BYD Atto 1 positioned as Australia’s cheapest new car

BYD cuts the Atto 1 Essential to $19,990 driveaway

BYD Australia’s offers page lists the Atto 1 Essential in a driveaway campaign at $19,990, with orders between 15 September 2026 and 15 December 2026 and delivery by 31 December 2026. GoAuto reported on 17 September 2026 that the cut made the Atto 1 Essential not only Australia’s cheapest EV but the cheapest new car on sale, describing it as a national driveaway offer on the entry-level variant. ²¹

NRMA Open Road on 15 September 2026 and RACQ on 18 September 2026 also reported the model’s new $19,990 driveaway price and framed it as a record low for the Atto 1. Zecar likewise said BYD had cut the Atto 1 Essential to $19,990 nationwide, making it Australia’s cheapest new car, and noted that the offer cannot be combined with BYD’s separate 5 per cent novated lease discount. ³⁴⁷

CarExpert said the Atto 1 Essential was previously priced at $23,990 before on-road costs, equating to $26,993 drive-away in Sydney, before the special offer reduced it to $19,990. Cars24 and Mashable also identified the BYD as Australia’s cheapest new car under the campaign, while Mashable said the cheaper pricing is a limited-time offer rather than a permanent change. ⁵⁶⁸

Offer conditions and price basis

BYD’s terms state that the promotional driveaway pricing applies only to the Atto 1 Essential, with metallic paint available at additional cost. The offer is available exclusively to retail customers who order an eligible vehicle within the campaign period and take delivery by 31 December 2026, and BYD says eligibility is not guaranteed until the vehicle has been delivered. ²

The same terms say vehicle allocation is subject to availability, and BYD Automotive cannot guarantee delivery within the promotional period. For orders taken within the campaign period that cannot be delivered by 31 December 2026, BYD says it will review each case individually and may approve an extension to the delivery period if the delay is beyond the customer’s reasonable control. ²

BYD also excludes demonstrator vehicles and transactions involving additional promotional offers or discounts from the Atto 1 pricing offer. On the same offers page, the separate 5 per cent novated lease discount for eligible Atto 1s is applied to the base vehicle list price and excludes registration, CTP, stamp duty, dealer delivery and statutory charges. ²

Specification and equipment on the Essential

The Atto 1 Essential is described as a compact electric hatch with a 30kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, a front-mounted 65kW/175Nm motor and a claimed 220km WLTP range. NRMA Open Road said the car’s DC charging tops out at 65kW with 11kW AC charging, while GoAuto gave the same charging figures and said the pricing move does not change the car itself. ³⁴¹

Equipment listed across the reports includes 15-inch steel wheels, a 10.1-inch central touchscreen, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, keyless entry and start, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a basic safety suite with adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane support and traffic sign recognition. NRMA Open Road said the car has eight airbags and a five-star ANCAP rating, while RACQ’s equipment rundown named six airbags alongside the same core driver-assistance functions. ³⁴¹

How the price compares with other small cars

The new price puts the Atto 1 Essential below the established budget-car benchmark in the reported comparisons. GoAuto said the offer undercuts the previous benchmark, the Kia Picanto, while CarExpert said the Picanto Sport manual was listed from $19,190 plus on-road costs and that mandatory charges push it beyond the BYD on a drive-away basis. ¹⁵⁶⁸

Zecar said the BYD now sits about $1,000 below the MG3 Vibe, which it described as Australia’s previous cheapest new car at $20,990 driveaway. NRMA Open Road and RACQ both also noted the Geely EX2 as the Atto 1’s nearest priced EV rival, with NRMA Open Road quoting it at $26,490 plus on-road costs and RACQ saying the Atto 1 now sits in clear air on price. ⁷³⁴

Context around the Atto 1 line-up

GoAuto said the price cut does not apply to the Atto 1 Premium, which remains at $27,990 plus on-road costs and keeps a larger 43.2kWh battery, 115kW/220Nm output, 85kW DC charging and a 310km WLTP range. CarExpert reported the same Premium price and added equipment such as a surround-view camera, wireless phone charging, rain-sensing wipers, power-folding mirrors, heated and power-adjustable front seats and LED headlights. ¹⁵

GoAuto also placed the move within BYD’s broader Australian growth, saying the brand entered the market in 2022, has introduced eight new models or major variants since October last year, and expects to reach 10 by October 2026. It said BYD has been opening about one sales and service centre a week over the past year and expects to have more than 150 dealerships across Australia by the end of 2026. ¹⁵