Australia's cheapest new car is now electric. BYD has cut the BYD Atto 1 Essential to $19,990 drive away, down from a previous $23,990 before on-road costs (about $26,993 drive away in Sydney), and no new car on sale here is cheaper. It is also the first EV to wear that crown. Pricing was checked against BYD Australia on 17 September 2026.
What you get for the money
The Atto 1 Essential runs a 30kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, a single front motor making 65kW and 175Nm, and a claimed 220km of WLTP range, with DC charging at up to 65kW. BYD backs it with a six-year, 150,000km warranty. At $19,990 drive away it matches the petrol MG 3 Vibe on price, undercuts the Geely EX2 at $26,490 and the MG 4 Urban at $29,990, and sits below plenty of used hatchbacks. The special offer runs to 15 December 2026.
Cartell Assessment
This is the moment the bottom of the market went electric. A brand-new EV with a real warranty for used-hatch money removes the last easy reason to skip one for a cheap runabout.
AU Outlook
Expect rivals to answer with sharper city-EV deals before Christmas. BYD sits second on the year-to-date sales chart behind Toyota, and pricing like this is how it keeps closing the gap.
