MG and BYD offers with 30 September deadlines: cashback, 0% finance and Atto 1 pricing under scrutiny

MG's September cashback and driveaway campaign

MG Motor Australia has a broad September campaign running across its lineup, with most driveaway offers ending 30 September 2026, according to the company's own offers page. Headline cashback deals include $2,000 on the MG4 EV Urban, dropping the Essence 43 to $29,990 driveaway and the Essence 54 to $32,990, and $3,000 cashback plus a $500 accessories bonus on the IM5 and IM6 electric models, taking their driveaway prices to $57,990 for the Premium, $64,990 for the Platinum and $74,990 for the Performance grades. ²

Zecar's Australian EV deals roundup, published on 29 September 2026, independently lists the MG4 EV Urban cashback at $2,000 and the IM5 and IM6 cashbacks at $3,000 plus a $500 accessories bonus, with matching driveaway figures of $29,990 and $32,990 for the two Urban grades and $57,990, $64,990 and $74,990 across IM5 and IM6 grades, all within an 11 to 30 September sale and delivery window at participating dealers while stocks last. ¹

MG's own terms add cashbacks across the rest of the range: $500 on MG3 HYBRID+ variants and the ZS 1.5L Turbo Essence, $1,000 on the MG3 Vibe, ZS 1.5L Turbo Vibe and Excite, ZS HYBRID+ and MGU9, and $2,000 on the MG QS. These figures appear identically on the national offers page of dealer Ringwood MG, which also carries MG's driveaway prices across MG3, ZS, MG4 EV, MGS5 EV, HS, QS, MG5, MGU9 and MGS6 EV lines. ²⁵

A distinct component of the same campaign, listed on MG's offers page, is a 2025 build-year plate clearance with additional cashbacks: $1,000 on MG3 Excite and Essence 25-build models, $2,000 on MG3 HYBRID+ 25-build variants, $5,000 on HS Petrol and HS HYBRID+ 25-build models and $6,000 on the HS SUPER HYBRID 25 build. Like the other cashbacks, these are redeemed at the point of sale while stocks last. ²

According to MG's offers page, driveaway prices include 12 months registration, 12 months CTP insurance, the maximum dealer delivery charge and estimated stamp duty for new vehicles. Cashback offers on selected vehicles apply to sales from participating MG dealers between 11 and 30 September 2026, with delivery in the same window, and MG Motor reserves the right to modify, extend or withdraw the offers. Cashback is not combinable with finance offers, though the IM5 and IM6 cashback can be combined with the applicable $500 EV accessories bonus, which itself may be taken as a further $500 price reduction. ²

Eligibility conditions apply across the cashback and plate-clearance deals: MG's terms state they are available on new and selected demonstrator vehicles at participating dealers, exclude fleet, government, hire car and rental buyers, are not redeemable for cash, and cannot be combined with other offers — with the specific exceptions that IM5 and IM6 cashback is combinable with the applicable $500 EV Accessories Bonus and the MGU9 cashback with its $2,000 Trade-In Bonus. ²

The MGU9's $2,000 trade-in bonus comes with a further eligibility condition: MG's terms state it is available only when trading in an eligible vehicle which must be unencumbered, with the participating MG dealer determining both the trade-in vehicle's eligibility and its trade-in value. It can be used in conjunction with the MGU9 cashback offer. ²

0% and 1.88% finance on MG's electric and hybrid lines

MG's finance offers page confirms 0% p.a. comparison rate finance on all new 2025 and 2026 MG HS petrol and hybrid models and both MGS5 EV grades, alongside a 1.88% p.a. comparison rate on the IM5 and IM6. All carry a maximum three-year loan term, no minimum deposit, no balloon option and no establishment or account-keeping fees, with finance issued by Angle Auto Finance. Zecar's roundup lists the same rates and conditions, describing the offer as applying to approved applicants with the offer ending 30 September 2026. ³¹⁵

Applications for finance must be received by 30 September 2026 and settled by 15 October 2026, available at participating dealers on new vehicles only, excluding demonstration and used vehicles, and not available in conjunction with any other offer, per MG's terms. The comparison rate is calculated on a secured consumer fixed rate loan of $30,000 over five years, and MG cautions that different terms, fees or loan amounts may result in different comparison rates. ³

BYD's Atto 1 Essential: Australia's cheapest new car, for now

BYD's Atto 1 Essential light electric hatch is currently priced at $19,990 driveaway, making it Australia's cheapest new car on sale in any powertrain, EV or petrol, with the offer running until 15 December 2026 and delivery required by 31 December 2026, according to Zecar's deals page. CarExpert's reporting on 28 September 2026 corroborates the price and end date, noting the deal made an EV Australia's cheapest new car for the first time when it was introduced in September, undercutting the petrol-powered Kia Picanto. ¹⁴

That pricing is expected to be temporary. CarExpert reports that two BYD Australia executives said the Atto 1's typical price of $23,990 before on-road costs will likely be reinstated once the December date passes. Chief product officer Sajid Hasan told CarExpert: "It's only short-term, so come the first of January, the [Atto 1's original] price point will come back. We'll evaluate the situation and see what other offers, retail offers, we can do and how that evolves." Chief operating officer Stephen Collins, also speaking to CarExpert, agreed when asked whether the original price would return, replying "yeah, I think so", and framed the deal as a response to what he described as arguably the most competitive new-car market in the world, with around 70 players in a market of 1.2 million vehicles. ⁴

CarExpert notes the current driveaway deal applies only to the entry-level Essential grade; the Atto 1 Premium retains an unchanged retail price of $27,990 before on-road costs. Zecar's listing adds that the 5% novated lease offer on select BYD models cannot be stacked on top of the Atto 1 Essential price. Hasan also told CarExpert that BYD does not expect a major longer-term residual impact for early buyers, saying most Essential-deal customers in the broader campaign actually stepped up to the Premium. ⁴¹

Other BYD offers and the wider market context

Beyond the Atto 1, Zecar's roundup lists BYD's broader September campaign covering the Sealion 8, Sealion 7, Shark 6 and Atto 2, with driveaway pricing or $2,000 to $3,000 cashback or flexible credit on selected variants, for orders placed between 1 August and 30 September 2026 and delivery by 31 October 2026. It also lists a 5% discount on the base list price of select BYD models (including Atto 1, Atto 2, Atto 3 excluding Evo, Dolphin, Seal and Sealion 7) through a Flare novated lease, and a 6% Atto 3 discount tied to Amber's vehicle-to-grid program announced on 28 September 2026. ¹

CarExpert's reporting also records a related affordable-BYD development: the recently introduced Atto 2 DM-i, a plug-in hybrid version of the small electric SUV priced from $24,990 before on-road costs, which makes it Australia's cheapest PHEV and, as of CarExpert's article, carries no incentives or drive-away discounts. ⁴

Whether deals like the Atto 1's persist past their stated end dates is a live question. CarExpert's analysis records that some Chinese brands have repeatedly extended discount campaigns beyond advertised deadlines — citing the Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid's $34,990 driveaway price, originally an EOFY offer to 30 June, and similar June-to-September extensions by GWM on the Haval H6 PHEV and MG on the HS Super Hybrid — but observes that BYD typically changes its incentives and deal structures when extending rather than leaving offers unchanged, which it does, according to Hasan, "to stimulate interest and to remain competitive". ⁴

The pricing push also sits against a sensitive backdrop. CarExpert reports that BYD last week denied it was engaging in a price war in Australia, following calls by the Chinese government for Chinese automakers to refrain from "creating disorder" in overseas auto markets. That denial, as reported by CarExpert, adds context to the scrutiny around deep-discount campaigns such as the Atto 1 Essential's current driveaway price. ⁴