BYD Atto 1 vs MG MG QS

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?

Meet the MG QS, the latest SUV from the Chinese giant, and one that the brand promises is a “true” seven-seater – not a five-seater with two dinky little seats in the boot, but a full-size SUV that can carry seven adult-sized humans. 

And that promise puts it on a collision course with family favourites like the Toyota Kluger or the Kia Sorento.

So, how does this big MG measure up?

Read on.