First shown in Malaysia at the end of 2022 and officially launched in February this year, the BYD Seal arrives on the Malaysian market as the closest competitor to the Tesla Model 3, and the Chinese EV model is offered here in two variants; starting from RM180,430 for the Premium, and RM200,430 for the Performance AWD.

The Premium marks the entry point to the Seal range in Malaysia, and it gets a 313 PS/360 Nm rear motor fed by an 82.5 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. This enables the Premium variant to do 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and a claimed battery range of 580 km (WLTP), or 57 km more than the base-variant Tesla Model 3, which costs RM10,000 more.

The second of the two Seal variants is the Performance AWD that packs a dual-motor powertrain for all-wheel-drive, and boasts of combined outputs of 530 PS and 670 Nm of torque. This brings a significant step up in sprint performance, taking the 0-100 km/h time down to just 3.8 seconds. The same 82.5 kWh battery is employed for the Performance AWD, and so its range is shorter, at 520 km.

An 800-volt electrical architecture enables both variants of the Seal to accept up to 150 kW of DC charging, which will do a 10-80% top up of the battery in 37 minutes. In terms of AC charging, the Seal uses an onboard charger that only goes up to 7 kW, and thus a full charge from an AC wallbox will take 15.2 hours.

Further distinguishing the Premium variant from the dual-motor Performance AWD is that the latter gets passive frequency-selective damping, and the two are otherwise similarly specified. Rolling stock for both is a set of 19-inch two-tone alloy wheels shod in 235/45 tyres, in this base being the Continental EcoContact 6 Q.

Inside, the BYD Seal continues to carry the brand’s organically-styled interior, albeit with more restraint than on the Atto 3, and in here the Seal boasts of larger screens than those specified in other BYD models; this gets a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel and a 15.6-inch rotating infotainment touchscreen.

Safety kit on the Seal is comprised of eight airbags (including rear side airbags), stability control and a full range of driver assists. These include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring with collision prevention, front and rear cross traffic alert with auto brake and automatic high beam.

So, how does the BYD Seal stack up against the Tesla Model 3? Watch the video here.

GALLERY: BYD Seal Premium in Malaysia

GALLERY: BYD Seal Performance AWD in Malaysia

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