While BYD total sales easily eclipse Tesla's, the fight for the most popular family-sized all-electric SUV isn't even close between the Sealion 7 and Model Y.
BYD Australia sales have skyrocketed this year off the back of the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute, while interest in Tesla is on a downward trajectory.
But Tesla is not down and out just yet because dig deeper into the sales figures and it is clear the Model Y is the ace up the all-electric brand’s sleeve that will keep it in conversation for some time to come yet.
As the most popular electric car in Australia, the Model Y has found 13,310 new homes so far in 2025, which may be a 12.43 per cent dip in sales figures over the same period last year, but, again, the headline numbers do not tell the full story.
Earlier this year, the Model Y was in runout in the lead up to the facelifted ‘Juniper’ launch, stymying its volume potential for some four months before the new model came online.
It means January, February, March, and April sales only hit 465, 924, 1725, and 280 units respectively, but massively shot up in May with 3580 registrations when Tesla started delivering new Model Ys to customers.
June was also a big month for the Model Y, notching 3457 registrations, but in July, Tesla Australia was bottlenecked by supply constraints of its SUV and was limited to 555 sales.
Last month however, sales rebounded to 2324 Model Y units, taking the Tesla SUVs tally so far this year to 13,310 – making it more popular outright than the Toyota Corolla (13,145), Mitsubishi Triton (12,292), and Nissan X-Trail (10,815).
Adding the Model 3 sedan’s 4680 units to Tesla Australia’s 2025 year-to-date (YTD) sales tally means the brand is sitting at 17,990 (-35.98%) after eight months of trading.
When compared to BYD Australia’s 32,839 figure – a steep increase of 145.9 per cent over the same period in 2024 – it could be easy to assume the upstart Chinese brand has put Tesla in its rear-view mirror.
While Tesla lays claim to the most popular EV in the country, BYD currently has the silver medal with its Model Y-rivalling Sealion 7.
Launched in only February this year, the BYD mid-size electric SUV has shot up the sales charts against the already-established Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and MG4 for second place.
However, its YTD tally of 6596 units is not even half of the Model Y’s numbers, and BYD has not faced the same ups and downs as Tesla this year.
It took four months before Sealion 7 sales figures hit four-digits in a single month, with February, March, April, and May figures at 157, 573, 743, and 488 respectively.
The BYD model did outsell Tesla’s top-dog in April, but again, this was a month before the updated Model Y landed on local soil.
June, July, and August fared better for the Sealion 7, with 1795, 1427, and 1413 apiece, and July’s number enough again to claim the best-selling EV title for the month.
However, the Model Y remains – clearly – the default choice for customers after a family SUV, and BYD will need a significant shake-up of its Sealion 7 to chase down the Tesla.
A similar price point for both models is also likely not helping BYD, with the Sealion 7 offered from $54,990 before on-road costs in rear-drive Premium form and $63,990 for the top-spec all-wheel-drive Performance.
The Model Y? The base RWD Single Motor is just $3910 north of the entry-level Sealion 7, while its AWD Long Range is $4910 upstream of the most expensive BYD electric SUV.
However, what Tesla lacks is the breadth of product on offer, as each of BYD’s models is contributing meaningfully to the Chinese brand’s bottom line.
The Sealion 7 might be the most popular EV in the BYD stable, but it is followed by the Atto 3 (2724 sales YTD), Seal (2505), and Dolphin (2046), while also beating the similarly-sized and more affordable Sealion 6 plug in hybrid (6050).
With the Shark 6 in the mix adding 12,918 sales to BYD’s tally, it is little wonder why the brand’s sales have skyrocketed this year.
If BYD really wants to cement itself as the electric car brand in Australia, it will not do it with new models like the incoming Atto 2 small SUV, it will need to take the fight directly to Tesla in the popular mid-size SUV segment.
Perhaps a price reshuffle or the introduction of a more affordable variant would put enough distance between the Sealion 7 and Model Y for customers to take notice?
Maybe an update to fix some niggles to make it more of a critical darling?
Either way, with BYD’s track record of defying the odds, the Chinese challenger is likely cooking up something to test the Model Y’s mettle.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
