Polestar 3 vs BYD Atto 1
What's the difference?

Polestar 3

$121,250 - $159,620

2026 price

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BYD Atto 1

$23,990 - $27,990

2026 price

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Summary

2026 Polestar 3

2026 BYD Atto 1

By David Morley

By Byron Mathioudakis

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Not Applicable, 0.0L

Fuel Type

Electric

Fuel Efficiency

0.0L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Good performance across model range
Sharp looks, great detailing
Huge interior

Affordability
Packaging
Ride comfort around town

Dislikes

Steering is lifeless
Non-intuitive controls
Over-eager lane keeping assist

Fiddly and distracting touchscreen
ADAS interference
No spare wheel

2026 Polestar 3 Summary

Sometimes, a vehicle facelift doesn’t amount to much. Maybe a nip here, a tuck there, but to be sure you’re looking at the new version, you need to check the badges.

To be honest, the revised Polestar 3 SUV is a bit of that, with very little to visually distinguish the facelift from the previous car. But underneath there are some serious upgrades which, in that oh-so-Swedish understated way, serve to make the Polestar 3 an even more tantalising prospect.

The Polestar 3 has now moved to 800-volt technology which not only allows for faster charging, it also opens up the prospect of even more performance. A new generation of lithium-ion batteries also means greater range potential.

But it’s nice to see that Polestar hasn’t limited its attention to the drivetrain; there’s now a revised anti-roll-bar system and a recalibration of the power steering assistance. Which just goes to show that even though brands like Polestar trade on being an all-electric solution, there are still some engineers in Sweden who know how the rest of a car should work.

Meantime, the medium-large SUV space is a very crowded one right now, so the question is whether the new tech – invisible as it is – is enough to keep the Polestar 3 carving out its slice of that market.

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2026 BYD Atto 1 Summary

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?

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Deep dive comparison

2026 Polestar 3 2026 BYD Atto 1

Verdict

There’s some clever design work here and some gorgeous detailing that gives the Polestar 3 a bit of an edge compared with some of its less inspired opposition. It features a truly spacious interior and it’s more than just decent to drive with, frankly, astonishing performance in 500kW Performance form. Even the entry-level Rear Motor has plenty of oomph and could be argued to be the more intelligent choice.

But the interior layout with its melange of menu-driven functions to control basic, everyday functions is annoying and does the car no favours. Not to mention it’s simply not the Scandinavian way to place form before function.

Meantime the overall performance, dynamics and accommodation of the Polestar 3 place it pretty high on the totem of electric SUVs that actually move the game forward somewhat, and that’s largely down to that 800-volt architecture that brings faster charging and better range.

It doesn’t solve all the issues of modern car making, but as a step closer to Polestar’s ultimate aim of a climate-neutral motor vehicle, it’s a move in the right direction.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer with meals provided.

Verdict

The BYD Atto 1 has already earned its place in history as the cheapest new EV ever sold in Australia. And the good news is that, on the strength of bigger-battery Premium version, it rarely puts a foot wrong as a city car, exceeding performance, efficiency, refinement and comfort expectations. The Atto 1 really delivers around town.

But the baby BYD’s price is too close to larger EVs with better range, while extended exposure reveals issues with seat comfort, touchscreen access/distraction, ADAS interference and nervous steering feel at speed. Australian road tuning is required to rectify these.

Still, as a cheap urban EV runabout, the Atto 1 Premium still (just) stands alone. A glimpse into the future, someday, all city cars will likely follow in the bold BYD’s footsteps.

Polestar 3 vs BYD Atto 1 What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Polestar 3 vs BYD Atto 1
What's the difference?