⚡ DRIVEWAY DEBATE MELBOURNE • 2026
THE FAMILY CAR WORLD CUP EDITION 01

THREE EVs.
TWO OPINIONS.
ONE DRIVEWAY.

Two adults. Two boys (9 & 11). One rather substantial Groodle named Rusty. And exactly one car to do it all.

🐾RUSTY
APPROVAL
PENDING
01 / BYD💸
SEALION 7THE VALUE PLAYER
02 / TESLA🤖
MODEL YTHE TECH WHIZZ
03 / ZEEKR🛋️
7XTHE COMFORT WILDCARD
01 / THE SCOREBOARD

SO, WHO'S WINNING?

A close two-car race. And a wildcard with great seats.

⚠️
These are judgment scores, not laboratory results.

The lead can flip when you value different things. Safety figures are externally tested; comfort, resale and future tech contain much more judgement. Tesla’s autonomy score credits optional paid FSD, which is excluded from the default ownership cost.

Show the full eight-category scorecard +
CategoryWeightBYDTeslaZeekr

Car ratings stay constant when you change priorities. Only the weightings change. Ratings out of 10, weighted to a total out of 10.

02 / SHOW ME THE MONEY

THE COST OF FALLING IN LOVE.

Five years, 25,000 km, garaged in Carnegie. These are estimates, not insurer quotes or crystal-ball resale forecasts.

THE ACTUAL COST TO OWN

Five-year net cost

Purchase − resale + ownership
Add Tesla FSD (Supervised)?

$149/month × 60 months = $8,940. Optional subscription. Still not driverless.

🎛️ Stress-test the numbers +

Play with five-year resale value and annual comprehensive insurance. Every change recalculates the ownership cost. These start as modelling assumptions.

03 / REAL LIFE TEST

CAN IT HANDLE THE GANG?

Family practicality + comfort = 35% of the decision. This matters more than another tenth off the 0–100 time.

MISSION 01
🐕

THE RUSTY TEST

Can a large Groodle stand, turn and lie comfortably in the boot with all four humans aboard? Boot litres aren't a reliable cross-brand comparison.

Tesla: flexible cargoBYD: sloping tailgateZeekr: square-ish boot
MISSION 02
🧒🧒

THE BACK-SEAT COMMITTEE

Legroom, vents, screen glare, heated seats and how the boys feel on a longer trip. Zeekr has a particularly strong comfort case.

MISSION 03
🌞

THE 37°C TUESDAY

Cabin cooling, roof shade, parked climate features and whether the rear stays comfortable. BYD and Zeekr have powered roof shades.

MISSION 04
❤️

THE INTERIOR DIPLOMACY ACCORD

BYD and Zeekr feel comparable to you. Lauren leans Tesla. Neither of you dislikes any option, so interior styling is not a deal-breaker.

The fun bit: let the test drives settle the comfort differences, not the brochure.
04 / TOMORROW'S TOYS

PROMISES, PROMISES.

Two genuinely exciting technologies. Neither should get full credit for something it can't do with your hardware today.

🤖
10% OF THE SCORE

Drive itself?

TESLA LEADS today

Model Y has the clearest demonstrated Australian supervised point-to-point driving. FSD costs extra and still requires a driver. BYD and Zeekr offer more conventional assisted driving on these variants.

NO CAR HERE IS DRIVERLESS
🔋
10% OF THE SCORE

Power the house?

BYD LEADS on local V2G evidence

BYD has a manufacturer-backed Australian V2G program involving the Sealion 7. But none of the three is verified as manufacturer-approved for your Sigenergy DC charger.

SIGENERGY V2H: STILL TBD
✳

Your DC charger is already bidirectional-capable. The remaining blockers are car support, software approval, warranty and real-world coordination with your Sigenergy battery + gateway.

05 / THE BORING STUFF THAT MATTERS

SAFE, SECURE, STILL WORKING.

When it's your only car, a long repair delay or a failed cloud service matters more than a fancy launch mode.

ANCAP: THE PUBLISHED NUMBERS

2025 protocols · 5-star ratings

Percentage scores by category, not accident probabilities. Results reflect the rated Australian variants.

🔐

Who gets your data?

All three are connected cars. Tesla has relatively clear owner privacy settings. BYD and Zeekr raise additional jurisdiction and overseas-transfer questions. We have not established that any vehicle is spyware.

CONFIDENCE IN RELATIVE RANKING: LOW
🛠️

Who gets you home?

Tesla has a mature Australian repair ecosystem; BYD has been expanding parts and service coverage; Zeekr's local network is smaller. BYD has a six-year vehicle warranty; the others five years.

COMPARE REPAIR LOAN-CAR POLICIES
06 / THE VERDICT, FOR NOW

NO BAD CHOICES.
JUST TRADE-OFFS.

01

THE HEAD SAYS

Model Y: the strongest technology-and-practicality package in this scorecard.

02

THE WALLET SAYS

Sealion 7: seriously competitive for substantially less money.

03

THE WILDCARD SAYS

Zeekr 7X: could change minds when you get behind the wheel.

THE REAL FINAL ROUND?

Drive all three. Check Rusty’s boot space. Get matched insurance quotes. Confirm Sigenergy support in writing. Then make the call together.

THE RECEIPTS

SMALL PRINT. BIG DIFFERENCE.

Snapshot prepared 25 October 2026 for a household in Carnegie, Victoria. The scores are subjective comparative estimates. The acquisition prices use the prior Victorian promotional drive-away assumptions, not fresh binding dealer quotes. Insurance, tyre spend, depreciation and electricity are modelling estimates.

The published cashback deadline, subscriptions and manufacturer support can change. The 2026 purchase model includes $1,500 selected paint for BYD/Tesla; stock paint for Zeekr. Check on-road totals, stamp duty on paint and offer eligibility before purchase.

Nothing here is financial, safety or cybersecurity assurance. It's a structured way to choose what matters to your family.

Open the source links and assumptions +

MADE WITH TOO MUCH ANALYSIS, A LITTLE OPTIMISM & ONE VERY IMPORTANT DOG. 🐾