r/EVAustralia

Hi everyone,

I recently posted over on r/CarsAustralia debating whether to stick with a premium ICE hatch (Mazda 3 Astina) or make the switch to an EV. After reviewing the feedback and doing numbers on running costs, my wife and I have come to the conclusion that jumping into an EV makes total sense for our situation.

We have a strict budget of $40,000 AUD and we want to buy brand new to secure full factory warranty piece of mind.

Our situation:

Commute: Pretty straightforward 30km total daily round-trip. Mostly flat city roads with surprisingly little stop-and-go traffic.

Charging: We live in a rental house in Perth, but we are lucky enough to have access to a standard 10A socket right in the garage, which should easily top up our daily usage overnight.

Body style: We firmly prefer hatchbacks or low-riding sedans over SUVs.

Financing: My wife has access to a Novated Lease, which seems highly attractive due to the FBT exemption on EVs in Australia. However, we are a bit cautious/concerned about the high interest rates/fees some leasing companies bake into the deals.

We've narrowed down the new car market under $40k to these specific models, and we’d love your real-world feedback on which one would be the smartest pick:

1 BYD Dolphin Premium
2 MG4 EV
3 GAC Aion UT. 
4 GWM Ora
5 BYD Atto 1

Our questions:
1 which one will be a better choice ?
2 For those who went down the Novated Lease route recently—did the FBT savings fully outweigh the higher interest rates?

Would love to hear from owners of any of these models. Cheers!

Tossing between these 3 - those who have test driven or bought what is your feedback. Thank you.
I tried to book a test Drive for zeekr at Chatswood and they do not seem to have the base model at all - is that possible?

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all the advice that’s in here and the news/info. We’re looking to get an EV and are looking for something that matches or ideally exceeds its space and functionality. We have a young one and hopefully more in the future plus dogs.

It’s really daunting trying to figure heads or tails in a market of names I don’t really know. Can anyone give their recommendations loves or avoids ? Theres a ton of posts like this but hoping someone has experienced our circumstance.

I’m looking to buy my first car, ideally just a good standard electric car, under 35k
I’ve got my eyes on a MG4 Urban and a BYD Dolphin, although I can’t tell which one would be better

Anyone have any experience, or any other options in that price range that’s jsut as good as these 2?

The GAC Aion UT is a compact electric hatchback from GAC, a new Chinese brand which launched in Australia last year. We tested the Luxury grade ($37,990 driveaway) and came away genuinely impressed for the money although there is a glaring issue.

The good:

• Interior quality that feels well above the price point, soft-touch surfaces, padded dash, properly bolstered seats
• 430km WLTP range from a 60kWh LFP battery, with real-world mixed driving closer to 400km
• 150kW / 210Nm motor, 7.3 sec 0-100, genuinely punchy and fun around town
• Rear passenger space suprisingly ample for a small car
• Feature packed: 14.6-inch touchscreen, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, 360-degree camera, heated and ventilated seats, panoramic roof, V2L all standard on Luxury
• 8-year unlimited km vehicle warranty and 8-year / 200,000km battery warranty
• Estimated $322 per service, $1,607 over five years

The not so good:

• ADAS is a glaring issue: phantom braking, constant driver attention warnings, speed alerts that trigger at the slightest creep. Disabling requires navigating the touchscreen on every start. GAC needs to prioritise an OTA fix here.
• Almost no physical controls, climate and most settings are touchscreen only
• DC charging peaks at 87kW (10-80% in 34 min), which is on the slower side for a 2026 model. AC Charging at 11 kW is a nice to have.

Verdict:

Best value FWD electric hatch on sale in Australia right now. Suits first-time EV buyers and urban commuters. The interior, driving character and warranty package all punch above the price. The ADAS issues however need to be fixed in order for the Aion UT to provide a good ownership experience for its future customers.

So I have been torn between putting a deposit down for the Mazda CX-6E GT but I have my doubts about the car. I know they provide free upgrades to the Azami model but I prefer actual mirrors rather than digital ones.

Also, this will be my first EV so I need to ask if anyone has put an offer towards Mazda EVs (CX-6E or 6E EV) and what made you choose this car over others like Tesla Model Y, Geely EX5, BYD Sealion 7, Zeekr 7x or others?

As this is Mazda's first EV I am worried it might have issues with software bugs, screen, or overall operation of the vehicle. Has anyone been in the same boat?

Bit of a milestone worth noting. BYD launched in Australia in 2022 with the Atto 3. Four years later they've delivered 100,000 cars and are now the number one EV brand by volume in the country.

The day after hitting that milestone they announced plans to bring an extra 30,000 vehicles to Australia in the coming months.

For anyone who's been waiting on stock, particularly for the Sealion 7 which has had some wait times, this is good news. More supply means shorter waits and less dealer pressure.

A few things worth knowing if you're considering a BYD right now:

All the popular models, Seal, Sealion 7, Atto 3, sit comfortably under the $75k FBT threshold so you get full exemption on a novated lease until April 2029

The Sealion 7 is currently Australia's best selling EV with sales up 342% year to date

BYD's Blade Battery continues to hold up well in Australian heat based on real world owner data

Anyone here currently waiting on a BYD delivery? Curious how the wait times are looking across different states.

Ultra Spec only (no Plus), and P6 or P10 only, no P12

P12 are on 12+month waits in Europe so probably hamstrung by motor units and battery packs for our market.

Also no Cross Country spec has been released in any market yet from what I recall.

No 22" wheel options.

All options are no-cost extras

EX60 P6 Ultra RWD; $95,777 Drive Away

EX60 P10 Ultra AWD; $112,656 Drive Away.

FYI: Volvo support the EX60 being used as V2G/V2H when the technology is approved and the use of this functionality is included in the standard battery warranty (there are limits to energy use per year).

Pretty good EOFY deals from Hyundai!

Kona Electric (largest savings in the range)

• Standard Range: $45,990 drive-away — saving $10,792–$14,567
• Extended Range: $50,990 drive-away — saving $9,912–$13,856
• N Line Package: $55,990 drive-away — saving $10,792–$13,116
• Premium: $60,990 drive-away — saving $10,212–$14,506
• Premium N Line Package: $64,990 drive-away — saving $9,302–$13,701

Elexio

• Elexio: $57,990 drive-away — saving $3,932–$8,026
• Elexio Elite: $59,990 drive-away — saving $5,022–$9,220

Inster

• Standard Range: $38,990 drive-away — saving $2,612–$4,892 (note: $3,000 higher than the March 2026 deal)

Ioniq 5

• Entry (168kW RWD, 570km): $71,990 drive-away — saving $7,658–$12,325
• Elite (168kW RWD, 530km): $78,990 drive-away — saving $7,658–$10,650
• N Line Premium (239kW AWD): $87,990 drive-away — saving $7,569–$12,828

The Tesla Model Y may well be facing a major challenge from the BYD Sealion 7 when it comes to its ranking of best-selling EVs in Australia, but it remains the dominant choice when it comes to fleet owners.

A new report from Origin Energy, the country’s biggest electricity retailer, notes that 27 per cent of the EVs in its leasing and subscription program are Tesla Model Y electric SUVs, more than double the next most popular electric cars, the Kia EV5 and the VW ID.4.

The data is included in a “lessons learned” report delivered as part of the obligations of Origin’s Fleet Electrification program that has been partly funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

The program aims to deliver 1,000 EVs to the fleet program, but Origin says the transition has been hindered by the lack of good electric ute options.

Source: Origin Energy.

“Passenger vehicle choice is no longer a barrier for most take-home fleets,” Origin writes.”

“Utes are a different story. Despite making up around 22% of new vehicle sales, there’s limited EV ute options, and those that are available cost more than the ICE equivalent and have limited range.”

And it notes that only two new electric utes have entered the Australian market over the past year. (And one electric ute, the Ford F150 Lightning, is no longer available).

As a result, just 5.2 per cent of Origin’s lease and subscription sales over the reporting period were utes – and all of these were the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrids.

Ute prices electric

Source: Origin Energy.

Origin says that for most fleet managers, the decision to go electric comes down to cost, and if the total cost of ownership (TCO) isn’t lower than an equivalent ICE vehicle, “it halts most decisions – any emissions benefit is a bonus, not a driver.”

Still, Origin says it is starting to see a shift. “A small but growing number of customers, particularly in carbon-intensive industries like construction, are now treating emissions reduction as equally important as cost when making fleet decisions.”

That it says is being driven by a couple of factors, including Australia’s own efforts to reduce emissions and by pressure from overseas, particularly on the Australian divisions of companies that operate internationally.

The other major observation from Origin was on the clear preference on “take-home” vehicles, given that these qualify for the federal government’s FBT exemptions, while pool cars do not.

“The sales Origin is making are almost entirely concentrated where customers can access the FBT exemption,” it says, adding that charger funding by ARENA has not been sufficient to close the TCO (total cost of ownership) gap on pool vehicles.

That said, the issues around home charging also needed to be resolved, including developing systems that allowed employees to have their home charging costs covered by their employer, in much the same way as occurs with fuel cards.

“Managing public charging remains an admin burden for fleet managers and drivers – multiple apps, cards and expense claims across different networks,” it notes.

“Origin’s had strong uptake on it’s OneCharge solution that helps solve this, by centralising charger activation and billing across six of the major public charging networks, and aggregating costs onto the fleet bill.”

It concludes: “Driver and fleet manager hesitation is real, but manageable – flexible trials, data-driven suitability tools, and hands-on experience all play a role in converting interest into commitment.

“Vehicle availability is improving for passenger fleets, but the ute segment remains a significant gap that limits electrification for a large portion of the Australian fleet market.”

I might be in the wrong spot for this, but kick me out and I will repost elsewhere if it is out of the scope here.

Looking to buy an EV early next year, thinking 70 to 80kw battery size but undecided on specifics so far. We were looking at putting a battery in sooner as we have already got hearty amounts of excess in our solar panels all year at the moment.

What do I need to work out if I have almost 100km of open driving most week days. Ignoring initial costs is there value in increasing solar capacity from its current 6.6kwh system prior and what is a reasonable amount of battery volume I should hunt.

Just thought I should work out what important questions to ask before I get any quotes on batteries in the next few months.

Anthony Albanese has said there’s no reason why electric vehicles can’t be manufactured in Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he wants to reboot the local car manufacturing industry, and he laments the loss of Australia’s own car brand, Holden.

According to the Herald Sun newspaper, when asked about car making at a News Corp event to promote local industry during Australia Made Week on Monday (May 18) in Melbourne, Victoria , Mr Albanese said there was “no reason why we can’t make [electric] vehicles” in Australia.

Australia has not produced a complete vehicle since Holden closed its local manufacturing operations in late 2017, within weeks of Toyota doing the same, and after Ford ended local production in October 2016.

The end of full vehicle manufacturing not only impacted the automakers that produced them, but also the hundreds of local businesses which formed the supply chain for the final three auto brands making cars here.

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“At the very least, we can make parts and components including batteries here,” said the PM, according to the Herald Sun. “Indeed, there are companies looking at doing just that.”

Australian companies still operating successfully post-Holden include PWR, a world leader in cooling technology whose products are seen in Formula 1 racing.

Other examples include Redarc, which makes vehicle integration systems; ARB, which makes bull-bars and off-road equipment; and Newcastle based suspension brand Lovells.

There’s also Melbourne-based Applied EV, which produces its Blanc Robot ‘skateboards’ for autonomous electric vehicles, however, it has had to look beyond Australia for a partner in Suzuki, which recently overtook Honda as Japan’s second-largest auto brand.

Then there are the recent struggles of Carbon Revolution, which lost hundreds of millions following cancelled contracts to supply its world-leading wheels to automakers, forcing it into receivership in March 2026.

Administrator McGrathNicol blamed Australia’s “high cost of manufacturing” for the wheel maker's woes, a factor also blamed for the demise of local car manufacturing, but Mr Albanese said “new technology” opens the door for Australia to step back into the manufacturing arena.

“We saw a decline of manufacturing in Australia because of differential labour costs. New technology means that labour is less important than transport costs.

“Because technology is ubiquitous, it’s available everywhere,” said Mr Albanese.

“We stepped back, the United States did as well, and we saw manufacturing go largely to China and Asia. That creates a vulnerability, and we need to use the capacity that we have to make more things here.”

The managing director of Australia’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), Dr Jens Goennemann, said the PM is on the right track.

“The bitter truth is that Australia’s car industry declined because our finished vehicles were not globally competitive, and we lacked the scale and depth in local value chains to produce significant automotive sub-components,” he told CarExpert.

“In that context, the Prime Minister is right to focus first on building globally competitive component manufacturers – this is where economies like Australia can succeed.”

Dr Goennemann suggested the approach should “do what successful economies do: back capable yet small companies and help them scale.

“A sustainable automotive industry must be export-focused, technology-led and globally competitive. This combination creates durability, not protectionism or nostalgia.”

Mr Albanese’s comments come days after Ford's Broadmeadows factory, which built the Falcon, Fairlane and Territory among many other models between 1959 and its 2016 closure, was confirmed as the site for a new data centre.

Shadow industry minister Andrew Hastie criticised the Albanese government, pointing to the amount of federal funding for electric vehicles made overseas, and calling for it to be directed to local production instead.

“The Albanese government plans on spending even more taxpayer money than we spent on Aussie car makers subsidising electric vehicles that are made in China,” he said in a speech in March 2026, referring to the Fringe Benefits Tax concessions on EVs, which the government has since announced it will gradually wind back .

“In the current financial year, Treasury estimates $1.35 billion will be spent to subsidise the purchase of electric vehicles… in a single year.

“In contrast, in [the] 2010-11 financial year, total budgetary assistance for our Aussie car industry was $519 million, or $770 million in today’s dollars – just over half as much as EV subsidies cost today.”

Australian manufacturing can succeed, says Bernie Quinn, a former Ford executive who is now the boss of Melbourne-based engineering firm Premcar, which has developed showroom models for brands including Nissan and Mitsubishi.

“We’re doing it through secondary manufacturing at the moment, but this could be expanded to build cars in Australia for Australians,” Mr Quinn told CarExpert in a wide-ranging Expert Insights interview last year.

“We’d have to invest a lot of money. We’d have to build all that capital equipment again and all that infrastructure again.

“It wouldn’t be easy. But is it possible? A hundred per cent, yes. Would it be successful? 110 per cent. With the right attitude and the right amount of commitment it could be very, very successful.”

Australian Made Week runs from May 18 to 24, 2026.

The BYD Atto 1 is currently Australia’s cheapest electric vehicle (EV), and that makes it a very important car.

We often talk about EVs in the context of SUVs, premium sedans and long-range family cars, but the Atto 1 is something simpler and arguably more relevant. It is a small, affordable electric city hatch that can fit into normal suburban life without demanding a luxury-car budget.

I’ve spent about a month in the Atto 1 Premium, using it mostly around Brisbane for school runs, shopping, commuting and general suburban driving. I covered roughly 1200km, and the little BYD returned an indicated average of 11.9kWh/100km (official claimed energy consumption for the Premium is 16.0kWh/100km).

This is not a perfect car, and there are some very obvious places where BYD has saved money. But it doesn’t feel like that money has been saved on the electric drivetrain, the refinement, or the fundamentals of how it drives.

This is one of the best ways for families and EV skeptics to get into a well-priced small electric car that can fit into inner-city life as an ideal second vehicle, or for those who commute to work and value space and refinement on a budget.

How much does the BYD Atto 1 cost?

There are two BYD Atto 1 variants available in Australia.

BYD Atto 1 Essential $23,990

BYD Atto 1 Premium. $27,990

The Premium tested here costs $4000 more than the Essential, but it brings a more powerful electric motor, a larger battery, more range and more equipment.

The Essential uses a 30kWh LFP battery and 65kW/175Nm electric motor, with a claimed WLTP range of 220km. The Premium steps up to a 43.2kWh LFP battery, 115kW/220Nm motor and 310km of WLTP range.

For most buyers, the Premium looks like the better pick. The Essential’s lower price is obviously attractive, but the extra range and performance of the Premium make it a more useful car beyond very short urban trips.

Even at $27,990 before on-road costs, the Premium still looks inexpensive in the current market. It is not just cheap for an EV; it is priced in the same conversation as many petrol and hybrid city cars.

That is what makes the Atto 1 interesting. It is not trying to be a cut-price Tesla Model 3 or a cheaper BYD Dolphin. It is a genuine city car, with city-car pricing, and it happens to be electric.

To see how the BYD Atto 1 stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool

What is the BYD Atto 1 like on the inside?

The cabin is better than you might expect for the money, but it is also where you can most clearly see the cost-cutting.

The seats are comfortable, the driving position is good, and visibility is excellent. Over a month of daily use, the Atto 1 worked well as a small family runabout. My kids didn’t complain about rear legroom or headroom, and it handled the normal routine of school bags, shopping and short suburban trips without issue.

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Officially, the Atto 1 has a 308-litre boot, expanding to 1037L with the rear seatbacks folded. That is useful given the car’s size, and in practice it feels like enough for the kind of daily use this car is designed for.

However, it is worth noting the Atto 1 is a four-seater, not a five-seater. The 2+2 layout means this is not the car for families that need to accommodate three children across the rear.

Material quality is mixed. The top of the doors is covered in very hard plastic, and that is exactly where I tend to rest my arm while driving. It becomes annoying because the section around the door handle is much softer and nicer. It feels like BYD spent money in some places, but not always in the places you touch most often.

It is a similar story across the dashboard. The top of the dash is hard, while some of the trim around the buttons feels softer and more expensive. That is not unusual in a car at this price, but it does stand out because the rest of this pint-size electric hatch feels more polished than expected.

The gear selector is also not my favourite design. It sits to the left of the start button, and from a normal driving position the start button is almost hidden. You get used to feeling for it, but it is not immediately intuitive.

The selector itself requires you to push down for Drive and up for Reverse, while Park is a separate button on the side. Again, you get used to it, but it feels like a solution that is different for the sake of being different.

The steering wheel buttons also feel mediocre. This is a budget EV, so you have to expect some compromise, but these controls are used every day and they could be better without adding much cost.

On the plus side, the 10.1-inch touchscreen is excellent, and BYD includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, I found the Apple CarPlay connection did not always restart automatically when the car turned back on. I often had to go into the menu and force it to reconnect, which became irritating.

And the stereo is dreadful, to be kind. The Atto 1 has a four-speaker sound system, and this is one area where I would love to see an upgrade or at least an option for a better sound system. If this bothers you – as it did me – you can always get an aftermarket speaker upgrade.

The climate controls can also be improved. The car has some physical shortcuts, including buttons for the air-conditioning, but not enough of the important controls are physical. Some of the touchscreen icons could be larger, and the layout feels like BYD went halfway with physical controls but didn’t quite finish the job.

There are also two different buttons that seem to perform very similar air-conditioning functions. It would make more sense if one controlled power and the other adjusted fan speed or temperature.

The front USB-C port is welcome, but the USB-A outlet feels less useful in 2026. Two USB-C ports would be better.

The wireless phone charger in our car was too slow to be useful for my iPhone 17 Pro Max. It was charging at a maximum of 5-7W, which was barely keeping the battery at a stable level with wireless CarPlay on.

BYD says it should charge at 50W, but that might be specific to Android phones as it certainly doesn't seem to support the iPhone 17's 25W charging capability. Ultimately, you can just plug in via USB-C, but that's a waste of a feature.

The Atto 1 comes with a normal key and an NFC card for your wallet, which you can tap on the window to lock or unlock the car. Both worked well during our test.

We got over all the little things we found annoying pretty quickly because the cabin is actually very good overall. The basics are strong. The seats are comfortable, the interior is surprisingly quiet, the driving position is good, and the Atto 1 feels more substantial than its size and price suggest.

To see how the BYD Atto 1 stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

There are two different Atto 1 drivetrains available in Australia.

The Premium’s 115kW/220Nm electric motor is more than enough for a small city car. In fact, it is one of the best parts of the car.

The Atto 1 does not feel underpowered. It is zippy off the line, responsive in traffic, and quick enough that you never feel like you have bought a cheap EV and therefore have to accept weak performance.

BYD says the Premium will do the 0-100km/h sprint in 9.1 seconds, but the number is less important than how it feels around town. It has the instant torque delivery you expect from an EV, but it is also well calibrated. It does not constantly spin the front wheels, and it does not feel nervous or overdone.

The official WLTP range is 310km, and my indicated 11.9kWh/100km average suggests the Atto 1 can be very efficient in suburban use. That result was achieved in Brisbane driving, not a controlled test, so it should be treated as an observed figure rather than a laboratory comparison.

Charging is one of the Atto 1’s strengths. Both variants support 11kW AC charging, via which BYD says a 0-100 per cent AC charge takes 3.5 hours. BYD also claims a 10-80 per cent DC fast-charge takes 30 minutes, with the Premium supporting up to 85kW of DC power.

For a city EV, that 11kW AC capability matters. If you have three-phase power and the right home charger, the Atto 1 can be topped up quickly at home. That makes it much easier to live with than the numbers on the spec sheet might suggest. Also when compared against the MG 4 – a car which I spent a year with – the 11kW versus 7kW charging rate is a massive time-saver.

As with any EV, though, the ownership experience changes if you can’t charge at home. The Atto 1 makes the most sense for people who can plug in overnight or during the day at home or work.

To see how the BYD Atto 1 stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool

How does the BYD Atto 1 drive?

This is where the Atto 1 impressed me the most. It drives well. It is comfortable, quiet, easy to place on the road, and more refined than I expected for such an inexpensive EV.

The acceleration is genuinely good for this type of car. The Atto 1 Premium feels quick enough around town, and the torque delivery is smooth and predictable. It does not have the strange, overly aggressive front-drive wheelspin that some small EVs can have, and that makes it feel more mature than expected.

The steering is good, the brakes are strong, and the driving position is very good. Outward visibility is excellent, which helps make the car feel even smaller and easier to manoeuvre than it already is.

At 3990mm long, 1720mm wide and 1590mm tall, the Atto 1 is properly compact. Around the city and suburbs, that makes it very easy to park and very easy to drive through traffic. You can put it almost anywhere.

The ride is a little firm, but I don’t think it is a deal-breaker. Some people may find it firmer than they expect, but across the suburban roads I used it on it never felt harsh or poorly sorted. It feels like a small car, but not a cheap and nasty one.

The more impressive part is the noise insulation. Because it is an EV, there is no engine noise to mask tyre and road noise, yet the Atto 1 is very quiet inside. You can barely hear much noise intruding into the cabin, so BYD has clearly not stripped out all the sound deadening materials or other refinement measures to hit the low price.

If it had obvious road roar or wind noise, it would constantly remind you this is a cheap EV. Instead, it feels calm and surprisingly polished.

The reversing camera is also very good, and that combines with the excellent visibility to make the Atto 1 easy to live with in tight urban spaces. It really is an ideal city car.

The main annoyance is the constant beeping of the safety systems. Even if the volume is not particularly loud, the Atto 1 finds a lot of reasons to alert you.

The driver-assistance systems are well intentioned, but the constant alerts can become frustrating. You can turn them off, but you have to do so each time you turn the vehicle on.

This is not unique to BYD, and many newer models have become too eager to sound warnings, but in the Atto 1 it was one of the things I noticed most across the month.

To see how the BYD Atto 1 stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool

What do you get?

The BYD Atto 1 is available in two variants: Essential and Premium. The Premium builds on the Essential with a larger battery, more power, more range, and extra comfort equipment.

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2026 BYD Atto 1 Essential standard equipment highlights:

15-inch steel wheels with 175/65 R15 Hankook tyres

Tyre repair kit

Automatic halogen headlights

Keyless entry and start

NFC card key access

7.0-inch digital instrument cluster

10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system

Wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

BYD App Suite, including apps such as Disney+ and YouTube

4G cloud services

Over-the-air software update capability

Voice control via 'Hi BYD'

Four-speaker sound system

USB-A and USB-C outlets

Leatherette upholstery

Four-way manually adjustable front seats

Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel

Two-way steering column adjustment

50:50-split/folding rear seats

Vehicle-to-load capability

308L boot capacity, expanding to 1037L with the rear seats folded

The Essential is clearly built to hit a price, but it still covers the basics well. You get the same 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen, digital instrument cluster, smartphone mirroring, keyless entry and start, and V2L functionality as the more expensive Premium.

The BYD Atto 1 Premium adds:

16-inch alloy wheels with 185/55 R16 Hankook tyres

Automatic LED headlights

Rain-sensing wipers

Power-folding exterior mirrors

Wireless phone charger

Six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat

Four-way power-adjustable passenger seat

Heated front seats

Four-way steering column adjustment

One-touch up/down driver’s window

Surround-view camera

For the money, the Premium is the one I’d be buying. The extra equipment is nice, especially the powered and heated front seats, LED headlights and surround-view camera, but the bigger reason to step up is the extra performance and range.

To see how the BYD Atto 1 stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool

Is the BYD Atto 1 safe?

The BYD Atto 1 has a five-star ANCAP safety rating. The rating applies to all variants, following category scores of 82 per cent for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for child occupant protection, 76 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 79 per cent for safety assist.

ANCAP says the rating is based on testing of the BYD Dolphin Surf, as this car is known in Europe, and that it has confirmed the Australian-market Atto 1 has the same safety specification.

Standard safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking, lane support, speed assistance with traffic sign recognition, and six airbags. ANCAP notes a centre front airbag is not available.

From a driver’s perspective, the Atto 1 feels solid and well built. It does not feel like a flimsy budget car, and I was perfectly happy driving my kids around in it.

The frustration is the way some of the safety systems communicate with the driver. There is too much beeping, and it can become annoying in everyday driving. That is something BYD needs to continue refining, because safety technology is only useful if people don’t immediately go looking for ways to turn it off.

To see how the BYD Atto 1 stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool

How much does the BYD Atto 1 cost to run?

BYD Australia covers its vehicles with a six-year, 150,000km warranty and its batteries with an eight-year, 160,000km warranty.

The Atto 1 Premium’s 43.2kWh LFP battery gives it a claimed 310km WLTP range, while the official claimed energy consumption figure is 16.0kWh/100km.

Service intervals are 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first.

To see how the BYD Atto 1 stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the BYD Atto 1 Premium

The BYD Atto 1 Premium is exactly the sort of EV that Australia needs more of.

It is affordable, efficient, easy to drive and genuinely useful as a city car. It does not try to be a long-distance family SUV, and it does not need to. It makes the most sense as a first EV, a second family car, or a low-cost urban commuter for someone who can charge at home.

The Atto 1 is not perfect. The stereo is bad (really bad), the wireless phone charger is weak, the beeping is annoying, the climate controls need work, and some of the interior plastics feel cheap in the places you touch most often.

But the fundamentals are very good. It is quiet, comfortable, zippy, easy to park, efficient and better built than its price suggests.

The most important thing is that it doesn’t feel like BYD saved money on the electric drivetrain. That is what makes the Atto 1 so convincing.

For the money, this could be the best entry-level EV available in Australia. It is not just cheap, it is good.

What are my chances the Skoda Peaq gets to Australia under the luxury car tax and before the FBT changes on April 1, 2027?

After lengthy watching of YouTube reviews and test drives of a bunch of EV SUVs in the last 2 weeks, I’m about 95% settled on the SL7. One thing I noticed in the test drive though was the fairly prominent patterned ambient lighting display in the dash (where I gather a second screen sits in the domestic Chinese market version).

Obviously I can’t test drive at night and neither have any of the main Australian video reviewers, so I’m reaching out to any current SL7 owners: how does this look at night? Is it nice, tasteful and relaxing, or gaudy and distracting (or something in between)? Can the ‘patterned area’ be turned off while the strip lights elsewhere in the cabin stays on?

TIA!