BYD Atto 1 News

Aussie car buyers have plenty of affordable EV choices in Australia. From hatchbacks to city SUVs, there are now several compelling options around the $30,000 mark. The BYD Atto 1 compact SUV became the cheapest new car on sale in Australia, while the Geely EX2 hatchback has had a surging start on the sales charts. Other competitors include the GAC Aion UT hatch and the incoming Leapmotor B03X small SUV, which provide buyers with some further thinking to do. Here is how the four stack up on the numbers. The Atto 1’s $19,990 (drive-away) price tag isn’t just the cheapest on this list, it’s the cheapest new car currently on sale in Australia. This deal does run out in December, when it will revert to $23,990. The premium grade of the Atto 1, which adds a bigger 43kWh battery with 310km WLTP range, starts from $27,990 (before on-road costs), which is on par with its rivals. The B03X starts from $29,990 (drive-away), making it the cheapest small electric SUV in Australia. Geely’s EX2 entered the Australian market in July 2026 at $26,490 (before on-road costs), which pushes the final drive-away price closer to $30,000. GAC’s Aion UT is available from $31,990 (drive-away), but the new Chinese brand will add a cheaper standard range variant in December, 2026. The MG4 Urban hasn’t been included in this list, but the electric hatch is currently available from $29,990 (drive-away) until October 31, courtesy of a $2000 cashback offer. The Aion UT’s single electric motor produces 150kW and 210Nm, edging out the B03X’s 130kW and 200Nm. Geely’s EX2 produces 85kW/150Nm - closely rivalling the Atto 1’s 65kW/175Nm. The EX2 stands out with a rear-wheel-drive configuration, potentially providing an on-road edge over its front-wheel drive rivals. The Aion UT’s 60kWh battery trumps the rest of the competition, offering a driving range of 430km, however, the incoming and cheaper short range Aion UT will only offer 320km from a 44kWh unit. The EX2 has a 35kWh unit with 280km, close to the B03X (292km from 40kWh) and besting the Atto 1 (220km from 30kWh). Inside the cabin, the Aion UT and the Leapmotor B03X have 14.6-inch central touchscreens and 8.8-inch digital drivers displays, but the former boasts synthetic leather seats as standard, instead of fabric. The EX2 also has synthetic leather seats as standard, but a smaller 12.3-inch central touchscreen and 8.0-inch digital driver display. The Atto 1 has a 10.1-inch central touchscreen and 5.0-inch digital driver display, with fabric seats as standard. As an SUV, the B03X has 1325L of storage space, including a 105L storage area under the main boot. The EX2 offers an impressive amount of storage space for a hatch, with 1320L, which includes a 70L front storage space. The Atto 1 still has 1037L, despite being the smallest car in this comparison. The Aion UT provides 689L of total cargo when the rear seats are folded, but this is noticeably less than the rest of the pack. The Atto 1 is the smallest car of the pack, with Aion UT longer than the EX2 and the same length as the B03X. The Aion UT is also the widest of the cars and has the longest wheelbase. The B03X is the only SUV here and is naturally taller than its hatchback rivals. The Atto 1 and EX2 were awarded a five-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) safety ratings. The Atto 1 performed well in crash testing, with 82 per cent adult protection and 86 per cent child protection. ANCAP assessed the EX2 using its new ‘Stages of Safety’ criteria. Features like its driving monitoring system and adaptive cruise control guided the EX2 to a 79 per cent safe driving rating. It rated crash avoidance at 72 per cent, and overall crash protection at 86 per cent. The GAC Aion UT also received five stars and performed well in all categories. The Leapmotor B03X remains untested by ANCAP, but it has a suite of active safety features, including auto emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. The Aion UT wins the warranty battle, with an eight-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for both the car and its high-voltage battery. The EX2 also has a strong warranty guarantee, with seven years/unlimited kilometres for the car and eight years for its high-voltage battery. The Atto 1 and B03X are offered with similar warranties. Both guarantee six years or 150,000km, and an eight-year or 160,000km battery warranty. BYD does further guarantee the Atto 1’s battery will still have at least 70 per cent after eight years. The Atto 1, EX2 and B03X all need to be serviced every 12 months or 20,000km, while the Aion UT is every 12 months or 15,000km.

BYD may be offering the cheapest car in Australia, but that doesn’t mean it wants people to think it’s a cheap brand. The Chinese automotive giant made headlines with its recently introduced $19,990 drive-away deal for the pint-sized BYD Atto 1 electric car. That not only cut about $7000 out of the price, but also made it the cheapest new car on sale at the time of publication. Typically car makers are reluctant to slash prices dramatically, as that can often have a negative impact on the second-hand value of its models. BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins is acutely aware of the dangers of dropping prices, but said each more is carefully considered to reduce the impact of resale value to not upset existing owners. “With Atto 1, we’ve said that it's running till the middle of December, that's it,” he said. “I don't see it running beyond that. So I think in the long run, I don't think they'll have an impact on residuals. “We were just talking before, I don't think there's one occasion where we've dropped an RRP (recommended retail price). So residuals are a function of many things, demand and supply, but also what you do at the RRP level. So look, I think we're doing what we can, and I think we're doing an okay job in the residual space. “And you and I both know, for fleets in particular, that's a massive part of their decision-making that is a big contributor to whole of life cost. Can we do more? Yes. We need to keep doing more to protect the residuals and that's at the forefront of our mind.” The challenge for BYD as a brand is that its original distributors, EVDirect, did often change the price or do deals on models to drive sales. Collins was speaking to CarsGuide at the launch of the updated Atto 3 Evo, and its predecessor had several price changes during EVDirect’s tenure. In just 2024 the price moved three times in nine months thanks to a combination of drive-away deals and model updates. Since BYD has taken direct control of the brand, in July 2025, Collins has taken the position of only adjusting the RRP if a new model arrives and requires adjustment. “The only time we've changed RRPs is when there's a model change. Apart from that, we haven't touched an RRP. Now, we have, and like everyone, we have campaigns  and finance deals and whatever, but we haven't touched an RRP.” Collins and his team will know that long-term sales success comes when you have returning customers. Burning your customer base with dramatic and repeated price changes only hurts residual values and leaves owners feeling disappointed. So while BYD is expected to continue offering drive-away deals and other discount offers to drive demand when needed, don’t expect a race to the bottom from the brand as it looks to secure its long-term position in Australia. But that won't stop the brand from introducing new models at highly-competitive prices, such as the new Atto 2 DM-i. It starts at just $24,990 (plus on-road costs), which makes it the most-affordable plug-in hybrid on sale at the time of publication.

BYD has shared design sketches and full renders of its upcoming second-generation Atto 1 pure-electric city hatch adding early visuals to specification and tech details filed with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Releasing the images, BYD said the new car, to be marketed as the Great Seagull in China, is “Preserving the classic design while embracing new expression, the lines have been reshaped and the surface refreshed.” The renders position the new car as “dynamic and avant-garde” and the MIIT information shows it will be appreciably longer at 4205mm end-to-end (+425mm), 1810mm wide and 1570mm tall with a 2650mm wheelbase (+150mm). The larger footprint accommodates a five-seat layout (up from four-seat) and to effectively propel the bigger car, power from the single permanent magnet synchronous motor driving the front wheels steps up from 55kW to 95kW in China. The current Atto 1, on sale in Australia since late 2025, is offered in 65kW Essential and 115kW Premium form, and for the time being, at $19,990 drive-away, the Essential is the cheapest new electric car available locally. As with the model it replaces, the new Atto 1’s LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) ‘Blade’ drive battery will be sourced from BYD subsidiary FinDreams. For reference, in Australia the current Atto 1 Essential has a 30kWh battery for a claimed range of 220km and the Premium features a 43.2kWh pack for a more useful 310km between charges. The Australian version is more closely related to the Dolphin Surf sold in the UK and Europe, rather than the China market model. Tech on the newcomer includes an optional roof-mounted Lidar and multiple radars for advanced driver assistance features included in the brand’s ‘God's Eye-B’ ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) suite. Speaking at last month’s Chengdu Auto Show, BYD General Manager - Ocean Series sales division Zhang Zhuo confirmed the second-gen Atto 1 would be in Chinese showrooms before the end of 2026. CarsGuide has contacted BYD Australia for comment on the new Atto 1’s potential timing for launch in this market.

BYD has made its electric car cheaper than any other vehicle on sale right now. The Chinese brand has slashed the price of its Atto 1 electric small hatchback to $19,990, drive-away. There is no end date to the offer at this point. BYD Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins said this would give more Australians a chance to access an electric car during an ongoing period of sky high fuel prices and a cost of living crisis. "At a time when Australian families are carefully considering every household expense, we're committed to making vehicle ownership more attainable," said Collins. "The BYD ATTO 1 at $19,990 drive-away demonstrates our commitment to delivering outstanding value without compromising on technology, safety or quality.” The deal only applies to the BYD Atto 1 Essential grade, which was previously priced at $23,990 before on-road costs. This means buyers are saving about $7000 off the full drive-away price. The Atto 1 is an urban-focused electric car, with a small 30kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery that delivers a modest driving range of up to 220km. It uses a single electric motor to make 65kW and 175Nm to drive the front wheels. It is a small unit, measuring 3990mm long, 1720mm wide, 1590mm high and it has a wheelbase of 2500mm. That puts it in the same ballpark as the Toyota Yaris and Mazda2 hatchbacks. The current cheapest cars are the petrol-powered Kia Picanto starting from $19,190, before on-road costs, and the the MG3 hatchback is also priced from $19,990, drive-away, for a limited time.

LG has made a battery breakthrough that could bring down the costs of electric cars further, as the race to develop more efficient technology heats up. Electrical technology company LG Energy Solution and Seoul National University have announced a breakthrough in the development of Lithium Manganese-Rich (LMR) batteries.  The breakthrough ensures better stability of the battery making it recharge more fully, lengthening its life time while also reducing the costs of production. You’ve heard of Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate batteries (LFP) and Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) batteries, well LMR batteries are the next generation of how electric cars will store their power. As the name suggests, LMR batteries contain lithium and manganese metals, but the advantages to them are hard to ignore. LMR batteries are super energy dense, which means they can be used for high performance cars that want colossal grunt, and for long driving ranges for everyday cars. They also don’t contain cobalt.   Currently cobalt is of great ethical concern regarding how it’s mined, the environmental factors of the material and the sheer cost.  OK, we’re going to get a bit technical. So hold on.  A barrier for LMR batteries until now is the recharging issues - they require a tonne of voltage to charge, but this destabilises the cathode and that means oxygen is lost and this causes the crystals to warp.  Basically, the battery loses the ability to hold its charge over time, while capacity also fades.  LG has worked out how to build LMR batteries that don’t need a high voltage to charge and this retains the structural integrity of the crystal structure and so there’s minimal battery fade over time. This is huge, but it’s very early days and the development is still in the research phase. LG is celebrating the breakthrough. “This research addresses one of the key challenges facing LMR batteries,” an LG Energy Solution spokesperson said in a press statement.  “It demonstrates that stable battery life can be secured even in large-format cells by effectively suppressing gas generation, providing an important foundation for growth in the next-generation LMR battery market.”     Currently NMC batteries, which use cobalt are in high-powered or bigger cars that demand lots of grunt. Autobahn cruisers like the Porsche Taycan, big family SUVs, such as the Kia EV9 or long-legged EVs such as the Zeekr 7X need NMC batteries to provide substantial range and power. But NMC batteries are also why these vehicles are so expensive - the high cost of producing them from sourcing materials to making them is passed onto the consumer. LFP batteries don’t use cobalt, which is excellent, but they aren’t as energy dense as NMC batteries and that’s adequate for small cars and suburban family SUVs, but more range and power would be better. LMR batteries could replace LFP and NMC altogether, and this will reduce the price of EVs while ensuring long range and good driving performance, while not losing charging capacity over time. That’s why LG is celebrating this breakthrough and you can bet car companies will be watching the progress very closely. 

It has never been cheaper for buyers considering an EV in Australia.  Increased demand and more efficient development processes have reduced the prices of electric cars in Australia significantly.  Carmakers continue to battle it out to go cheaper than their rivals, with options now appearing below the $30,000 mark. Some affordable EVs are even cheaper than traditional petrol-powered budget examples.  The BYD Atto 1 has maintained its title as the cheapest electric car in Australia. The compact SUV starts from $23,990, with top-spec models costing $27,990, both before on-road costs. Until the end of the year, the BYD Atto 1 Essential grade is just $19,990 drive-away, making it not just the cheapest EV but the cheapest car in Australia. The Atto 1’s single electric motor only produces 65kW and 175Nm as standard, while its 30kWh battery is good for more than 200km of driving range (WLTP).  The newest member of the below $30,000 club is the Geely EX2, which has already surged towards the top of the sales charts in Australia.  The rear-wheel drive EX2 starts from $26,490, with the range-topping variant priced from $30,990, both before on-road costs.  The base variant has 60kW and 150Nm from a single electric motor, along with a 35kWh battery offering 252km. GAC will launch a short-range version of its Aion UT in late 2026 that is expected to be less than $30,000, as well.  The Atto 1 and Geely EX2 use before on-road costs pricing, so buyers will have to spend an extra up to $5000 on registration and other costs to drive it out of the showroom.  The MG4 Urban is the cheaper front-wheel drive sibling of the MG4, available with a sharp drive-away price of $31,990. Its 110kW and 250Nm as standard bests its cheaper competition, while its more than 316km of driving range is hard to look past at its price point.  While GAC’s short-range Aion UT is not here yet, the current ‘Premium’ grade starts from $31,990 (drive-away).  The Aion UT boasts an electric motor that makes 150kW and 210Nm, besting the MG4 Urban with a quoted riving range of more than 400km from its 60kWh battery. The GWM Ora 5 SUV is available from $33,990, drive-away, as a new cheaper replacement for the Ora hatch. The Ora 5 makes 150kW and 260Nm from its single electric motor. BYD’s affordable EVs continue down the list, with the Dolphin hatchback ($29,990) and the bigger Atto 2 small SUV ($31,990), both before on-road costs.  Leapmotor’s B05 is the brand’s cheapest car on sale, and currently is available with a $35,990, drive-away price until 30 September 2026.  The B05 is a smaller SUV compared to mid-sized Leapmotor’s B10 with its fully-electric variant kicking off from $38,990, drive-away, also until 30 September 2026.  The Jaecoo J5's proportions are on the larger end of the small SUV scale, making it a compelling proposition at $36,990, drive-away.  The J5 has had a strong start to life in Australia, and the best-selling small SUV for May 2026.  

Latest sales data shows buyers now prefer cheap EVs to budget petrol hatchbacks in Australia. More affordable EV models have hit the Aussie market in the last year, with Chinese brands putting forward competitive propositions. Cheap petrol-powered hatchbacks the Mazda2 and Toyota Yaris used to be staples for first-car buyers, but it looks like that's starting to change. The electric-only BYD Atto 1 and Geely EX2 are affordable routes into the electric car market for buyers, and its showing on the sales charts in 2026. The petrol- and hybrid-powered MG3 is the best-selling light car in Australia this year, but it's attracting competition from electric Chinese rivals.  The Geely EX2 has had a bumper start to life in Australia since it went on sale in late July 2026. It's approaching nearly 2000 examples sold in a little over a month, compared to the MG3’s roughly 5500 across the year so far. In August alone, the EX2 held nearly 38 per cent of the market share in the light car segment.  It was close to doubling the MG3’s August total, while it was confidently ahead of the petrol-only Mazda2.  Its success is in part due to the fulfilment of extensive pre-orders. Geely's Director of Product Planning and Marketing Andrew Tuitahi recently told CarsGuide small EVs like the EX2 were showing promising signs of reigniting interest in the light car segment. “So a lot of the compromises that you typically make if you were going to buy a b-segment or a light hatchback - things like drivetrain, power, performance, safety, style, you know, space - a lot of those things are solved with a battery electric platform," Tuitahi said. “So I think consumers are able to prioritise maybe some features by sacrificing a segment, but still getting that same space.” It’s not just EX2 that is shaking up the established affordable car segment.  The BYD Atto 1 is still the cheapest electric car on sale in Australia, and owns nearly 20 per cent of the light car segment in 2026 so far.  The Atto 1 and EX2’s rise has been at the expense of its petrol competition. The MG3’s August represented a more than 80 per cent increase on July, but it was still a way off the EX2.  Its sales so far in 2026 are down nearly 11 per cent compared to August 2025.  The Toyota Yaris hybrid has experienced a near 30 per cent decline year-to-date in Australia The new wave of affordable EVs are also beating its petrol competitors on price.  Buyers may have previously felt priced out by the extra money an EV cost, but the tides are turning. The Atto 1’s $23,990 price tag undercuts the Mazda2 ($27,290) and Toyota Yaris ($29,190), all before on-roads. In addition to fast and cheap EV production cycles from China, brands must contend with fines for petrol-powered models under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES). Mazda increased the price of its entire range, including the Mazda2 earlier this year, while the Toyota Yaris became a hybrid-only model in 2024, ditching cheaper petrol variants.  MG is currently offering the MG3 with a $19,990 drive-away deal, with it previously available from $21,990.  If buyers want a hybrid variant of the MG3, it costs an extra roughly $8000, making it more expensive than the fully-electric Atto 1 and EX2.   

Where are you right now? Because that’s where you were when you found out that the price of EVs globally fell below those of hybrids in this historic first for the auto industry. According to a report from car industry analytics company Mobility Global which studied pricing automotive data from around the world the average price of electric vehicles has not only fallen dramatically but has now even dropped below that of hybrids. The report shows that the average global price of an electric car is $52,373, a decrease of nine per cent compared to 2020 EV prices. At the same time the global average price of hybrids increased to $55,204 making them more expensive than EV for the first time. Mobility Global cites the lower cost of EV batteries and the rapid expansion of affordable Chinese electric vehicles on offer as the main drivers of the price decrease. The price of lithium which goes into high-voltage EV batteries has dropped due to a surplus in China which controls about 80 per cent of the market. The cost of an EV’s battery accounts for about 40 percent of the car’s total build price. The lower lithium prices have caused the price of batteries to drop by an estimated 37 per cent since 2020. Australia has recently seen an enormous uptake of EVs. June and July this year saw EV sales break records, securing more than 20 per cent of the market in both months.   While prices have fallen vastly in Australia CarsGuide calculated the average price of EVs is still slightly above those of hybrids locally.  Using pricing data from August, 2026 CarsGuide calculated the average price of battery electric vehicles to be approximately $100,135, down from approximately $104,091 in August, 2025.  We also calculated the average price of hybrids (including plug-in hybrids) in August, 2026 - approximately $93,767, that’s down from approximately $98,682 in August, 2025. Sounds high? Well, as a reference point CarsGuide also found that the average price of petrol cars in Australia is approximately $90,545. All figures were calculated by dividing the sum total of prices for each category (BEV, hybrid, petrol) by the number of models (including the variants) within the category. That means even the super high end models are counted along with the very cheapest. Still, the price of EVs in Australia has never been so low. The BYD Atto 1 is the most affordable electric car in Australia at a list price of $23,990 for the Essential grade. This is followed by the Geely EX2 Complete for $26,490, the BYD Dolphin Essential at $29,990 and BYD Atto 2 for $31,990.  

The small and light passenger car segments have been dwindling for years in Australia, but new offerings are helping to revive the affordable new car. These cars are the BYD Atto 1, MG3 and MG4 Urban. They’re all from Chinese carmakers and offer electrified power options. In June BYD sold a total of 871 examples of the Atto 1. It’s only been on sale for a few months and it’s the most affordable electric vehicle (EV) in Australia with a starting price of $23,990 before on-road costs. It was only pipped at the post in terms of monthly sales by the MG3 with a total of 898 examples sold. This is down 1.8 per cent compared to June 2025. The MG3 is now one of the only cars that's available for less than $20,000. It’s offered with both petrol and hybrid power. The Kia Picanto is the only other new car that’s available for less than $20,000 and it’s even smaller than the MG3. The South Korean carmaker sold 626 examples during June, which is down 13.3 per cent over the same month last year. MG also had some sales success with its new MG4 Urban small electric hatchback in June with a total of 1015 examples sold during the month. This almost outsold the venerable Toyota Corolla which shifted 1037 units. This is down 28.6 per cent compared to June 2025. Looking at the year-to-date (YTD) sales figures, BYD has sold a total of 3254 examples of the Atto 1 despite only being on sale for a few months. The Chinese carmaker has been going from strength to strength in terms of sales in Australia. It’s now the second best-selling brand in Australia behind only Toyota, which has held the crown for the last 20 consecutive years. MG sold a total of 3917 examples of the MG3 to the end of June which was down 25.9 per cent year-on-year. For context, MG sold a total of 8984 examples of the related ZS small SUV over the same period, an 11.7 per cent drop. MG sold a total of 1424 examples of the MG4 Urban up to the end of June. It’s only been on sale for a few months now and it appears full supply is coming on tap and backorders are being fulfilled. Forecasting for the rest of the 2026, it will be interesting to see how much of this renewed interest in certain small cars carries on as the segments as a whole continue to decline. Light and small SUV sales continue to boom and don’t look like they’re slowing down anytime soon. The overall sales volume for the segments are much higher than the respective passenger car segments too. Chery sold a total of 13,638 examples of the Tiggo 4 small SUV until the end of June, which is up 70.6 per cent year-on-year. It also makes it the fifth best-selling car in Australia overall. The best-selling passenger car currently is the Toyota Corolla in 22nd place for YTD sales. Every vehicle with a higher sales volume is either an SUV or ute.

For the first time in Australia, electric cars are outselling diesel ones in what appears to be a major turning point for the Australian market. The latest data, compiled from both the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Electric Vehicle Council, shows registrations of electric cars have more than doubled year-on-year, and now account for just under 20 per cent of Australia’s new car market. This is the culmination of multiple factors, including an influx of affordable Chinese models as the country’s behemoth manufacturers seek export markets to flee tough local conditions, and Australia’s new vehicle efficiency standards (NVES) heavily incentivise lower-emissions models, either to avoid fines or rack up credits. On top of this, skyrocketing fuel prices have clearly made many Australians think twice about committing to another combustion car, and the prospect of government incentives ending further down the track as outlined in the latest federal budget has no doubt only bolstered the latest figures. Digging into the data and one thing becomes obvious - amongst the 10 best-selling EVs, all of them were built in China.  In what should come as a warning to legacy automakers yet to embrace “China Speed” as part of their business model in our market, even the most successful models from Tesla and Kia are built in China. This trend looks to continue, with Mazda the next brand to introduce Chinese joint-venture models via the Mazda 6e sedan and CX-6e SUV, both of which use Changan platforms. The Japanese giant will no doubt be betting heavily on these two models to reduce its market-leading projected fine under the new NVES rules. Nissan will also begin to introduce its array of successful-in-China Dongfeng-based models in the coming years, with Suzuki, Toyota and Volkswagen potentially being left behind as they continue to source cars from more traditional manufacturing locations like Japan, Thailand and Europe. May in particular was a bumper one, not just for market leader Tesla, but also for keen newcomers Jaecoo and Geely. BYD dominates nearly half of the top-10 charts, including the Atto 2 and Atto 1, which both arrived in 2026. EV Sales May 2026 The year-to-date numbers paint a slightly different, but overall familiar story, with the Model Y managing to maintain its lead over the Sealion 7. Some year-to-date surprises include Geely’s EX5 rising to third place and Jaecoo’s aggressively-priced J5 has largely captured the entry-level EV space. Zeekr has had a huge year off the back of the launch of its 7X as it keeps up with its big order bank, and Kia has managed to hold onto 9th place with its relatively popular EV5. The Tesla Model 3 is in seventh place and is the only sedan on the list. EV sales year-to-date 2026 It is hard to say what this chart will look like by the end of 2026, although the complete and ongoing re-shuffle of Australia’s favourite cars looks to continue. One thing is for sure though, China has the market well and truly cornered on fully electric cars in Australia.