BYD Seal vs Polestar 3

What's the difference?

Those big auto executives have good reason to be worried, because the Seal is yet another impressive offering from China’s most formidable EV player.

It’s not perfect. In some ways it’s trying too hard to be a luxury car, and I think the software in particular could use a little work, but the Seal just does so much right I think it will be hard to be disappointed with one, particularly given its keen entry price.

In fact, if we had to pick one from the range, it would probably be this mid-spec Premium. The range and power on offer are stellar, and all for less money than an entry-level Model 3 or Polestar 2.

The Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor with Performance Pack offers a lot of good stuff and in a segment filled with jellybean-on-wheels-designs, it looks great!

It’s large and comfortable enough for a family but the technology feels overworked and that hurts its functionality for me. So much so that at times it feels like you were driving a phone, rather than a car.

The Seal looks great. It’s about as modern a take on the traditional three-box sedan as you can get. It’s low-slung with curvy lines and a sporty overall feel.

The design touches, like the headlight and DRL surrounds, side skirts, and wheels are maximalist compared to the minimalist vibes of the Model 3 and the Polestar 2. But I don’t necessarily think that's a bad thing as it offers buyers a genuine alternative.

I also like the way the brand has executed the LED lights and particularly the tail-light fittings. There’s also an admirable restraint when it comes to badging compared to a lot of this car’s Chinese rivals. It doesn’t give off the vibe of a cut-price product at all.

Inside there are elements which are appealing, and some things which fall short. First up, I do think the Seal wears its influences throughout the industry on its sleeve a bit.

The digital dash cluster theme, for example, seems to (poorly) emulate the Mercedes-Benz software, the little plastic crystal shifter piece on the inside seems to have been overtly influenced by a similar (actual crystal) piece available in Volvos, while the centre screen and dual wireless phone chargers are pretty obviously BYD’s take on the similar bits available in the Model 3.

Maybe in this sense, it’s trying a little too hard to be a luxury car and a tech-heavy electric vehicle, with items which aren’t quite up to the same quality (particularly the software). But then, it all works well enough, and can you complain at the price?

One thing I think BYD gets right though is the level of comfort on offer in the cabin and the clever little styling bits which remind you of its namesake.

The door handle pieces and integrated speaker bits are shaped like a Seal flipper. As are the dash-mounted air vents, and if you look closely even the plastic garnish on the steering wheel looks a bit like a top-down cross section of the animal.

I like it because its subtle rather than in-your-face as some of the Atto 3's design elements are.

The quality is also up to muster, big time. There wasn’t a creak, groan, or rattle from this car’s interior in my entire time with it, including on some of Sydney's worst roads. And the seats, which are designed like absolute thrones, are clad in lovely soft leather. You sink into them. Even the two-tone Alcantara finish through the doors and centre console is thoughtfully placed.

Where the Polestar 2 is mid-size, the Polestar 3 looks enormous but both feature what I like to refer to as Polestar minimalism. Crisp lines showcase the body without ever looking flashy.

There’s a distinct, growly edge to the Polestar 3 which its rivals lack with their pillowy designs and there’s no other word for it - it's hot.

While the thoughtfully sourced Nappa leather is a nice touch, it feels like virtue signalling to have the fact stencilled on the seats themselves. I don't need to know that it used 8.1kg of CO2e per square metre of material to produce, but it might float your boat.

This supple material is set against some lovely soft-touch knit fabrics that look great but easily pick up marks.

The Swedish Gold accents in the seatbelts and ambient lighting add some personality but the cabin looks too similar to its far more affordable sedan cousin for its price point.

The simply-styled but high-end looking interior won’t appeal to all, especially not when you’re considering the cabins of its flashier rivals but there is something beautiful in its minimalism.

The Seal has a huge cabin, and in a lot of ways it feels like the large sedans of old. You can sit nice and low in the cabin, and there’s heaps of knee and headroom thanks to its width.

Soft-clad materials for resting your knees and elbows on go a long way towards keeping this car comfortable on longer journeys, and the presence of a digital dash and a holographic head-up display is nice to have compared to the bare-bones dash of the Tesla Model 3.

The wacky rotating central touchscreen feature makes an appearance from other BYDs, but again, it’s a bit silly and I’m not sure how much use you’ll get out of it. Even Apple CarPlay only works in landscape mode, so I didn’t find it useful.

Practicality features are abundant, with a large bottle holder in the doors, and two more in the centre console. One even has a floating floor, so you can push it down to accommodate large bottles if need be.

Dual wireless chargers are always a nice touch, and the bridge-style console has a large pass-through storage area underneath, which also hides the USB-C, USB-A, and 12V outlets. The armrest console box is nice and deep, too.

The back seat is enormous. Possibly one of the largest spaces in this segment. It comes at a cost to boot capacity, but your rear passengers won’t want for space no matter how tall they are.

At 182cm tall I had leagues of airspace behind my own driving position, and the wide cabin, accommodating seats, and flat floor mean the centre position is even useful for a full-sized adult.

Storage comes in the form of three pockets on the back of each front seat, a large bottle holder in the doors, two cupholders in the drop-down armrests, a small tray on the back of the centre console, and a small flip-out cover which reveals a USB-C and USB-A charging port for rear passengers. The rear seat even gets dual adjustable air vents, but no third climate zone.

The massive fixed glass roof looks the business and keeps the cabin airy, just like in the Model 3 and Polestar 2, but I find these big glass fittings tend to cook interiors in the Australian sun.

BYD tells us the tint is so heavy it has a ‘solar transmittance’ of just 16 per cent, but 16 per cent is still a lot in Australian summer. Thankfully, unlike its two rivals, BYD ships the Seal with a fold-out cover screen as standard.

Remember how I said the massive rear seat comes at a cost to boot space? At 400 litres the Seal’s boot is a bit compact, made worse by the fact it’s a sedan and not a liftback, so the access area is a bit narrow.

It could only fit the largest CarsGuide luggage case alongside the smallest one, but not all three including the medium case. This could be a blow to family buyers who need to fit a pram alongside other things.

Under the floor there’s an extra space great for the storage of your V2L adapter and AC charging cable, but there’s also only a tyre repair kit and no spare.

The best part of the Polestar 3 cabin is the space available for all occupants! What it lacks in a third row, it more than makes up for in legroom. So, if you have a couple of lanky teenagers in tow, they'll be happy.

Passenger access is excellent via the wide door apertures and 202mm ground clearance. The front seats offer the most comfort with their heat, ventilation and five-mode massage functions. However, the rear seats are ergonomic and well-padded, so even back there, you won't get fatigue on a longer journey.

Storage isn't as clever as it could be but you still get some solid options. There's a glove box (opened via the touchscreen) that can fit a manual; a middle console, under-shelf cubby that has an elastic tech pouch and a centre console that features two cupholders and a phone cradle.

In the rear you get small storage bins in each door, two cupholders in a fold-down centre armrest and two map pockets.

Other amenities in the rear are okay but not class-leading, especially not for a top-grade model. Back rowers get climate control, heated outboard seats, two USB-C ports and reading lights but that's about it. A few practical items like sun blinds and extra storage options would be good for a family SUV at this price point.

The boot offers a maximum of 597L of storage capacity available when all five seats are in use but that can be bumped up to 1411L when the rear row is folded. The rear row has a 60/40 split with a ski-port door that adds variation to the configuration.

A level loading space makes it an easy car to slide gear in and out of. The floor folds up to reveal a large storage pocket underneath which is a handy spot for when you only have a few items and don’t want them rolling around.

Like most EVs you don’t get a spare tyre, just a tyre repair kit but you do get a powered tailgate with kick function.

Now we come to what has become the least practical aspect of the cabin for my family and that's the technology.

There's no denying the 14.5-inch portrait-style multimedia touchscreen looks awesome. And when it works, it's great. But the emphasis is on 'when it works'.

If you’re familiar with the Volvo systems, you’ll figure it out, but if you’re not - expect to spend some quality one-on-one time with the system because this isn't a simple ‘get in and go’ set up. 

It's run by Android Automotive which means you get a whole bunch of Google apps built-in, like Maps, Assistant and Google Play. There are others, like YouTube, Spotify and Tidal as well. A software update later in the year should see Apple CarPlay enabled.

The system seems to have a few gremlins and there are sporadic moments where the touchscreen functionality stops, or menus/functions can't be accessed. As when the key fob battery was low and the wireless charging pad could not be enabled. A full reset on the system was required to restore functionality.

Outside of volume control, everything is accessed via the screen and that means you're one glitch away from not being able to use the vehicle optimally or open your glove box.

The 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system with Dolby Atmos is nice, though.

There are two variants available for the Polestar 3 Long Range, a Single Motor and a Dual Motor, but a few different packs can be added to the chosen variant to further personalise it.

We're in the top-grade Dual Motor with Performance Pack; a pack that adds $11,700 to the 'base' Dual Motor variant and brings its price tag to $144,420 MSRP.

The Performance Pack adds 'Swedish Gold' accents on the seatbelts, ambient lighting system, tyre valves and calipers. There are Brembo brakes behind the 22-inch performance wheels and the chassis has been tuned for performance.

Standard kit for this model includes adaptive air suspension, adaptive LED headlights and LED tail-lights, keyless start/entry and three-zone climate control. The Android Automotive system runs a few different built-in Google apps like Google Assistant, Maps and YouTube. An update later in the year should see Apple CarPlay become integrated.

Other equipment includes a panoramic sunroof, 14.5-inch multimedia touchscreen, 360-degree view camera system, a powered tailgate, at home charging cable and electric front seats with heat function and extendable under-thigh supports.

Now come the little extras.

Our test model has the $2000 optional black 'Space' paintwork and 'Plus Pack' which adds $9000 and includes a head-up display, a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system, active noise cancelling tech, a foldable boot floor, heated steering wheel and rear outboard seats, power-operated steering column, air quality filtering for the air-conditioning system and soft close doors.

There is also an upgraded Nappa pack for $7500 which adds animal welfare secured (which almost feels like a misnomer) Nappa leather upholstery from Bridge of Weir, black ash deco panels and front seats with five massage modes, powered side support and ventilation function.

The top-model grade more than holds its own in terms of motor outputs compared to its rivals the BMW iX xDrive 50 Sport and Mercedes-Benz EQE 500 SUV, but the BMW has it beat with a longer driving range.

And despite technicality sitting as the most affordable with its base price, the extra packs our test model has put it at over $180K drive-away and, well, that feeling of value starts to slide for me.

Each Seal variant gets its own drivetrain outputs, and the mid-spec Premium drives the rear wheels with a 230kW/360Nm electric motor via a reduction gear.

On paper, it’s slightly more powerful than the Model 3 RWD, with more power and less torque than the Polestar 2 Standard Range.

Our test model is a dual motor all-wheel-drive, with two 180kW permanent magnetic motors at each end of the vehicle. The Performance Pack adds a software upgrade which boosts the outputs (20kW/70Nm) and together this model produces up to 380kW of power and 910Nm of torque.

This gives you an impressive 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.7-seconds and a top speed of 210km/h.

The chassis has been tuned with performance in mind and there is torque vectoring on the rear axle, as well as a rear motor disconnect clutch to save power at lower speeds.

Despite its massive outputs, I haven’t felt overwhelmed by the power but it has plenty of it to ensure a quick on-road experience. You certainly don’t feel like you can’t overtake!

Providing power is a sizable 82.56kWh lithium-ion battery pack, using BYD’s signature weight and space-saving ‘Blade’ form-factor, and the more affordable LFP (lithium iron ferrophosphate) chemistry.

On the charging front, the Seal Premium can top up at 150kW on a DC unit (using a Type 2 CCS connector) for a 10-80 per cent charge in roughly 40 minutes, while on AC its a disappointing 7.0kW.

The 7.0kW inverter means it’s hardly worth plugging the Seal in at a slow public charger when you visit the shops, as you’ll only get about 50km of range an hour. It’s for this reason most cars with batteries this size have 11kW inverters.

Unlike the Model 3 or Polestar 2, though, the Seal features a V2L system, allowing you to power household appliances from its Type 2 charging port.

Claimed energy consumption for the Seal is 14.6kWh/100km which is low, and about what we were seeing on test. It’s a little hard to tell because the trip computer only offers total consumption over the entire life of the vehicle, or for the last 50km, but not for a set trip interval. Weird.

The Long Range Dual Motor with Performance Pack has a lithium ion battery with a large 111kWh of capacity but its claimed WLTP driving range is only up to 567km which positions it in the middle of its rivals.

This isn’t a bad driving range but I’d want an even longer one for a family SUV because it means less time at the charging stations with your kids on a road trip.

The Polestar 3 has a Type 2 CCS charging port and it can be connected to a rapid DC charger. It can accept up to 250kW on this type of system, which is excellent.

An 11kW AC or 50kW DC charger will take up to 11 hours or two and a half hours to charge, respectively.

Our test model has an official claimed WLTP energy consumption range between 21.9 to 23kWh/100km and after a mix of open and city driving we managed to hit an average of 20.4kWh, which is good for such a big EV.

I wasn’t expecting the Seal to impress me particularly. After all, it’s in this segment against tough competition, amongst recently updated versions of the Model 3 and Polestar 2, and while the previous BYDs I’ve driven have been a cut above their Chinese contemporaries, they also haven’t done a lot to stand out from the crowd.

Clearly, though, BYD has something to prove with its sporting sedan and the Seal is immediately impressive. The cabin is quiet and refined, the seating position is great it's smooth from take-off.

The steering has an artificial tinge to it removing a bit of feedback from the road, but proves at least quick and accurate at speed, and the handling is superb.

I kept pushing the Seal in my test drive, expecting gnarly characteristics to surface but they didn’t. This sedan grabs onto the road with excellent control and traction at the rear, spurred along by its long wheelbase, and improved tyre choice (Continental rather than the sub-par Chinese rubber worn by the Atto 3 and Dolphin).

While on paper it appears to have at least comparable motor output figures to the Polestar 2 and Model 3 - the Seal Premium doesn’t quite feel as rapid, its electric motor having a more relaxed vibe and responsiveness when you stomp on the go pedal.

This can be tweaked a little by dialling it up to Sport mode, and while it still doesn’t feel quite as breakneck fast as the Model 3, in particular, it’s plenty to be going on with.

The most impressive part of the Seal drive experience, though, is its ride. Ride is a constant problem for EVs as manufacturers go to lengths to tame the additional weight of batteries, but the Seal is the most impressive in its cohort, and by quite a margin.

It’s firm enough to be controlled, but has a lovely soft edge to it, so larger bumps, frequent corrugations, or sharper road imperfections don’t ruin your day.

The Model 3 and Polestar 2, even in their improved forms, are not this good. In a lot of ways the Seal’s suspension tune reminds me of the Mustang Mach-e. It has a soft edge, offset by a bit of secondary jiggle as the car settles, which is its only real blemish.

The Seal has no right being this good. It’s now not just matching its far more established rivals but doing some things significantly better.

I have been a little surprised by the top-model grade this week. It’s got heaps of power and your tummy does a little leap when you really have to put your foot down but the strong regen braking and adjustable one-pedal function (up to two levels) take a long time to get used to and sometimes it just feels like it's champing at the bit but not in a fun, sports car way.

The Polestar 3 sits lower to the ground than some other large SUVs but it’s not as steady as I would expect in cornering. The adaptive suspension is adjustable depending on the drive mode you select but remains fairly firm and you feel the bigger bumps.

The visibility is great and none of the pillars are in the way from my driving position, the frameless side mirrors also add a wide view into your blind spots. 

The active noise cancelling tech means the cabin is delightfully quiet and it's very easy to chat with the back seat passengers. I’ve hated that you can’t ‘close’ the sunroof though because despite there being little to no heat, the constant sunlight is really annoying.

The 360-degree view camera system is high quality and despite a few fish-eye lens angles you can get, this is a very easy SUV to park.

My dad struggled with the concept of not turning the car on or off, and in his words "it just feels wrong!". This is a Polestar experience though that you get used to (eventually).

However, the aspect I struggled with is that you get two 'keys' - an easily lost key fob and a keycard (same size as a credit card).

You apparently need both to access the vehicle - the keycard to unlock/open the doors if the key fob proximity feature doesn't register and the key fob to actually drive.

Although, at a pinch the keycard is technically a second key and can be used to drive if the battery on the key fob runs out. Oh, did I mention you have to charge the key fob? It all seems a bit superfluous.

The Polestar 3 hasn't been assessed by ANCAP yet, so is unrated, but there's not much it doesn’t have when it comes to its safety equipment and it features nine airbags which is great for a family SUV.

The standard safety kit includes adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, driver monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keeping aid, parking assist, traffic sign recognition, 360-degree camera system, front and rear parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert, tyre pressure monitoring and occupant detection alert.

Some highlight features include an alarm system with interior motion sensors, automatic unlocking in a collision, emergency e-call, and Volvo's 'Whiplash Injury Protection System' consisting of energy absorbing backrests and specially designed head restraints in the front seats.

The adaptive cruise control is great but has one too many steps to get it going.

The Polestar 3 has forward and rear collision warning, as well as AEB with cyclist, pedestrian and car detection.

There are two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top tether anchor points on the rear seats but two seats will fit best.

The long-term ownership aspect for a BYD product is still a bit of a mystery as the current crop of cars have only just landed in Australia in the last year or two, but if it offers you any peace of mind, the Seal is covered by a six-year/150,000km warranty with a separate eight-year/160,000km warranty for the battery pack.

In order to avoid having to have a traditional dealer network, BYD has partnered with MyCar to fulfil servicing. Visits to one of these locations is required once every 12 months or 20,000km whichever comes first, and pricing is fixed for the first eight years, working out to an annual average of $299.

Polestar offers the Polestar 3 with a five-year/unlimited warranty and the battery is covered by an eight-year or up to 160,000km warranty. You also get a free service plan for the first five years or up to 100,000km of ownership, whichever comes first.

Considering its position in the premium-end of the EV market, this is good value compared to its Euro rivals.