Tesla vs. Xiaomi vs. Li Auto: The Self-Driving Showdown You Need to See
Autonomous driving isn’t just about who has the best tech—it’s about how that tech handles real-world chaos. And nothing showcases that better than a high-stakes, closed-road showdown between Tesla, Xiaomi, and Li Auto in one of the most challenging self-driving tests you can imagine.
At Rebellionaire, we’re all about bringing you the raw truth behind autonomy and AI. That’s why we took the time to translate this epic test from Chinese to English, breaking down what happens when these cars hit the streets.
Let’s get into it.
Urban Warfare: Tesla Breaks the Rules (And Wins?)
The test begins with what might be the most frustrating kind of real-world driving: narrow streets, illegally parked cars, and intersections that force you to get creative just to make a turn.
Tesla? It didn’t hesitate. FSD ignored the cluttered right-turn lanes and just made its own path—cutting through barriers, crossing double yellow lines when needed, and adapting like a human driver would in messy city traffic.
Li Auto? Tried to follow the rules, hesitated, and eventually required manual intervention at multiple points.
Xiaomi? Well… it stopped in the left-turn lane for a right turn. It also struggled to maneuver around a barrier, coming dangerously close to causing an accident.
Tesla’s approach? Not exactly legal, but undeniably effective.
Handling The Roundabouts & Merging Chaos
Things only got more intense as the cars hit a roundabout and multi-lane merge—classic spots where self-driving systems show their true intelligence (or lack thereof).
Tesla once again played it smart, using the bike lane to overtake slow traffic and maneuvering smoothly around a large bus.
Xiaomi hesitated… a lot. Instead of just following traffic, it awkwardly turned left and right as if it was playing a slalom game. Then, when a large van came head-on, Xiaomi didn’t dodge—it braked hard.
Li Auto was steady but not exactly quick on its feet, sticking to a rule-following approach that worked but lacked Tesla’s flexibility.
If this were a race, Tesla was leading—not by speed, but by sheer adaptability.
Navigation Failures & A Surprising Police Stop
The real embarrassment came with one of the test’s biggest challenges: navigating a complex three-way overpass split—a notorious test of AI decision-making.
Tesla? Chose the correct route and made it through, but… it ignored lane markings in the process.
Li Auto? Started strong, but at the last second, it picked the wrong route and had to course-correct.
Xiaomi? Oh boy. Not only did it take the wrong route—it took so long to correct itself that it got pulled over for driving where it shouldn’t have been. That’s right—Xiaomi’s self-driving system got it fined by the police.
Not exactly the kind of hands-free experience people are hoping for.
Final Thoughts: Is Tesla’s “Rule-Breaking” Strategy the Future?
Here’s the takeaway from this test:
Tesla’s vision-based approach is shockingly good at real-world driving. It’s not perfect (and doesn’t seem to care about traffic laws), but it handles messy roads like an aggressive human driver would.
Li Auto is steady but uninspiring, struggling with complex merges and intersections.
Xiaomi? It’s behind. Way behind. The tech just isn’t there yet.
While Tesla’s rule-breaking may raise concerns, one thing is clear: FSD is leagues ahead in terms of adaptability. If the goal is to drive like a cautious human, Tesla is already there.
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