BYD Atto 1 vs Lexus Rz

What's the difference?

Back in 2010, Mitsubishi released Australia’s first mainstream electric vehicle (EV) in nearly a century.

That model, the i-MiEV, was a four-seater city-sized Kei car from Japan that cost $48,800, before on-road costs, or from roughly $70,000 in today's money. Little wonder it bombed. That was four times more than petrol-powered equivalents of the time.

Now, in 2026, the new BYD Atto 1 is the first EV sold here since the i-MiEV’s 2013 departure to be considered a four-seater city car.

It’s also the least-expensive EV money can buy, being even cheaper than many internal-combustion engine alternatives like the Mazda 2 and Toyota Yaris hybrid. The fact is, there’s nothing remotely near the Chinese supermini’s base price that’s electric.

But is the Atto 1 any good?

When Lexus revealed its first dedicated electric car, a sporty looking SUV based on the Toyota bZ4X, price seemed to be the biggest factor in its disappointing sales figures.

Starting at about the $120,000 mark, the Lexus RZ you may have seen around, if you’re extremely eagle-eyed, was far from popular. 

After a little bit of time off showroom floors, however, the RZ is back.

More range, more power, a new first for Lexus in terms of driving tech and a much, much lower starting price could see the brand’s first dedicated EV pick up the pace.

But, there’s a big question mark over that new tech - the much-hyped steering yoke that replaces the wheel in the top-spec F Sport, which uses a steer-by-wire system in a debut setup for Lexus.

Is it a revelation, or a gimmick? We attended the updated RZ launch in Victoria to find out.