Can BYD’s clever price and positioning for the new Atto 1 electric light car breathe life back into a segment that’s in decline?
Electric Cars
Just four models made up Australia’s Light Car Under $30,000 vehicle sales category in 2025, and three of the four saw their sales go backwards.
In 2025 The BYD Atto 1 will join the segment and stands a genuine chance of causing a serious shake-up.
Sales figures are down in the mainstream Light Car class by over 25 per cent with the Mazda 2, MG 3, and Suzuki Swift all seeing a downturn compared to 2024.
Only the Toyota Yaris managed to improve, but it’s the slowest seller in the class, and makes up less than 10 per cent of the sales volume – an unusual position for Toyota, with the company dominating the Small Car and Medium Car segments, along with Medium SUV and Large SUV classes.
BYD’s positioning for the new Atto 1 electric vehicle has the potential to shake up the segment, with the Chinese brand cleverly positioning the new city car across three key arenas.
Where electric vehicles often carry a price premium, the all-electric Atto 1’s starting point at $23,990 plus on-road costs makes it $2000 more than the starting price of the petrol MG 3 Vibe, or the same price as the MG 3 Excite.
Conventional petrol contenders like the cheapest Swift start from $24,990, the Mazda 2 kicks of from $26,990, and the Yaris feels almost an entire world away at $28,990 or almost 21 per cent more expensive.
With price already on its side, BYD’s design team has very cleverly tapped into the popularity of the SUV market in the exterior design of the Atto 1, giving it black body cladding on the wheel arches, door sills, and bumpers that see it blur the line between hatch and SUV.
In a market where image conscious first buyers want to be seen in something aspirational, rather that something that’s simply cheap, it’s a clever play.
With BYD’s design department supervised by former Lamborghini lead designer Wolfgang Egger, it’s not hard to see where Lambo’s angular design has rubbed off on the face of the Atto 1.
Finally, rather than a unique point of its own, BYD’s standard equipment list for the Atto 1 doesn’t feel like a cheap city car at all. Something rivals have already cottoned onto.
With a 10.1-inch infotainment screen, the Atto 1 boasts the biggest screen in its class, a big lure to digital native buyers.
The Atto 1 comes with a full suite of driver assist tech, including adaptive cruise control, and features convenience tech like push-button start and auto-on headlights, showing no real signs of cost-cutting.
Of course, not all cheap car buyers have the means to charge an EV, be that as a result of living in an area with limited off-street parking, in an apartment block, or perhaps still sharing space with their parents.
While the 220km range rating of the base Atto 1 Essential may not sound immediately impressive, its relatively small 30-kilowatt-hour battery offers charge-anywhere flexibility.
On a regular 10-amp household power socket, an Atto 1 should be able to recharge from 50 to 100 per cent, giving 110km of driving range, in under 7 hours. A little under 10.5 hours gets a top-up from 25 to 100 per cent, or 165km of range.
That’s enough flexibility to add meaningful overnight range from any household socket without the need for a dedicated EV charger install.
In a house with a 16-amp plug, the times drop to 4 hours and 40 minutes from 50-100 percent, and under 7 hours for a 25-100 per cent charge. Hypothetically, a 0-100 per cent charge would take 9 hours and 15 minutes.
If you do have access to a 7kW home charger, those times essentially halve.
So with a price that undercuts key competitors, unmissable styling, and charging flexibility that works for any house or workplace with off-street parking, the Atto 1 could land in Australia's Light Car class with an ego-damaging impact for the brands that are already having trouble maintaining sales momentum.
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Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
