Lexus LX500D vs BYD Atto 1

What's the difference?

The Lexus LX range has undergone significant updates across the board and the carmaker has also introduced an off-road-focused variant, the Overtrail, to the Aussie market.

The LX500d Overtrail is geared up for 4WDing and, as such, is kitted out with front and rear locking differentials, Toyo Open Country all-terrain tyres on 18-inch rims, as well as a stack of driver-assist aids – including the proven Multi-Terrain Select from Toyota’s LandCruiser 300 Series – all aimed at making you The Absolute King of the Dirty Weekend.

But, being a Lexus, the Overtrail is of course on the right side of premium, replete with a features list as long as … something that is long.

So, how does it perform off-road?

Read on.

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?