BYD Seal 6 vs Tesla Model 3

What's the difference?

The Toyota Camry might be in a spot of trouble here.

The 2026 BYD Seal 6 has arrived, and not just at a lower starting price with a more electrified plug-in hybrid drivetrain, but with a wagon option, too.

In fact, the Seal 6 Touring Premium wagon is the halo variant of the Seal 6 range and its price matches the Camry’s entry grade.

The mid-size sedan and wagon duo from China, not to be confused with the already-launched BYD Seal electric car, make up what’s probably BYD’s strongest jab at Toyota yet. A true threat to the iconic Camry.

BYD’s biggest selling point for the Seal 6 is its range, more than 1000km in the real world, tested on just one tank and one charge from Sydney to Melbourne.

One day of pure highway driving and a day of winding country roads put that to the test on its Australian launch so you hopefully never have to.

It’s been in Australia since 2019 and despite the arrival of a comprehensively upgraded version in late 2023, the Tesla Model 3’s once gargantuan popularity has been declining in recent years.

A seemingly never-ending influx of pure-electric alternatives, primarily from China, has eroded the mid-size sedan’s positioning as the go-to, best-value EV choice. 

But to its credit Tesla has again evolved the Model 3 proposition with the introduction of this Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive grade in October last year, at the time positioning it as “the longest-range EV in Australia”.

Since then, Tesla has adjusted the model grade name to Premium Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive.

Some additional tweaks, made in response to customer feedback, also illustrates the EV pioneer’s determination to step up in the face of increasingly fierce competition.

So, does this latest Model 3 do enough to earn a spot on your electric vehicle shopping list? We spent a week behind the wheel to find out.