This is such an interesting testicle. So we've got the Titan of the Electric Heart World, the Tesla Model 3. Against the seal from BYD, you've probably never heard of. So which one would we take home, right? If you could only take one of them home. Should we do the thing? OK, let's do the thing.
OK, so I'll say one, two, three. And then we both shout out our answer. OK. One, two, three.
好的,我会说一,二,三。然后我们一起喊出答案。好的。一,二,三。
Oh, hey there, electrifiers. So I'm on my way to pitch this, the new Tesla updated Model 3. Up against a rather interesting competitor. And the challenger would be this, the BYD seal, a car from a company that you might not have heard of. But BYD actually builds more carter plugs than Tesla does. Quite a stat, that, isn't it? And interestingly, it builds batteries that it sells to Tesla to put into its cars. This is going to be a good one. Really good.
Now the main reason this car hit the headlines is because of one thing that they took away, and that is the indicator sticks. Yeah, instead of an indicator stick, you now have indicator buttons. Which, um, yep. Which, which, Ginny has turned into fart noises. LAUGHTER Ah! Ah, I love it. Hello. Good journey. Fart noises. You turned my indicators into fart noises. I've done, I've done. To be fair, I was funny. It was actually quite funny. And actually, I kind of, I got used to the indicators in the end. So that was nice.
This looks lovely. Did you say just before we come to these two cars, you got used to the indicators in the Model 3? Yeah, I did, yeah. We're so coming back to that later. OK.
So anyway, this is a great twin test, I think. So we've got this car, Tazamodle 3. Literally, they are all over the place. Everybody knows what they are. Again, it's the BYDC, which is a car that I'm guessing quite a lot of our audience might not have heard of. Well, here's the thing. I'm just excited as you are, because I think when it comes to Tesla, there's been lots of competition, but I don't think many of them have quite ticked all of the boxes. Maybe the BMW I4. Oh, yeah, that is better. So it would be interesting to put the BYDC up against the Tesla, because I think this stands a good chance of being a bit better. OK. It's a big statement. It's a big statement. Let's try a car and see what we think.
So outside, let's talk about the looks. Right. Can I start with this? One thing that I like about the Tesla. So we have a new light design, which I think looks very snazzy. At the back, the lights are now like a C shape. Which looks very nice. Instead of the badge, you now have Tesla. Right across the back, which again looks very smart. And I have to give a shout out to the charge port that's hidden under the lights. The charge port is great, isn't it? I think that's one of my favourite charge ports along with the IDE tiles. Oh, yes. Yeah, that's nice. OK. The great thing about the BYDC is that it doesn't have its name on the back anymore. It does not have it. Because they've taken it off. It had built your dreams on other models. And I think it's brilliant that they just went, OK, well that doesn't work for Europe, so we'll take it off. So it's quite nice and clean. But I do love that lovely light strip that runs all the way along the rear tailgate. I think that looks very, very nice. I just think this looks like a nicer design thing. Like it looks like this has been designed, whereas this looks a bit like it's come out of a mold. Perhaps, as you might thought on that. Yeah. I love the pop out door handles on the seal. They have BYD written on them. I just think it makes it look quite plush and expensive looking. I know these lights are new, but they're much nicer. And these, these. Those are great, aren't they? That's lovely. So I think overall, look, looks are in the eye of the beholder and all that. But for me, the seal is a much nicer car to look at. Nice, a wheel design as well. I'm going to throw that out there. OK, we're agreeing on this. Yeah, I think we are. Doesn't happen often. I don't know.
OK, so in here it is classic minimalistic Tesla, isn't it? I mean, you do have a new 15.4 inch screen. I know it's the same size as before, but this is more intuitive. And honestly, you press it. It's instant. Everything you press is so, so intuitive and just picks up on everything that you want to do. Like I find that really, really impressive.
You also have a new 8 inch screen in the back here for your passengers. Very nice. No plastic here. This is now aluminium or aluminum, as the Americans would say. And under here you have some storage.
OK, let's talk about the elephant in the room. And that is the lack of indicator stalks. But it also means that selecting your gears is not here anymore. It's now here. So if you want to drive forwards, press a little car, move forwards. You want to reverse, press a little car, reverse it back. That also takes a lot of getting used to it. This isn't the kind of car that you're going to learn how to use in 5 minutes. It's a bit like, you know, when you get a new telly and then you stay there for ages, go, what's that to? What's that to? You're going to do a lot of that as soon as you get in here. But actually, the more you press, the more you play around, the more you get used to it.
Seats in the back. It's actually quite spacious. So your kids or your passengers in the back will be quite happy, especially with that screen back there. And in the boot, you've got 594 litres of space. Very nice. Plus an extra 88 litres in the front. That is way more than the BYD seal.
Look, all in all, it's very futuristic in here. I mean, you don't get a key. You get a card or you get the app that you can have on your phone. It's all very, very snazzy futuristic robot car. That's what it is. It's all right, isn't it?
OK, let's have a look around the seal, shall we? It's obviously much busier in here than in Nicholas Model 3. It is as if the interior design team said, right, what's the exact point of opposite that we can do to the Model 3? And then they came up with this because it's just got a lot of one going on, hasn't it? I do actually like it. And I surprise myself with that. I think it's quite a nice place to be. Not least because the interior materials are really nice quality and the build quality is excellent in here.
So at Light the Tesla, it's all focused around this big screen here in the centre. It's a 15.6 inch touchscreen. The interface on it just isn't quite as nice as the Tesla is, if I'm honest. And it doesn't do as many sort of tricks and you can't have a fire and it certainly doesn't have a whoopoo cushion in it. But it does all the functions that you need to do. And then you've got this smaller screen in front of you here that's got all the stuff that you need in the driver's eyeline. Then you've got buttons on the steering wheel and you've got indicators. Who'd have thought an indicator? Yes. Here around the gear selector. Oh yeah, gear selector rather than swiping on the screen. That's novel, isn't it? But you've got quick controls there for your climate control, the different driving modes and your volume. I just think it's all very intuitive.
在Light the Tesla,一切都围绕着这个中央的大屏幕展开。它是一台15.6英寸的触摸屏。如果我诚实的说,它的界面并不像特斯拉那样好看,也没有那么多花样,也不能点燃火,当然也没有含气垫。但它确实具备你所需要的所有功能。然后,在你前方有一个较小的屏幕,显示驾驶员需要的所有信息。另外,在方向盘上还有按钮和指示灯。谁会想到还有指示灯呢?是的,在换挡选择器周围。哦,对了,是换挡选择器,而不是在屏幕上滑动。这真是别出心裁,不是吗?但你在那里还有快速控制功能,可以控制你的温控、不同的驾驶模式和音量。我认为这都很直观易用。
The screen does a party trick as well. Look at this. Oh, look. Honestly, you're going to use that a lot? Probably not, but it's kind of quite a nice party trick if you want to do. One thing that is a bit irritating though is that because, like the terms, there are quite a lot of functions are in the screen. You've got to go into the climate control and really mess around in a sub menu in order to get the heated seats and the heated steering wheel on. I would just love it if there were some easy buttons that allowed you to do that.
What else to say? Storage is good. I really like this kind of little sub storage compartment under there. Look, it might be a bit too chintzy in here for some of you. I'm not sure if everyone's going to love the crystal gear selector, although I quite like it. Like less, the BYD in the headrests. I think that's a bit more than a quiet taste, but I think overall this is a really nice place to be.
If you go into the back, you have actually got loads of space. Headfin doesn't feel quite as good with this panoramic sunroof. Also, if you are tall, which I am not, and you have long legs, which I do, but only for my size, I have a feeling that when the screen is in its correct position, you may well find yourself just catching clipping the knee on it. But I think that's only going to be an issue if you're an awful lot taller than me. Other than that, boot space isn't quite as good as that on the Model 3 and the front is a bit smaller too. So that wins on space, but I think on just a nice cozy place to be, this interior definitely wins on that.
The indicator buttons takes a bit of getting used to. I think I'm used to it now, but I'll be honest. If you're driving in the UK, you'll find yourself on a lot of windy roads. So your steering wheel is upside down very often, and then it takes a moment for you to go, what way do I press? How do I. what? What? So it takes a bit of thinking to figure out which way you're indicating when the steering wheel is upside down, which I know that has really annoyed Ginny. Like she really doesn't like it. I'm OK with it, but Ginny's not happy about it at all. I think that's probably the only thing that we disagree on, apart from that, we agree on most things.
I would say the ride in this, I think I prefer the BYD. I mean, look, they have improved this. There is an improvement here with the updated version. I mean, the old one used to be quite buzzy at times, and the road noise used to be quite loud, but it still is loud compared to the BYD seal. You still can hear the road noise quite noisily. It's not as refined as I want it to be. It's not as refined as the seal. It's not, and the seats aren't as comfortable. Trying to find things that's going to make this better than the BYD, but at the moment I just. I'm not entirely sure. This is a robot. The BYD seal is a car. Does that make sense? I feel like I'm driving a robot, and it's not the most exciting robot. I'm sorry, Tesla fans, but it's true. The regen breaking on this is rather good. If I'm a foot off the pedal, it will come down to a stop. Lovely. I love one pedal driving, so that makes me very happy in here. There is no head-up display, so you do have to get used to seeing everything here, which I've. I've always been annoyed by that in a Tesla, because you're always having to check your speed like this all the time. So you actually find out if you're going over the speed limit by the time it bongs rather than checking on the screen. If that makes. Do you know what I mean? So if I'm on a 30 mile an hour road, I will be driving, and then as soon as I hear the bongs, then I know I'm going over 30. Whereas really, it could do with some head-up display, and then I can just see everything happening in front of me, because it's better that way.
Right, so the model that we are testing here is what used to be called the standard range model, and it's now just the plain old Model 3. So now Tesla famously keeps its exact battery sizes secret, but we are reliably informed that the pack in this new version is around 60 kilowatt hours. It comes with a WLTP figure of 380 miles, and of course, Tesla's legendary drive efficiency. So that means you'll be looking at a real world figure of around 260 to 280 miles on a full charge. Not too shabby. You'll also get full access to Tesla's brilliant supercharger network, which is not only one of the most reliable networks. It's also one of the cheapest and easiest to use. If you are new to electric or don't have the ability to charge at home, this kind of thing really makes a difference. So going electric in a Tesla is still the easiest way to do it.
So while we've been filming with this Tesla, we are in the minuses. It is blooming cold here in the UK, and we've been averaging around 3.24 miles per kilowatt hour. As for charging, this version of the Model 3 peaks at 170 kilowatts on DC and has an 11 kilowatt AC charger. Now, Tesla doesn't do vehicle to load, so if you like the idea of using the main battery to power stuff, you're out of luck, I'm afraid. Another ace up the sleeve of the Model 3 is the battery pre-conditioning system. So if you're navigating to a Tesla supercharger site, the car will heat up the battery as you get close to it. So it means that you get top speeds as soon as you plug in.
I'll be honest, I'm doing my best to see what it is about this thing that everyone loves so much, and I think the main thing is just the superchargers, isn't it? Because everything else is just a bit like I think of modern electric cars now, and the design and the interior of a lot of these cars are so exciting. Is this exciting me? No, it's not. I'm not excited in this. I don't feel that excited by this car, apart from the fart noises. That's so stupid. Okay, so stupid, I love it. Okay, superchargers and fart noises. There we go. That's what makes this car great.
Now, I first drove the seal in Germany, and this is the first time I've really been able to see how it copes on British roads. It really impressed me when I drove it in Germany. The weather there that day was absolutely dreadful. It was tipping it down, and I was in the all-wheel drive version, which just held the road brilliantly.
Now, this is the entry-level design model, so it's just rear-wheel drive. I think the good news is it really impresses me, too. It's punchy enough. It's got 308 brake horsepower, as opposed to the 523 brake horsepower that the all-wheel drive has. And it does take a rather more sedate 5.9 seconds compared to that car's 3.9 seconds to do 0-62, but there's still enough power when you need it for overtaking or pulling out junctions.
Now, this does without the fancy adaptive dampers that come with the all-wheel drive model. The right quality, though, is still really good. I actually think it's a lot better than the Model 3. And whilst it's a heavier car, it does float over that surface. It's surprisingly well.
Now, when it comes to speed, it's faster than the Tesla, just vice-legend, but the Tesla does have more torque, and it really does feel like that, but the right quality isn't as nice. However, this is a heavier car as I said, and you do feel that slightly in the steering. The Model 3 is just a bit more direct place on the road.
Now, you do get options to play around with the setup of the car. You can alter the steering, the suspension suit your preferences. Sports mode does make the steering feel a little more direct, but I still do just prefer the standard settings, or even E-como, which I'm in now. It just seems to suit the setup of the car much more. One thing, though, that is irritating me in this car, just as it did in the car I drove in Germany, is regenerative braking. You can play around with it, but even in the strongest setting, I'm just not able to get true one pedal driving, which is a bit disappointing, to be honest. The Model 3 completely trounces it on that.
As much as I hate to give points to Nicola, she definitely gets the Model 3 regenerative braking. I've been pondering, actually, as well, which version would I go for? Would I go for this? Or would I pay a bit more and go for the all-wheel drive with just that really brilliant handling and extra performance? And I think if you could stretch to it and the monthly payments weren't too much, I would be tempted to go for the all-wheel drive over this. However, this has really pleasantly surprised me. It drives really nicely, and it's definitely a car I could get in and live with every day.
Or one other area where it really trounces the Model 3 is in comfort, the seats are comfy, really comfy, and the ride quality is nice as well. I think the Model 3 is like the equivalent of a cool, scoundy piece of furniture. I could look at it in the store and get it lovely and bring it home. Actually, I just want to go and sit in my real favourite armchair again, and in that rather pardonality, the seal is my favourite armchair. This is a car that I just want to get up every day and go for a drive in because it's comfy. And maybe I'm getting old. The comfort matters to me. Oh, God, I never thought I'd hit the day when I said that.
Now, one thing worth pointing out is that when I drove this car on the launch, it was rather vocal. It binged and it bombed, and it wasn't the most relaxing car to drive. But to have good news, BYD has listened, and they have, I think the official line is softened the sound it makes. A very, very good thing there, whatever it is they've done to it, because it's definitely not as bingy and bongy today.
Another thing I need to get off my chest, and this is not about the seal, it's about the Model 3, is that I can't stand the buttons on the steering wheel, all for turning left and right. And I can't stand the slider in the screen. Honestly, those steering wheel buttons are fine until you need to do a quick left and a right, because you end up in a situation where your steering wheel is upside down, and you don't know which way you need to press the button, and it's all really awkward. I am just not a fan of that at all. Listen, I'm all for stripping stuff out of cars, you know, the less parts there are in, of course, the less expensive they become, but also the more sustainable they are. But goodness me, please bring an indicator back. I mean, I just think that's madness, and the swiping thing for, you know, go and reverse. Nah, just not working for me. I don't know what nickel thinks of it, but that's my round over.
Oh, just as I'm pulling back into our filming area, efficiency. It's not very fair test, because I've not been in the car that long today, and it is freezing. It's like minus 2, minus 3. But I'm actually quite impressed with efficiency. Official range is about 350-ish miles on a full charge, and I'm getting around 290 to 195, considering it is absolutely freezing, and I've got everything on heated, whatever I can heat. I think that's not bad, but we will report back on that. That's a low to date.
The seal comes with a bigger battery pack than the Tesla at 84 kilowatt hours. It also has a longer official WLTP range of 354 miles. That's compared to the Tesla's 318. It features BYD's famous Blade Battery Construction, which incidentally has picked up an award at her 2024 Electrifying Car of the Year awards for innovation. That Blade Construction makes it incredibly strong and hard-wearing. Like Tesla, it uses LFP, or lithium-ion phosphate chemistry, which is known to be more robust and more tolerant of being rapid-charged on a regular basis. While the official range is longer and it has a bigger battery, the difference in real-world range isn't quite so big. You see, the Tesla is more than 300 kilograms lighter, and that is a lot of extra weight to be lugging around.
In the BYD, on a very, very cold day, as I said, I was getting around 290 miles of driving range. Now, interestingly, the BYD uses an 800 volt charging system, but it doesn't offer the incredible speeds that Hyundai, Kia and Porsche do with their 800 volt systems. DC charging tops out at just 150 kilowatts, that means it doesn't recharge as quickly as the Tesla. Because the Tesla has a smaller battery and is more efficient, you'll be spending longer at the charger with the seal than you will with the Model 3. Like the Model 3 AC charging peaks at a lowly 11 kilowatts, which does seem a bit mean these days, and we'd like to see it being 22.
Okay, decision time. This is going to be tough, I think, because let's look at the Tesla first. It is cheaper, it is actually more efficient. It's shown you marginally, though. It is quick to charge, and of course it comes with access to the supercharging network. We know what a massive advantage that is. We shouldn't be saying that that is an advantage, it should all be brilliant, but if you do long distances, the supercharging network is something else. It also has loads of storage in space, it's really good, and I think actually that interior build quality now is so much better. However, the indicators, I couldn't buy it because of the indicators, the buttons on the steering wheel, no, no, you get used to them. But when you have to do a left and a right, it's been designed for roads in America where you just go straight for ages. Okay, when you do a left and a right, let me just show you, the steering wheel upside down, right, you can't find. Let's move on from indicators.
Okay, look, when the seal was announced, it was exciting. Because we thought finally there will be a car that can give the model free a run for its money. And actually, I think it does give it a run for its money, even though if it is a bit too much money, it's a bit cheaper and less on the monthly, I think it's a no-brainer. I mean, on its own though, it's stylish, it's comfortable, it rides nice, it drives nice, it's fun. It does. Oh, it looks lovely. It's pretty great actually. Should we do the thing? Just because we like doing the thing. Let's do the thing. Okay, we're going to do the thing, which is we are going to say after three in a completely scientific way, which one we would want to take home. And bearing in mind that that is slightly more expensive than this. That is more expensive. You're going to have to spend more on it. Ready? Yep. Go on, you do it. One, two, three.
Be ready. I didn't think we were both going to say that. We're proud of us. We agree on something. We do. That's nice. Okay, he's driving. Me. No, I want to drive. You're too fast. Too fast. Now, before you head anywhere, please do take a look at the other videos on our channel, and don't forget to subscribe and switch your notifications on.