Australia’s chespest EV: the BYD ATTO 1 starts at $23,990 plus on-roads #BYD #ATTO1 #BYDSeagull
just $24,000 plus on-road costs. That is the price of the BYD ATO1 here in Australia. We’ve known it was very likely to be Australia’s cheapest EV, but now we know for sure you’ll be able to walk away from a BYD showroom or perhaps drive away. In fact, for certainly less than 30 grand drive away in a base model AT1. This car next to me here, however, is the upspec AT1 Premium. You can tell because it’s wearing alloy wheels. This specification is $27,990 plus on-road costs. It gets a bigger battery. That could be the weak point of the base model. Only 220 km of range WLTP, but at that price, possibly acceptable. You can let us know in the comments. Splash out for the premium and you’re getting 310ks of range WLTP because it has a bigger battery. But not only that, it also has 80% more power than the base model, which is only running a 65 kW front motor. But let’s have a look at the inside of Australia’s cheapest EV. The ADO1 is just under 4 m in length. So, it is a pretty small car, though not as small as something like a Kia Picanto. And that’s one of the reasons why here on the inside, it doesn’t feel particularly compact or particularly cheap. Certainly, you’re not going to confuse it for a luxury car. And these materials are all various forms of sort of artificials and plastics and stuff, but it’s relatively complete. A 10-in touchscreen up here, a small digital instrument cluster, normal size steering wheel, some hard keys, some toggles, and seats which feel half decent. Of course, they are artificial leather. But the fact is, does this car feel bargain basement? No. In fact, it feels more special in here than something like a Suzuki Swift, which the Ato1 undercuts. As always, the proof will be in the driving as it is for any car that we review. But certainly with a price like this, my ears are well and truly open to the AD1. And it will now be over to rivals to see if they want to compete in BYD’s continuing price war, not just overseas, but right here in Australia. Will you be considering the AD1? Let us know in the comments and make sure to follow the page for
