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BYD's smallest and cheapest EV will be cost competitive against petrol and hybrid models like the Suzuki Swift, Mazda 2, and Toyota Yaris.
Electric Cars
The 2026 BYD Atto 1 will be Australia’s most affordable all-electric model by some margin, with the Chinese brand targeting a mid-$20,000 starting price for the new hatchback.
This would put the base Atto 1 in the same ballpark as the one-size-up Suzuki Swift (from $24,490 before on-road costs with a manual gearbox), and easily undercut the Mazda 2 (from $28,190) and Toyota Yaris (from $28,990) – all of which are petrol-powered models.
Measuring 3990mm long, 1720mm wide, 1590mm tall, and with a 2500mm wheelbase, the Atto 1 is closer in size to those aforementioned light hatchbacks than the micro segment it is expected to compete from its November launch.
This affords the Atto 1 a 308-litre boot capacity, making it 68L, 35L, and 40L bigger than a Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris, and Suzuki Swift respectively.
While the Atto 1 will push the point of entry to an electric vehicle (EV) down by around $5000 from the current title-holding BYD Dolphin Essential (from $29,990), the brand’s Australian boss, Stephen Collins, is cautious about sales volume due to its hatchback designation.
“It [predicted sales] is a really difficult one because I think the micro segment is on paper, the numbers, suggest it's quite small,” Collins said.
“I think we're planning for around 300-ish a month.
“It will definitely be the most affordable EV in the country – how much that brings to the party, time will tell.”
At 300 units per month, the Atto 1 would be – based on September sales figures – BYD’s second-worst-performing model ahead of only the Atto 3 that recorded 288 sales.
However, at that run rate, the Atto 1 would outpace the Toyota Yaris (219 sales in September) and Suzuki Swift (172), and almost match the Mazda 2 (324).
Collins said the Atto 1’s aggressive price positioning will not only steal attention away from established new-car brands, but is also expected to pull in first-car buyers that might be looking at the second-hand market.
“I also feel that in that sort of mid-twenties [price point], I think there's also a big market there that doesn't show up on VFACTS, which is, late model used cars,” Collins said.
Regardless, Collins said BYD is ready to open the Atto 1 taps if the new EV proves to be a sales success.
“I think 300 is where we would like it to be, if it's more, we can order more and we can fulfill the orders,” Collins said.
“One of the big advantages I think we have is we have a very vertically integrated supply chain, so if it ends up being 500 or 600 a month, we can supply them no problem.”
While exact pricing and specification will be announced closer to the Atto 1’s mid-November on-sale date, BYD has revealed two versions of the car will be available.
The base Essential – which will be positioned at around $25,000 – features a single 65kW/175Nm electric motor that drives the front wheels, resulting in a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 11.1 seconds.
Fitted with a 30kWh battery pack, the Atto 1 Essential is rated for 220km of range on the WLTP standard before needing a recharge.
The top-spec Atto 1 Premium meanwhile, is expected to come in closer to $30,000, but features a more potent 115kW/220Nm output.
This cuts the claimed 0-100km/h time to 9.1s, while the larger 43.2kWh battery boosts the driving range rating to 310km.
Both models will feature DC fast-charging that can recoup 10-80 per cent of the battery in 30 minutes.
All versions are also fitted with MacPherson strut suspension up front and a torsion beam set-up in the rear.
BYD Australia is yet to detail the Atto 1’s full feature list, but the Premium will come with a 7.4-inch digital instrument cluster, synthetic leather seats, power-adjustable front seats, a wireless smartphone charger, and a surround-view monitor.
Also fitted to the Premium variant is a 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, but unlike other BYD models, it cannot rotate from portrait orientation to landscape.
Known as the Dolphin Surf in European markets, the BYD model was awarded a maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety score from testing in 2025, which is expected to carry over to the Atto 1’s ANCAP rating.
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
