Aussies who are keen on the Dolphin Essential are now being offered a price drop of as much as $4400 as BYD follows up on this week’s stunning discount for the Atto 1, which has now become the nation’s cheapest new car.

BYD has reduced the price from $29,990 plus on-roads to $28,888 driveaway, meaning you can save from approximately $2900 to $4400 depending on which state or territory you’re in. The offer takes in cars ordered between September 15 and December 15, and delivered by December 31.

The price cut comes just days after BYD slashed the cost of the Atto 1 Essential to $19,990 driveaway nationally, down from $23,990 plus on-roads. That dropped it below the Kia Picanto Sport Manual and means an EV is Australia’s most affordable new car for the first time ever.

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Aimed at rivals like the Toyota Corolla, the Dolphin Essential has a 44.9kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate battery good for a claimed 340km of range. It feeds a single 70kW/180Nm front-mounted electric motor.

Standard equipment includes a 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry and start, leatherette upholstery, tyre pressure monitoring and adaptive cruise control. Buyers will also get front, front-side, side curtain and front centre airbags.

Compared to the more premium Dolphin variants, the Essential loses power-folding exterior mirrors, the panoramic glass sunroof, wireless phone charger, heated front seats and rear privacy glass.

The two big discounts from BYD come shortly after the Chinese government brought in a raft of new rules governing how the country’s carmakers compete in overseas markets. The manufacturers have been warned against getting involved in price wars due to the risk that could lead to the imposition of tariffs to combat anti-competitive behaviour. 

The rules – which seek to “promote orderly and healthy international development of China’s automotive industry” – are headlined by a directive that brands must price their products based on production costs and the state of the market instead of engaging in drastic discounts that hammer traditional carmakers.