BYD Atto 1 vs JAC T9 UTE

What's the difference?

The BYD Atto 1 has already earned its place in history as the cheapest new EV ever sold in Australia. And the good news is that, on the strength of bigger-battery Premium version, it rarely puts a foot wrong as a city car, exceeding performance, efficiency, refinement and comfort expectations. The Atto 1 really delivers around town.

But the baby BYD’s price is too close to larger EVs with better range, while extended exposure reveals issues with seat comfort, touchscreen access/distraction, ADAS interference and nervous steering feel at speed. Australian road tuning is required to rectify these.

Still, as a cheap urban EV runabout, the Atto 1 Premium still (just) stands alone. A glimpse into the future, someday, all city cars will likely follow in the bold BYD’s footsteps.

The budget-priced JAC T9 Haven is a traditional one-tonne turbo-diesel ute with plenty going for it. Sure, there are things that could be improved like any ute, but those issues are more about refinement than major design flaws. And when you consider it has five-star safety and is backed by a generous warranty, capped-price servicing and a 60-strong Australian dealer network, it represents excellent value for tradies on a sub-$50K budget. 

Fun fact. Designer Wolfgang Egger was responsible for the gorgeous Alfa Romeo 156 of 1997 among others, as well as some Audis and Lamborghinis later on. You can definitely see the latter’s influence in the Atto 1’s angular face.

Based on the Dolphin architecture and badged the Dolphin Surf elsewhere (as well as Seagull but that name wouldn’t fly here), the BYD’s boxy proportions are pure supermini and is about the size of the previous-generation Honda Jazz.

However, the designers have added some crossover cues to the styling, including plastic cladding around the wheel arches, to give it a pseudo SUV look.

Inside, though, the Atto 1 is unashamedly hatchback in layout and appearance, with a contemporary, minimalist dash, big central touchscreen with precious few buttons and loads of storage.

In other words, a typical modern small car from China.

The T9 rides on a 3110mm wheelbase with 5330mm overall length, 1983mm width (with door mirrors folded) and 1920mm height.

It adheres to a traditional body-on-frame design with double-wishbone coil-spring front suspension, leaf-spring live rear axle, electronic power steering and four-wheel disc brakes.

Off-road credentials include 27 degrees approach and 23 degrees departure angles, 210mm ground clearance and 650mm wading depth.

The Haven's styling has a chunky and purposeful appearance and its spacious interior offers a tasteful blend of tones and textures with chrome and satin chrome highlights, contrasting red stitching and numerous soft-touch surfaces including curved diamond-quilting on the seat facings and door trims.

The BYD’s boxiness sure pays dividends accessing the Atto 1's interior, aided by tall doors, a high roof and lofty seating.

Initial impressions are very positive.

Lots of space, a decent driving position (in the Premium at least; the Essential has rake-only steering adjustment), grippy little wheel and a solid look and feel impart a sense of quality. This does not seem built down to a price.

The elevated centre console/fixed armrest provides ample storage below and easy reach of USB ports, sturdy cupholders above and a raised smartphone rest that doubles as a charger (again, only on Premium), allowing for quick downward glances without having to touch the device. Helpful.

Further points are won due to the very clean and minimalist dash presentation, with an electronic instrument display ahead of the driver (not a given nowadays thanks to Tesla’s minimalism-gone-mad influence), offering all the information you need in a concise and notably colourful manner.

That 10.1-inch central touchscreen, meanwhile, is probably one of the better examples from China, possessing superficially logical operation, clear markings and a row of fast-access icons for climate, audio, vehicle function, home screen and other controls.

However, the more time you spend in the Atto 1, the more the cabin doesn’t stand up that well under scrutiny.

The shapely tombstone-style front seats, which look a million dollars, are comfortable on short journeys but disappoint during longer drives, revealing a lack of sufficient back and thigh support.

There are no regenerative braking paddle shifters for single-pedal driving, just an on/off tile requiring a distracting and time-consuming touchscreen-menu deep-dive.

In fact, most functions demand at least one or two eyes-off-the-road-ahead prods of the screen, which is annoying and potentially hazardous.

Using the climate control is a good (bad) example.

Infernally fiddly screen slide controllers that are hard to pin-point with a hovering finger while the car is moving, let alone modulate, leads to temperature-selection fury. And those vinyl seats are clammy regardless of humidity levels and their perforations don’t help. Setting the desired climate environment is an utter faff.

And why must BYD’s synthetic leather smell so pungent? The off-gas odour can be nauseating for some on warmer days.

Worse still, even a glance towards the touchscreen sets off the distraction nannies. Frustrating. So is the intrusive lane-keep assist tech, unless you keep the car perfectly centred, with its constant nudging of the wheel while it nags away. More like Aggro 1.

Inevitably, turning these and other ADAS warnings off requires several menu deep-dives, leading to more driver-distraction paranoia. It’s a circle of stupidity for tech that’s meant to protect. And every new drive defaults to ‘on’. It's an infuriating mess.

Meanwhile, the Atto 1’s (two-person-only, remember) rear seat area also starts off promisingly, with easy entry/egress, adequate space (even for long legs and big feet) and a backrest and cushion combo offering sufficient comfort and support.

Amenities include useful door storage, overhead grab handles and map pockets, while the back of the centre console provides a cubby area just wide enough hold a bottle or larger keep-cup. That’s necessary because there is no folding armrest or subsequent cupholders back there, nor reading lights or USB ports.

And while the upward sweep of the window line means the rear can seem dark, the shape of the front seats allows some vision around and even through them for rear occupants.

Further back, the boot area is larger than the BYD’s diminutive size suggests, at 308 litres with backrests erect and 1037L with them folded forward.

The deep floor hides an even deeper cavity that’s large enough for charger cables, laptops and other paraphernalia that should be out of sight. That almost negates the need for the AWOL luggage cover.

But there's also a tyre repair kit instead of a spare wheel in there, and regular readers will know how incorrect that is. Every vehicle sold in Australia should come with one. Even city cars.

Loading/unloading is easy and there are hooks to secure things to, but clearing the high lip may be an effort for some.

And, though an EV, the is no extra storage to be found under the bonnet. The Atto 1 has no front boot, or froot.

With its 2055kg kerb weight and 3100kg GVM, our test vehicle offers a sizeable 1045kg payload rating so it’s a genuine one-tonner.

However, it’s only rated to tow up to 3200kg of braked trailer, which is 300kg less than the category benchmark. And with its 5630kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time), to tow that weight would require a substantial 670kg reduction in payload to avoid exceeding the GCM.

That would also leave only 375kg of payload capacity, which could be used up by a crew of four tradies before you could throw their tools on board. Fact is, most owners would rarely (if ever) need to tow the maximum 3200kg, but should be aware of these GVM/GCM numbers to avoid overloading.

The load tub is protected by a spray-in liner and is 1520mm long, 1590mm wide and 470mm deep, with 1175mm between the wheel arches allowing just enough room for a standard Aussie pallet.

However, the front and rear load-anchorage points are positioned in the upper half of the sidewalls, which is not ideal for securing loads of lower height (anchorage points near floor level are ideal).

Even tall people will find the interior accommodating, given I’m 186cm and have ample space to not only find a comfortable driving position but also sit behind the driver’s seat (set to my position) with plenty of knee clearance.

There’s also generous rear headroom and enough floor space behind the centre console for the centre passenger to sit with their feet together, rather than either side of a transmission hump like numerous rivals. However, like all dual cab utes short of a full-size American pick-up, shoulder room is squeezy for three adults, so a limit of two would be preferable for long trips.

Front of cabin storage includes a large-bottle holder and bin in each front door plus an overhead glasses holder, single glove box and a handy drawer for small items near the driver’s right knee.

The centre console, with its two USB ports, 12-volt socket and wireless phone-charging pad, has a large-bottle and cupholder plus a small box at the rear with an internal air-con cooling vent and a padded lid that doubles as a driver’s centre elbow rest.

Rear passengers get a large-bottle holder and bin in each door plus three storage pockets on each front seat backrest. The centre seat’s backrest also folds down to reveal two cupholders while the centre console offers adjustable air vents, a pair of USB ports and a handy 220V three-pin domestic socket.

The rear seat is split 60/40 and both base cushions can swing up and be stored vertically if more internal load space is required.

Our only criticism is that the rear seatbelt buckles fall into deep recesses in the base cushions when not in use and can be difficult to fish out by hand when you need to buckle-up.

The T9 range is only available in 4x4 dual cab specification with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine, eight-speed automatic transmission and part-time, dual-range 4x4.

It’s offered in two model grades, comprising the entry-level Oasis for a list price of $42,662 and the top-shelf Haven (as per our test vehicle) for $45,630, which is competitive with Chinese turbo-diesel rivals. Our example is finished in ‘Karak’ black metallic paint, which is an extra cost option ($595).

The T9 Haven offers compelling value when you consider how much standard equipment is included for well under $50K.

Like the Oasis, the Haven comes standard with 18-inch alloy wheels and 265/60R18 tyres with a full-size steel spare, tubular ‘iron’ side-steps, black metal sports bar, LED lighting with DRLs, electronic parking brake with auto-hold, heated door mirrors, leather-accented interior trim and steering wheel, power-adjustable driver’s seat, climate control, wireless phone-charging, colour 7.0-inch driver’s instrument cluster and six-speaker audio with a 10.4-inch multimedia touchscreen and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity.

The Haven adds decorative (non-load carrying) roof rails, privacy glass, ‘welcome’ puddle lamps, a 360-degree camera, front/rear parking sensors, auto-folding chrome door mirrors, heated front seats, choice of black or brown leather-accented interior, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, power-adjustable front passenger seat, rear 220V accessory socket and more. JAC also offers a range of genuine accessories.

The Atto 1's electric motor is offered in two output choices. Either way, it can be found under the bonnet and driving the front wheels via a single-speed transmission.

The Essential scores a low-power version making 65kW and 175Nm of torque, which is enough for a 0-100km/h sprint time of a still-decent 11.1 seconds, while the Premium’s high-power unit ups those to 115kW and 220Nm respectively, shaving two seconds off in the process. Top speed is said to be 135km/h.

Note that, while the latter grade’s 43.2kWh battery adds 96kg overall compared to the smaller 30kWh model, it still enjoys a way-superior power-to-weight ratio of 82.7kW/tonne versus just 50.2kW/tonne.

The T9 is equipped with a Euro 5-compliant 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine that produces 120kW of power at 3600rpm and 410Nm of torque at 1500-2500rpm.

It’s paired with a ZF-designed eight-speed torque converter automatic with the option of sequential manual-shifting. It also offers different drive modes ('Eco', 'Sport' etc) and the part-time, dual-range 4x4 system features an electronic rear diff-lock.

The official consumption average for the Essential is 15.5kWh/100km and its 30kWh 'Blade' LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery offers a WLTP range of 220km.

The 43.2kW Premium bumps the energy use figure up to 16kWh/100km but offers 310km WLTP.

We came close to latter claim, with 263km of mixed driving and still showing about 10 per cent of range left, while the car’s consumption readout averaged 13.7kWh/100km overall. That rose to 16.5kWh/100km during a stint of harder, highway-heavy driving.

Charging times vary. With an 11kW AC capability on both grades, the Essential needs up to 16 hours and the Premium 22 hours plugged into a regular socket, and five and seven hours respectively using an optional 7.0kW Wallbox.

Meanwhile, switching to DC fast charging, the Essential’s 65kW capability means a 10-80 per cent top-up can be achieved in under 40 minutes, against the 85kW Premium’s 30 to 50-minute requirement.

JAC Motors claims official average combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) consumption of 7.6L/100km but the dash readout was showing 9.8 at the completion of our 288km test, which comprised a mix of suburban and highway driving of which about one third was hauling a near-maximum payload.

However, our own numbers calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings came in at a lower 8.3L/100km. So, any vehicle weighing more than two tonnes that can achieve sub-10L/100km in daily driving gets a big tick from us in terms of fuel efficiency.

Therefore, based on our consumption, the JAC T9 should achieve an extensive real-world driving range of around 900km from its 76-litre tank.

Sadly, we cannot comment on how the 65kW/175Nm Essential drives, but with 77 per cent more power and 25 per cent more torque, the 115kW/220Nm Premium’s performance is one of its calling cards.

Lively off the mark, even in Eco, it thrives in inner urban environments, with instant throttle response for effortlessly zippy and smooth acceleration, as you’d expect of an EV.

And it just keeps on keeping on at speed, giving the Premium a terrific breadth of performance flexibility. We’re now very curious to see how the Essential goes.

Armed with light and alert steering, the Atto 1 can weave in and out of traffic gaps with confidence and precision, and is backed up by a super-tight turning circle to boot, so parking manoeuvres around town is a doddle.

BYD’s decision to set up the chassis for a soft, long-travel suspension is appreciated, since the Premium takes most bumps and humps in its stride, making this one of the comfier city cars around.

Road and tyre noises are omnipresent, but aren’t not too bad overall by supermini standards, while the Hankook 185/55R16 tyres deliver sufficient grip, even over some rain-soaked roads we endured.

Most of these Atto 1 attributes also translate well at freeway speeds, with the Premium offering ample muscle for overtaking, slick steering responses and a planted chassis feel.

But, once you hit some faster corners, the BYD’s reactive steering, lofty seating and cushy suspension conspire to create considerable body movement, especially through tighter bends, scrubbing the front wheels as it turns wide (understeer).

Yet, press on a bit harder, the Atto 1 can instantly change its attitude to oversteer, feeling darty as weight shifts from the rear, making the steering suddenly too sharp and the car too nervous, Even experienced drivers might hesitate to carry on. And this happened on dry roads.

Of course, the BYD is a city car so not designed for sports-car handling, but it does lack the confidence and control of a hard-driven Mazda 2 or Suzuki Swift. Strangely, it seems more SUV-like than supermini, dynamically.

Most owners won't care, but they will have to live with the infuriating ADAS tune, with inexplicably sudden braking when the adaptive cruise control is on, and lane-support systems that all-too-often tug and bleat endlessly like an agitated goat, becoming too distracting, and requiring far-too-fiddly touchscreen menu diving to silence, especially as they default back on with every restart.

The driver-attention warning is also in a semi-permanent state of nerves, squawking all-too-regularly unless the driver is sat perfectly still, and will easily escalate the danger level to “take-a-break” should you dare move about in your seat. Which would be regularly, due to the latter’s lack of enduring support. A literal and metaphorical pain.

Clearly, then, the Atto 1 can really do with some Australian road tuning and on a number of fronts at that. Until this happens, these are the dark clouds blighting the blue skies that this car’s otherwise sunny disposition delivers with every urban drive on a daily basis.

Or, in other words, stick to the urban jungle.

The steering wheel only has height adjustment, which is notable given that most ute rivals have height and reach adjustment. Even so, the driving position offers ample headroom, a good-sized left footrest and, although lacking adjustable lumbar support, a comfortable and supportive seat.

It has good steering feel although we struggled to detect much difference between the various steering modes on offer. Unladen ride quality is firm and a bit jiggly on bumpy roads, but it’s no firmer than a HiLux and acceptable given its one-tonne-plus payload rating.

The engine is reasonably quiet and despite its relatively modest 120kW/410Nm outputs produces good acceleration when unladen, which we suspect is partly a result of its relatively light kerb weight.

However, there's a slight delay in response when using full throttle from standing starts, which feels like turbo lag. However, the response is fine when applying the accelerator with less aggression, so some refinement in this area would be beneficial.

Selecting the Sport mode in the smooth-shifting eight-speed (ZF-sourced) automatic alters the shift calibrations to provide the most eager response. It also displays helpful ‘intelligence’ by automatically downshifting to assist with engine-braking when the driver applies the brakes on descents.

To test its GVM rating we forklifted 890kg into the load tub, which with driver equalled a payload of 980kg that was just under its 1045kg limit. The rear leaf-springs compressed about 60mm yet there was still about 60mm of static bump-stop clearance remaining, which was ample to ensure no bottoming-out on our test route.

It competently hauled this payload around town and proved equally comfortable at highway speeds, where the engine required just under 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h which was right in the middle of its peak torque band.

The adaptive cruise control, which only adjusts in 5.0km/h increments, maintained the set speeds with discipline. However, on some uphill gradients (in cruise control mode) the transmission would rapidly shift between the sixth and seventh gears numerous times before deciding which was the correct ratio.

Even so, it made light work of our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, decisively downshifting to fourth gear and 2500rpm to easily haul this load to the summit.

We were also genuinely surprised by its powerful engine-braking on the way down. In a manually-selected second gear, it never exceeded the posted 60km/h limit on overrun, with almost one tonne of payload to restrain and no use of the brake pedal. 

It was the strongest engine-braking we’ve experienced from a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel on this descent (in either ute or van) which would be most useful when hauling heavy loads, particularly in hilly terrain.

Our only major gripe is the overly sensitive driver attention monitor located at the base of the driver’s windscreen pillar, which ensures you’re directly in the firing line for constant prompts to ‘please focus on driving’ even though you are doing just that.

Such technology, with constant nagging from audible and visual warnings designed to save us from ourselves, is well intentioned. However, if its questionable judgement of what represents driver inattention is so annoying that it becomes distracting, then it defeats the whole purpose.

The T9 comes with a five-star ANCAP rating (awarded in 2024) and JAC claims it's "Australia’s safest ute" based on its unmatched aggregate scores across all four ANCAP testing protocols.

So, that means benchmark features including multiple airbags, AEB (including autonomous emergency braking when reversing), lane-keeping, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, tyre pressure monitoring, speed sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, trailer mode and lots more.

Junior tradies get ISOFIX child-restraint anchorages on the two outer rear seating positions plus three top tethers across the second row.

Here’s where the BYD slips up a bit.

Yes, it comes with a better-than-industry-standard six-year warranty, but many rivals offer between seven and 10-year coverages, while the Atto 1’s mileage warranty is capped at 150,000km when most others include unlimited mileage. And roadside assistance is only for one year, as well.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km. Capped-price servicing is available, but no precise figures were available at the time of publishing.

Estimates are from under $200 for the first and third annual services, and from $500 and $650 for the second and fourth yearly visits, respectively. Please check with BYD for updated figures.

Currently there are about 105 BYD service outlets throughout Australia, with 30 more expected by the middle of 2026. This should address one of this brand's biggest concerns – sufficient after-sales care.

The T9 is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty plus seven years' roadside assist.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km, whichever occurs first. Capped-price servicing, which applies to the first seven scheduled services up to seven years/105,000km, totals $3069 or an affordable average of $438 per service.