Is BYD better than Tesla?

In China, BYD is cheaper: the second-gen Seal 07 EV starts at RMB 149,900 against RMB 235,500 for a Model 3, and it sells plug-in hybrids. In the UK and US, Tesla is the easier choice: it is cheaper at entry level in the UK and BYD sells no passenger car in the US.

Is the BYD Seal cheaper than the Model 3?

In China, yes: the second-gen Seal 07 EV starts at RMB 149,900, RMB 85,600 below the Model 3 at RMB 235,500. In the UK, no: the Seal starts at £45,730 and the Model 3 at £37,990, as listed on 5 November 2026.

What is BYD's rival to the Model Y in China?

The Sea Lion 06 EV, from RMB 159,900, against RMB 263,500 for a Model Y. The Sea Lion 07 EV is no longer on BYD's China site. The larger Sea Lion 08 EV starts at RMB 239,900.

Can you buy a BYD in the US?

Not as a new passenger car. BYD's US site sells no passenger car. A Tesla Model 3 starts at $36,990 there.

Is Tesla FSD available in Europe or the UK?

Tesla lists FSD (Supervised) at $99/month in 16 markets, including 10 EU countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. It is not offered in the UK, where Tesla sells only 'Tesla Assisted Driving Basic' at £99/month.

BYD vs Tesla in 2026: which is better for buyers

Short answer: In China, BYD is the better buy on price: the second-gen Seal 07 EV starts at RMB 149,900 against RMB 235,500 for a Model 3, and BYD's SUV rival, the Sea Lion 06 EV, starts at RMB 159,900 against RMB 263,500 for a Model Y. In the UK and US, pick Tesla: the Model 3 starts at £37,990 against £45,730 for the BYD Seal, and BYD sells no passenger car in the US, where a Model 3 starts at $36,990.

Facts and prices checked against the linked sources in November 2026 · 2 compared · Nobody paid to be on this page

BYD and Tesla are the two best-known electric car makers, but they sell different things. BYD sells battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids (DM-i). Tesla sells only battery-electric cars and takes orders through its own online configurator.

This page compares them as a buyer would: list price, warranty, charging and driver assistance, in China, the UK and the US. Every price comes from the brand's own site, opened on 5 November 2026. Prices and offers change often in China, so check the brand's site before you buy.

BYD vs Tesla, side by side

	BYD	Tesla
Battery	Lifetime battery warranty for the first private owner (second-gen Seal 07, China)	Battery and drive unit 8 years/160,000 km (China)
Sedan: Seal vs Model 3 (from)	Second-gen Seal 07 EV RMB 149,900 (China); Seal £45,730 (UK)	Model 3 RMB 235,500 (China); £37,990 (UK); $36,990 (US)
SUV: Sea Lion 06 (China) or Sealion 7 (UK) vs Model Y (from)	Sea Lion 06 EV RMB 159,900 (China); Sealion 7 £47,025 (UK)	Model Y RMB 263,500 (China); £44,990 (UK); $39,990 (US)
Fast charging	UK Seal up to 150 kW; UK Sealion 7 up to 230 kW	80,000+ Superchargers worldwide; network max 325 kW
Driver assistance	God's Eye B: RMB 12,000 option in China	FSD (Supervised) $99/month in 16 markets, 10 in the EU; not in the UK

Each value links to the page we read it from, in November 2026. Prices are in the currency and market the source gives.

Best for the lowest prices in China

BYD

BYD Company (Shenzhen, China) · byd.com/cn

On BYD's China site the second-gen Seal 07 EV costs RMB 149,900 to RMB 184,900. The 775 km Zunxiang trim is RMB 149,900 and the Flagship with God's Eye B is RMB 184,900 (BYD China). The first-gen Seal 07 EV is still listed from RMB 169,900 (BYD China).

BYD's China site no longer lists the Sea Lion 07 EV, sold abroad as the Sealion 7 (BYD China). Its SUVs there are the Sea Lion 06 EV, from RMB 159,900 to RMB 191,900 (BYD China), and the larger Sea Lion 08 EV, from RMB 239,900 to RMB 279,900 (BYD China). In the UK the Sealion 7 is still on sale from £47,025 and the Seal from £45,730 (BYD UK, BYD UK).

A China online order needs a RMB 2,000 deposit. You can change the car or get a refund within 24 hours; after that the order is locked and the deposit is not refundable (BYD China). For second-gen Seal 07 cars invoiced from 5 to 30 November 2026, BYD adds a RMB 4,000 trade-in subsidy and one year of free charging at its flash chargers for private EV owners. The first private owner gets a lifetime warranty on the battery, motor and electronic control, and the whole car has 6 years or 150,000 km (BYD China).

BYD's God's Eye B driver assistance adds RMB 12,000 on the Seal 07 EV and Sea Lion 06 EV trims that offer it (BYD China). In the UK, the Seal charges at up to 150 kW (30-80% in 26 minutes) and the Sealion 7 Excellence AWD at up to 230 kW (10-80% in 24 minutes) (BYD UK, BYD UK). BYD's UK site lists six cars, all pure electric. BYD's US site sells no passenger car (BYD UK).

Skip it if: you live in the US, where BYD sells no passenger car, or want the cheapest entry price in the UK, where the Seal (£45,730) costs more than a Model 3 (£37,990).

What we saw: From a US address, BYD's China site loaded with every trim price and took the order up to the RMB 2,000 deposit step.

Good

Lower prices in China: the second-gen Seal 07 EV is RMB 85,600 less than a Model 3
Lifetime battery, motor and electronic-control warranty for the first private owner in China
Lidar driver assistance (God's Eye B) as a RMB 12,000 option
Sells plug-in hybrids (DM-i) as well as EVs

Watch out for

No passenger car for sale in the US
In the UK the Seal (£45,730) costs more than a Model 3
China deposit of RMB 2,000 is refundable only in the first 24 hours
The Sea Lion 07 EV (Sealion 7) is no longer on BYD's China site

Best for buyers in the UK and US, and for long trips

Tesla

Tesla, Inc. (Austin, Texas, US) · tesla.com

In China the Model 3 costs RMB 235,500 (RWD) to RMB 339,500 (Performance) and the Model Y RMB 263,500 (RWD) to RMB 369,000 (Performance) (Tesla China, Tesla China). To 30 November 2026, named versions get RMB 10,000 off the final payment (Model 3) or RMB 4,000 (Model Y), an RMB 8,000 paint benefit and 5-year 0% finance. The China warranty is 4 years or 80,000 km, and 8 years or 160,000 km for the battery and drive unit.

In the UK the Model 3 starts at £37,990 and the Model Y at £44,990 (Tesla UK, Tesla UK). In the US the Model 3 starts at $36,990 and the Model Y at $39,990, before destination and fees (Tesla US, Tesla US).

Tesla says it has 80,000+ Superchargers worldwide, with a 325 kW max charging rate on the network (Tesla). That is a network figure, not a car's peak.

FSD (Supervised) is a $99/month subscription, with a one-month trial when added to a new US car. Tesla lists it in 16 markets: the US, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand and 10 EU countries (the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia and Latvia) (Tesla). In China, 'Tesla Assisted Driving' is a one-off RMB 64,000 (Tesla China). In the UK, Tesla offers only 'Tesla Assisted Driving Basic' at £99/month and says Tesla Assisted Driving is not yet available (Tesla UK).

Skip it if: you buy in China on price or need a plug-in hybrid, or you are in the UK and want FSD, which Tesla does not offer there.

What we saw: The UK configurator opened on finance and showed the £37,990 cash price only in small text.

Good

Cheapest entry price of the two in the UK: Model 3 from £37,990
On sale in the US, from $36,990 for a Model 3
80,000+ Superchargers worldwide
FSD (Supervised) is a $99/month subscription you can cancel, in 16 markets

Watch out for

Costs more than BYD in China: a Model 3 is RMB 235,500 against RMB 149,900 for the new Seal 07 EV
No plug-in hybrid
FSD is not offered in the UK; China's version is a one-off RMB 64,000
Configurators open on lease or finance, so the cash price is easy to miss

Which should you buy

You live in China and want the most car for the money: BYD. The second-gen Seal 07 EV starts at RMB 149,900 (BYD China) against RMB 235,500 for a Model 3 (Tesla China). For an SUV, the Sea Lion 06 EV starts at RMB 159,900 (BYD China) against RMB 263,500 for a Model Y (Tesla China).

You live in the UK and want the lowest entry price: Tesla. The Model 3 starts at £37,990 and the Model Y at £44,990 (Tesla UK, Tesla UK), against £45,730 for the BYD Seal and £47,025 for the Sealion 7 (BYD UK, BYD UK). Compare equipment and dealer offers too.

You live in the US: Tesla, since BYD sells no passenger car there. The Model 3 starts at $36,990 and the Model Y at $39,990 (Tesla US, Tesla US).

You want a plug-in hybrid: BYD, because it sells DM-i plug-in hybrids and Tesla does not. BYD's UK site lists only pure-electric cars, so this applies in China.

You care most about driver-assistance software: outside China, Tesla, which sells FSD (Supervised) at $99/month in 16 markets (Tesla). In China, BYD's God's Eye B is a RMB 12,000 option, against RMB 64,000 for Tesla Assisted Driving.

Which BYD SUV to compare with the Model Y

BYD's China site no longer lists the Sea Lion 07 EV, the car sold abroad as the Sealion 7 (BYD China). We use the Sea Lion 06 EV, from RMB 159,900, as the China rival to the Model Y RWD at RMB 263,500. The larger Sea Lion 08 EV, from RMB 239,900 with 6-seat versions up to RMB 279,900 (BYD China), lines up better with the long-wheelbase Model Y L at RMB 339,000 (Tesla China). In the UK the Sealion 7 is still sold, from £47,025.

Offers and deposits in November 2026

BYD takes a RMB 2,000 deposit for a China online order, refundable only in the first 24 hours (BYD China). For second-gen Seal 07 cars invoiced from 5 to 30 November, it adds a RMB 4,000 trade-in subsidy and a year of free flash charging for private EV owners (BYD China).

Tesla China takes RMB 10,000 off the final payment on named Model 3 versions and RMB 4,000 on the Model Y to 30 November, with an RMB 8,000 paint benefit and 5-year 0% finance (Tesla China).

How we compared

We compared the two brands on price, warranty, charging and driver assistance, using only the brands' own sites, opened in Chrome from a US address on 5 November 2026. BYD prices come from the online order pages on BYD's China site (byd.com/cn, which loads from the US) and BYD's UK model pages. Tesla prices come from Tesla's configurators in China, the UK and the US. We stopped every order before paying.

Chinese prices are manufacturer guide or list prices before limited-time offers. UK prices are on-the-road or purchase prices. US Tesla prices are the vehicle price before destination and fees. Sales figures, battery suppliers and BYD's 1,500 kW flash-charging claims come only from trade press, so we left them out until they are checked.

Nobody paid to be included or to be placed higher.

Know a company we missed, or a fact that changed? Write to hello@chinaevpulse.com.

FAQ

Is BYD better than Tesla?: In China, BYD is cheaper: the second-gen Seal 07 EV starts at RMB 149,900 against RMB 235,500 for a Model 3, and it sells plug-in hybrids. In the UK and US, Tesla is the easier choice: it is cheaper at entry level in the UK and BYD sells no passenger car in the US.
Is the BYD Seal cheaper than the Model 3?: In China, yes: the second-gen Seal 07 EV starts at RMB 149,900, RMB 85,600 below the Model 3 at RMB 235,500. In the UK, no: the Seal starts at £45,730 and the Model 3 at £37,990, as listed on 5 November 2026.
What is BYD's rival to the Model Y in China?: The Sea Lion 06 EV, from RMB 159,900, against RMB 263,500 for a Model Y. The Sea Lion 07 EV is no longer on BYD's China site. The larger Sea Lion 08 EV starts at RMB 239,900.
Can you buy a BYD in the US?: Not as a new passenger car. BYD's US site sells no passenger car. A Tesla Model 3 starts at $36,990 there.
Is Tesla FSD available in Europe or the UK?: Tesla lists FSD (Supervised) at $99/month in 16 markets, including 10 EU countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. It is not offered in the UK, where Tesla sells only 'Tesla Assisted Driving Basic' at £99/month.

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