Sub $10,000 EVs we need now: Affordable electric cars from China could ease high fuel price pain in Australia and provide alternatives to the 2026 BYD Atto 1, GWM Ora and Geely EX2

Australia is getting short changed on some of the world’s cheapest electric cars.

High fuel prices are pushing people who never would have looked twice at an EV to consider the zero-emissions tech, but Australia is missing out on some of the most affordable electric cars.

Read More About Chery

• China's ‘game changer’ electric cars: Chery could shake up the small car market to with new QQ range to battle BYD Atto 1, Geely EX2, Kia Picanto and Suzuki Swift
• Cars Aussies can’t get enough of: Google searches for affordable electric cars in Australia have skyrocketed since the Iran War as high fuel prices send people looking for the 2026 MG4, BYD Dolphin and Mazda 6e
• Australia's cheapest EV? Forget China's BYD, MG and GWM, it's Mitsubishi's $30k electric car that could really change the electric car game

The latest model to launch in China is Wuling’s next-generation Hongguang Mini EV, which is priced the equivalent of about $9000.

It is a mini four-seater that has a claimed driving range of more than 300km — calculated on the more generous Chinese test cycle — thanks to a super low energy consumption of 8.9kWh per 100km.

DC fast charging allows you to top the battery up to 80 per cent in about half an hour.

It is very little, measuring 3268mm long, 1520mm wide, 1575mm tall and has a wheelbase — the distance between the front and rear wheels — of 2190mm.

That put its in Japanese 'Kei Car' (city car) territory, and its single electric motor makes only 30kW.

The Hongguang Mini EV isn’t alone, there is a booming market in China for this type of vehicle.

The QQ Domi from Chery was revealed last year.

It is a pint-sized electric hatchback measuring just 3.7m long and 1.7m wide, which is just bigger than a Kia Picanto but smaller than a Suzuki Swift.

Its nearest EV competitor would be the larger BYD Atto 1, which is called Seagull in other markets.

In China it launched at the equivalent of about $13,000. Chinese cars are usually 20 per cent more expensive here than the home market, which would mean it could lob in at about $16,000.

Chery’s QQ3 is another budget friendly EV, which is priced to the equivalent of $14,000.

It has a circa 300km driving range, and is much bigger than the Wuling. There is a choice of either a 58kW and 90kW electric motor.

Chery has been testing one of its QQ models Down Under as part of its global development.

The Chinese brand’s Australian Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris is very interested in something from that range.

“I think having a very small and then a small hatchback would be a game changer,” said Harris.

“I think there’s a huge amount of potential in those segments, and at the moment I think those segments are a little bit stale and not that interesting.

“So if we could bring something like the QQ, I think it’d be a huge amount of opportunity,” he said.

There is one thing standing in the way of these tiny cheap electric cars… Australian Design Rules (ADRs).

Mitsubishi recently considered its little eK X EV Kei Car for Australia but it wouldn’t meet safety regulations and it would be too expensive to bring it up to scratch with ADRs.

"The reality is that the car meets Japanese safety regulations. The reality is that it does not meet ANCAP five star, and will not meet ANCAP five star. We'd probably get three stars," said former Mitsubishi's Australian CEO Shaun Westcott back in 2024.

The Hongguang Mini EV only has two airbags and electronic stability control in its safety arsenal, which doesn’t cut the mustard here.

It also lacks side impact protection, which means it won’t meet ADRs. This same rule forced Lexus to axe the IS sedan and Nissan to discontinue the GT-R.