BYD and Tesla are currently engaged in a war to attract electric vehicle (EV) buyers in Malaysia, and the first battle saw the Seal take on the Model 3 in the sedan market. In the SUV space, Tesla got a head start when it introduced the Model Y in July 2023, but BYD now has a rebuttal in the form of the Sealion 7 that went on sale here in November 2024.
How does the Sealion 7 stack up against the Model Y in terms of price, size and other areas? In this post, we’re taking a closer look at both and laying out the facts and figures so you can decide which EV suits you best.
Pricing: Sealion 7 undercuts the Model Y
Like the ‘Seal vs Model 3’ comparison, BYD has a knack for undercutting the competition and the Sealion 7 is no exception. With a starting retail price of RM183,800 on-the-road without insurance, you can get the Premium variant of the Sealion 7, while the top-spec Performance will set you back RM199,800.
The Model Y is offered in three variants, starting with the Rear-Wheel Drive at RM191,000, which is followed by the Long Range All-Wheel Drive at RM238,000 and Performance All-Wheel Drive at RM280,000. Keep in mind that these figures are lower than what was initially announced, as Tesla Malaysia revised its pricing for Model Y in April last year.
Dimensions: Model Y is smaller but offers more practicality on paper
In terms of dimensions, the Sealion 7 is largely similar in size to the Model Y from the outside. The former wins when it comes to overall length (+80 mm) and wheelbase (+40 mm), but loses when comparing height (-4 mm) and width (-53 mm).
The wheelbase advantage should give the Sealion 7 a roomier cabin, but the Model Y fights back by offering superior front boot space (117 litres vs 58 litres). Rear boot space also favours the Model Y (854 litres vs 500 litres), although the figure quoted for the Tesla is capacity loaded to the roof, which is impractical for most scenarios.
Performance and range: Sealion 7 and Model Y trade blows
While Tesla doesn’t provide detailed information on their powertrains on their official website, the 0-100 km/h times indicate the Model Y isn’t short on power. The Sealion 7 in its base form serves up 313 PS and 380 Nm for a century sprint time of 6.7 seconds, which is faster when compared to the Model Y RWD (6.9 seconds) while offering more WLTP range (480 km vs 455 km).
The Sealion 7 Performance with its dual-motor setup offers higher outputs of 530 PS and 690 Nm for a quicker 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds. This is enough to beat the mid-spec Model Y Long Range AWD (5 seconds), although it loses out to the Model Y Performance AWD that can complete the sprint in 3.7 seconds. The all-wheel drive variants of the Model Y also offer more range (533 km LR AWD, 514 km Performance AWD) when compared to the Sealion 7 Performance that offers just 454 km.
Charging times: Tesla wins here
This is another area where Tesla doesn’t disclose figures, as it merely states that its Superchargers are able to output 250 kW to provide 270 km of range in just 15 minutes. However, it is widely reported that the Model Y can handle up to 210 kW, which is more than the Sealion 7 at 150 kW, the latter taking 32 minutes to get from a 10-80% state of charge.
AC charging is identical at 11 kW for both models, which makes the Sealion 7 the first BYD EV sold here to get 11 kW, equal to Tesla.
Maintenance: Less servicing with Model Y, but shorter warranty
We’ve already known from the ‘Seal vs Model 3’ comparison that Tesla takes a different approach to aftersales compared to the other brands. The Model Y’s service schedule merely includes replacing the cabin air filter every two years as well as an air-con desiccant bag replacement and brake fluid check every four years. There’s no official pricing shown on Tesla Malaysia’s website, but the cabin air filter in the United States is priced at USD15 (about RM68).
As for the Sealion 7, buyers have various service packages offered that are priced between RM2,688 and RM17,688 depending on the number of years and variant you go for. The Standard package covers tyre alignment, balancing and rotation; single-speed transmission oil service; air-conditioning filter replacement and refrigerant service; brake fluid service and drive motor coolant service.
The Plus package includes all the items listed in the Standard, but adds wiper blade replacements, key fob battery replacement, 12V battery replacement as well as brake disc and pad replacements. This package starts at RM11,488 for six years with the base Premium and rises all the way to RM17,688 for eight years with the Performance.
Warranty for the Model Y is just four years or 80,000 km, while the Sealion 7 is covered six years or 150,000 km for the BYD. The Model Y’s battery and drive motor warranty comparable to the BYD, with the same eight-year/160,000 km coverage, although the BYD’s warranty for the drive motor is only up to 150,000 km.
BYD also provides individual warranties for certain vehicle systems, which are either covered for three years or 60,000 km, or four years or 100,000 km, so that’s something to keep in mind.
Final thoughts
If value is what you’re after, the Sealion 7 makes a convincing case for itself with capable powertrains and a generous kit list shared between the two available variants. Aside from the number of motors, painted brake calipers and larger wheels, the rest of the Standard variant is pretty much identical to the Performance.
Standard features include full-LED lighting, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a rotating 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system, powered front seats with ventilation and heating functions, keyless entry and start with NFC card key, a panoramic glass roof, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support as well as a comprehensive ADAS suite.
As for the Model Y, you’ll need to pay up if you want better kit. For instance, the RWD and LR AWD come with 19-inch wheel as standard, with the option a 20-inch set costing an additional RM10,000. If you want the Tesla in a different colour other than white, you’ll need to pay for that too.
The standard Autopilot system is well enough, but it’ll cost a pretty penny to upgrade to Enhanced Autopilot or even Full Self-Driving Capability should you need more features on top of the basic feature set. It’s worth noting that the Model Y is due for a facelift – codenamed Juniper – soon, while the Sealion 7 is brand new to our market.
We’ve already had a go in the Tesla Model Y, so check out Hafriz Shah’s review of the Tesla EV here. Look forward to the BYD Sealion 7’s review in due time on our site.
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most importantly if buy byd, wont make donation to trump and fund someones ketamine habits
After looking at pricing, BYD win.
Sealion mantap
Time to STOP buying Teslas.
Elon the Musketeer is part of Donald trump’s cabinet.
Trump is pushing up to 60% tariffs on all Chinese imports come Jan 20.
Why reward such bad behavior?
Buy BYD..Sime Darby our GLC will benefit.Germen get more taxes.
Sime Darby is the main reason why byd isn’t doing as well as it should be
BYD and Tesla are great cars.
While xpeng g6 is not in this article, still having tough time on whether to choose sealion or xpeng g6. Will test both very soon
Xpeng and BYD are really good especially with the most crucial part of all EV which is the battery. I would say Xpeng in terms of branding is a bit more premium than BYD. But if you prefer sedan then Sealion is a no brainer. If you like SUV then go for Xpeng.
But BYD Sealion 7 is considered SUV, not sedan. Sedan refers to BYD Seal.
Just go for the G6. With the recent OTA update, the car now has Sentinel Mode and a dashcam.
xpeng for me
BYD Sealion….more sporty and good top speed too
BYD
Sealion 7 bagus la
Buy either also good. Don’t buy yahudi bmw or mercedes.
Aiyo… paper spec comparison… I thought I was reading Malaysia’s leading automotive website.
Tesla’s differentiator is in its software experience, down to gear shift. To me those are even more important than the 0-100 figures because you never feel you need more power even in the base model.
And Tesla has its charging network… is it an advantage?
On the other hand BYD driving experience is very close to ice. The stereo just can’t match Tesla in terms of sound quality. But you can buy it from a sales rep with full service and a discount.
Gear shift in tesla?
a lot of malaysian automotive websites are very bias against tesla.
Interior built quality and ride comfort, BYD Sealion 7 win by a large margin.
Don’t forget that Tesla has an unfair advantage of not needing an AP to bring in their cars, which means about RM30k savings of not having to obtain an AP. In other words, Tesla’s profit margins are much higher than you think
Kete topu tahan 4 tahun
How to compare apple and Oren. Tesla win la others just copy modify
LololBYDlolol
“offers higher outputs of 530 PS”
Yes, for around 12 minutes. Then the 82.5 kWh battery is completely empty (82.5kWh/390kW*60).
Possibly this is the reason why Tesla doesn’t post any data about engine and battery capacity… ;)
What pricing? On performance and range specs, Model Y wins hands down!
Stress on the after sale benefits especially charging, car servicing and club member discounts. Most EV makers don’t even bother to install charging facilities at all.
All are best. Even if adding Xpeng G6, Xpeng G6 also the best not only Model Y and Sealion
Hope there’s more comparison in terms of software moving forward. Please compare how their app looks like, the UI etc
Sealion is the best
With the delayed of Model Y Juniper it seems Tesla react pretty slow in the competition. Model Y is likely remain as 400v architecture platform and basically the same cabin size with cosmetic change. Tesla is good in its self driving and energy efficiency, but as of now full self driving is still not ready to be accepted yet worldwide. The biggest concern is more on driving range, charging speed and of course the most crucial one the price tag. I assume Tesla maybe more struggle in future due to it price and slow product update. Full self driving is software and it is not hard for BYD to catch up as Xpeng is already quite close to Tesla in this part. Battery tech change rapidly and BYD stand advantage over Tesla due to BYD is originally manufacturing battery.
BYD is sucks, just wrongly copy of Tesla
The Sealion just looks miles better than the awkward Magic Mouse shape of the Model Y that came out ages ago. Maybe it’ll be more fair to wait for the Model Y Juniper coming out supposedly this year before comparing.
Useless review. Cars are reviewed in features and not actual driving. Its like reviewing a girlfriend from the photo.
2025 Jan, Tesla sales only 13 units?
Elon wave hit malaysia too?