Tesla Model Y vs BYD Sealion 7: Who comes out on top in head-to-head spec battle? 

As most manufacturers struggled to generate buyer interest in electric vehicles, one vehicle continually bucked that trend, the Tesla Model Y. It was a scenario that played out worldwide as the all-electric mid-size SUV became the world’s best-selling passenger car. 

But as stock levels dwindled a new challenger arose, the BYD Sealion 7 grabbing the title of Australia’s most popular EV. It was a short-lived situation, with the updated Tesla Model Y ‘Juniper’ wrestling its top spot back once the first shipment hit local shores. 

Nevertheless, if you’re considering a mid-size electric SUV, chances are you have these two on your shopping list, so let’s take a look at how they stack up against each other. 

Pricing 

The BYD Sealion 7 is the cheaper of the two, kicking off at $54,990 plus on-road costs (ORCs) for the single motor Premium, the dual-motor Performance costing $63,990 (+ORCs).  

Tesla has upped the price of the RWD to $58,900 (+ORCs) but reduced the price of the Long Range AWD slightly to $68,900 (+ORCs), but it’s important to note you need to add another $400 for Tesla’s order fees. 

For the purposes of this article we’ll concentrate on the much more popular single-motor variants, but in both cases the equipment levels of the dual-motor variants differ little, so you’re either buying more grunt in the case of the BYD, or more grunt and range in the case of the Tesla.  

The only BYD option is colour, white being standard while Atlantis Grey and Cosmos Black add $1500 and Shark Grey $2000. There’s a bit more choice in Tesla-land, with white once again standard, blue and grey another $2300 and silver and red $2600. Model Y buyers can also choose 20-inch wheels for $2400 and a white interior for $1500. 

BYD now offers a comprehensive vehicle warranty of six years or 150,000km, with eight years and 160,000km of coverage for the battery, but while Tesla matches the latter for the battery and drive unit, its vehicle warranty is only four years or 80,000km. Something to consider. 

The Model Y turns the tables when it comes to servicing, with just cabin filters every couple of years and the occasional brake fluid change required. In contrast, the BYD will set you back a bit over $300/year on average over the first five years with services due every 12 months or 20,000km. 

Dimensions 

Dimensionally the BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y are very similar, with a handful of centimetres (at most) separating them. The BYD has an extra 38mm in length and 40mm in wheelbase but is 57mm narrower than the Tesla, but it’s all somewhat academic as both offer plenty of interior space. 

The Model Y’s trump card is space efficiency. The Sealion 7 is by no means deficient, with 500 litres of luggage space in the boot and another 58 litres under the bonnet, but the Tesla smashes this with 822 litres in the rear – including a huge underfloor area – and another 116 litres in the front.  

Equipment 

Both the standard BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y have bulging standard equipment lists, so much so that stretching to the higher variants brings little change. The below table isn’t exhaustive, but should cover the features most buyers would be interested in. 

Equipment 

Technology 

If bigger is better, the BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y have some of the best infotainment touchscreens around. The Tesla’s 15.4-inch screen is slightly thinner than before and while it doesn’t support smartphone mirroring, the slickness of the interface and its ability to support apps such as Spotify, YouTube, Netflix and the like make that largely redundant. 

In addition, there’s now an 8.0-inch rear screen in the back of the centre console that can adjust ventilation and also play video, while connecting to Bluetooth headphones so as not to disturb those in the front. Dual wireless phone charging pads also feature. 

The BYD’s 15.6-inch screen is slightly bigger and has the neat party trick of being able to rotate through portrait or landscape orientations. It supports wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto and has in-built satellite navigation as well as a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, whereas the Tesla offers the speed in the top-right corner of the central screen. 

Both vehicles have the ability to receive over-the-air updates but only the BYD has V2L (vehicle-to-load) capability to power external devices. The Sealion 7 only has a single wireless charging pad.  

Safety 

Five-star ANCAP ratings are common to both the BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y. As a newer vehicle the former’s is more current, carrying a 2025 date stamp when it scored 87 per cent for adult occupant protection, 93 per cent for child occupant protection, 76 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 78 per cent for safety assist. 

The Model Y’s rating is from 2022, carrying over from the old model, but its scores were incredibly impressive, with 97 per cent for adult occupant protection, 89 per cent for child occupant protection, 82 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 98 per cent for safety assist. 

In addition to plenty of airbags (eight for the BYD, seven for the Tesla), both have all the safety assist systems you’d expect in a modern car, including active cruise control, autonomous emergency braking in forward and reverse, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and rear cross-traffic alert. 

Only the Sealion 7 has a 360-degree camera – though the Model Y’s front and rear cameras can keep an eye on it while you’re away thank to Tesla’s Sentry Mode – but local BYDs currently don’t offer auto-park and Tesla requires another $5100 for Enhanced Autopilot to enable the feature. 

Charging  

In terms of their battery systems it appears the two are very similar, the BYD offering 482km of WLTP-tested range to the Tesla’s 466km. As such, both should cover around 400km in the real world without the battery getting down into the danger zone. 

Once again, however, the Tesla shows remarkable efficiency by extracting this range from a 62.5kWh battery, whereas the BYD’s 82.56kWh pack is almost a third bigger. 

This efficiency has a number of benefits. The smaller battery pack saves cost and weight – the Model Y is around 300kg lighter than the Sealion 7 – and it means that you’ll get more range back for a given period of charging. 

This would be the case if they had identical charging rates, but the Tesla supports up to 175kW DC and 22kW AC.  

It’s the Model Y that also has a performance advantage, its 220kW/350Nm jetting it to 100km/h in a claimed 5.9sec, versus 6.7sec for the more powerful (230kW/380Nm) but heavier Sealion 7. 

*assuming constant maximum charge rate 

Driving  

The driving experience was the original Tesla Model Y’s Achilles heel, primarily thanks to its jarring, brittle ride – not what you want in a family SUV. New suspension has calmed it significantly, which combined with less reactive steering and increased sound deadening make the revised Model Y a much smoother, more relaxing car to drive.

In contrast, the Sealion 7 is acceptable but lacks some of the same polish. The ride can be unsettled at lower speeds and it doesn’t have the same dynamic cohesion as the Tesla. For undemanding drivers it will be fine, but it could be improved. Both cars are more than rapid enough given their usage briefs, but once again the lighter Tesla possesses acceleration the BYD can’t match. 

Conclusion 

The original Tesla Model Y’s success wasn’t just marketing magic – it was a practical and efficient family car that made the transition to electric propulsion painless for many people.  

The updated ‘Juniper’ model only cements this by rectifying the original’s faults, with a higher quality interior, more equipment and significantly improved driving experience. It’s more expensive than the BYD, but it’s the better car. 

However, that doesn’t mean the Sealion 7 is without merit. If the budget doesn’t quite stretch or you simply don’t want to be associated with the Tesla brand given Elon’s recent political forays (a concern for some people), the BYD is one of the stronger electric SUV offerings in the market, with lots of equipment, sufficient range, a nice interior and acceptable driving manners.