Watch the Tesla Model 3 take on the BYD Seal in a drag race

23 December 2023

Tesla's Model 3 has a lot of would-be competition, and BYD's Seal is among those EVs that want to take some sales away from it. The two are now competing head-to-head in many markets, so perhaps you'd enjoy a comparison between the two? How about a drag race, then?

That's exactly what Mat Watson over at carwow decided to do, and it's interesting to see a drag race between more reasonably priced EVs - these are usually comparing 1,000hp+ cars that are amazing but which most people won't ever buy.

It's different with the Model 3 and the Seal. So let's get right down to it. In case you couldn't watch the video, and were expecting Tesla to win easily, think again. It does all start with a drag race in Tesla's Chill mode and BYD's Eco mode, where the Model 3 does come up first, and by a long time.

But then, in Standard mode on the Model 3, and Sport mode on the Seal, things take a very interesting turn. The Seal is ahead for most of the race, but then the Model 3 almost makes a comeback. Almost, and yet the Seal is still the winner.

If you like twists and turns in your TV shows, this is like that, for next is a rolling race from 30 mph and 50 mph and in both, the Model 3 takes the cake. When it comes to braking, however, there's no contest: the Seal wins easily. So in the end these cars turn out to be much, much closer to each other in terms of performance than you may have expected.

Now, the specs do kind of give away the story - at least the straight-up drag race part. The Seal in the video has 530 hp and 670 Nm of torque, while the Model 3 used has 490 hp and 490 Nm of torque. That's a small advantage for the Seal in terms of hp, and a huge one in torque. But wait - the Tesla weighs 4,057 lb, while the BYD comes in at 4,530 lb. Price-wise they're pretty similar too, so if you want to pick one of these to buy, your decision will probably be based on other factors.