  https://i.ibb.co/Q7g6CztK/IMG-1049.jpg https://i.ibb.co/GvFfGm1L/IMG-1048.jpg

14 months. 20,000kms - never had an issue - it feels like a friend ups German saloon and is built like one too. I have the mid range vehicle with the bigger battery etc... but not the AWD.

Lol

And it's design 3 years earlier...

Gold.

Antelope. https://preview.redd.it/4jmw34xuyrjg1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d38d8d7a3c1cd1c07b840a8cdf68231ae2c46bf

Stunner....

BYD also has \* keyless entry using my iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock it. \* OTA updates / music app What the BYD has above Tesla: physical buttons for important functions.

Keyless yes, proximity no. limited to select high end models BYD only. standard for all Teslas. (BYD call it Digital Key Plus) physical buttons are overrated when voice activation can do everything plus more.  BYD has voice commands too, albeit not as quick and reliable as Tesla’s.  and for example, BYD has heaps of buttons but none for rear window demister. it’s several menus deep. thankfully voice command works for this.

Is it? I get Apple CarPlay on my Seal.

Rising service costs for the Seal. Reliability issues. Quality issues. Poor service. The foundations are cracking. Cheap Chinese vehicles are not all that. Can’t wait to get rid of our Seal Perf. What a piece of junk. Tesla or an i4 will be the next vehicle.

Same boat as you. BYDs servicing for warranty issues is horrendous. Service pricing has skyrocketed since ‘23. Have a Seal Perf and can’t wait to get rid of the junk to get a Tesla. Much better cars. The cheap Chinese hype is wearing off. Cheap doesn’t mean better. Model Y Perf once our novated lease is up.

Actually no. The Seal is a poor man’s Model 3.

Salute for your attitude, same for me I will never ever buy somethong from that racist

Seal is a plane

Exactly, fuck swasticars

The throttle tuning alone on BYD's makes me dislike them unfortunately. No OPD either.

Don't need CarPlay in Tesla's imo

In what way is it unreliable?

Cant be negative on a BYD subreddit. Only yes men allowed.

i’m starting to notice that. a lot of emotionally fragile individuals around here.

I like the seal overall so much but torn by the Tesla efficiency considering I drive 120miles daily

Where does this ideology come from? And how long does it take for a brand not to be compared to Nazis? Look at VW, BMW. Porsche, Mercedes Benz (then daimler-benz) and Audi (auto union) all were endorsed, contributed or were uses by and in Nazi Germany and yet no one is still saying to boycott them? If you like the car and it's the best choice for you it doesn't matter what it's CEO does... We could be boycotting A LOT of companies if people actually stuck to this and didn't pick and choose