Meet Australia’s cheapest electric vehicle (EV): the BYD Atto 1, priced from $23,990 before on-road costs.
The pint-size electric hatchback undercuts BYD’s own Dolphin small hatch by $6000 to become this market’s most affordable EV.
Not only that, it undercuts a raft of popular petrol or hybrid city cars, including the Mazda 2 and Toyota Yaris.
Known as the Seagull or Dolphin Surf in other markets, the Atto 1 is BYD’s new entry-level model and will arrive in Australian showrooms in December with the choice of two variants.
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The Essential comes with a smaller 30kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and less powerful 65kW/175Nm electric motor, while the Premium upgrades to a larger 43.2kWh battery and a 115kW/220Nm electric motor.
WLTP electric range figures are 220km and 310km, respectively.
Pricing
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
|---|---|
| 2026 BYD Atto 1 Essential | $23,990 |
| 2026 BYD Atto 1 Premium | $27,990 |
Drivetrains and Efficiency
There are two powertrains available for the Atto 1, each with a different battery.
| Specifications | Essential | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Single electric motor | Single electric motor |
| Battery capacity | 30kWh | 43.2kWh |
| Battery chemistry | Lithium iron phosphate | Lithium iron phosphate |
| Power | 65kW | 115kW |
| Torque | 175Nm | 220Nm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive | Front-wheel drive |
| Kerb weight | 1294kg | 1390kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 11.1 seconds | 9.1 seconds |
| Claimed range (WLTP) | 220km | 310km |
| Claimed energy consumption | 15.5kWh/100km | 16kWh/100km |
| Max AC charge rate | 11kW | 11kW |
| Max DC charge rate | 65kW | 85kW |
BYD says a 0-100 per cent charge on AC power will take 3.5 hours, and that a 10-80 per cent fast-charge on DC power will take 30 minutes.
The Atto 1 has vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging capability, allowing you to power small electrical appliances using the battery.
Dimensions
The Atto 1 is available in a single five-door hatchback body style. Underneath, it rides BYD’s e-Platform 3.0, shared with the likes of the new Atto 2 compact electric SUV, and features MacPherson strut front and torsion-beam rear suspension.
| Dimensions | BYD Atto 1 |
|---|---|
| Length | 3990mm |
| Width | 1720mm |
| Height | 1590mm |
| Wheelbase | 2500mm |
| Cargo capacity | 308L (rear seats up) 1037L (rear seats folded) |
Servicing and Warranty
BYD Australia hasn’t announced service details for the Atto 1.
It backs its vehicles with a six-year, 150,000km warranty, as well as a separate eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty. You can view more on BYD’s warranty offering on its website.
Safety
The BYD Atto 1 has yet to be tested by safety authority ANCAP, however, sister organisation Euro NCAP awarded it five stars following testing conducted in 2025.
It received an adult occupant protection rating of 82 per cent, a child occupant protection rating of 86 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection rating of 76 per cent, and a safety assist rating of 77 per cent.
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Lane-keep assist
- Intelligent speed limit control
- Traffic sign recognition
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Front, front-side and curtain airbags
- Reversing camera
- Rear parking sensors
The Premium adds:
Standard Equipment
The BYD Atto 1 Essential comes with the following equipment as standard:
- 15-inch steel wheels in 175/65 R15 Hankook tyres
- Tyre repair kit
- Automatic halogen headlights
- Keyless entry and start
- 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster
- 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wireless, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- BYD App Suite (incl. Disney+, YouTube etc)
- 4G cloud services
Over-the-air software updates - 4-speaker sound system
- USB-A, USB-C outlets
- Leatherette upholstery
- 4-way manually adjustable front seats
- Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
- 2-way steering column adjustment
- 50:50 split/fold rear seats
The Premium adds:
- 16-inch alloy wheels in 185/55 R16 Hankook tyres
- Automatic LED headlights
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
- Wireless phone charger
- 6-way power driver’s seat
- 4-way power passenger seat
- Heated front seats
- 4-way steering column adjustment
- One-touch up/down driver’s window
Colours
A two-tone black/grey interior colourway is standard.
The exterior can be had in the following finishes:
- Pine Lime
- Apricity White
- Arctic Blue
- Cosmos Black