BYD has unveiled the country’s cheapest new plug-in hybrid in the Atto 2 DM-i Essential, which will go for just $24,990 before on-roads – beating the previous holder of the title, the brand’s Sealion 5 Essential, by almost $10,000. 

The news comes just weeks after BYD dropped the price of its Atto 1 to $19,990 driveaway, making it the first EV to become Australia’s cheapest new car. The top-spec variant in the Atto 2 DM-i range, the Premium, will set customers back $29,990 before on-roads.

Turquoise SUV parked along a curb in front of a blue-tiled wall, with trees partially obscuring the building.
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A 7.85kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate battery is fitted to the DM-i Essential, and BYD claims it delivers an EV-only range of 39km on the WLTP cycle. The Premium, meanwhile, runs a larger 18.03kWh Blade battery for a claimed electric-only range of 90km. 

Both versions run the same 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine producing 72kW. It’s teamed with a 145kW, 300Nm e-motor driving the front wheels, with BYD putting combined outputs at 122kW for the Essential and 145kW for its fancier stablemate. 

Times for the 0-100km/h sprint come in at 9.1 seconds for the Essential and 7.5 seconds for the Premium. Charging is AC only for both, with the 15 to 100 per cent charge time quoted at 2.7 hours for the bottom-spec and 6.1 hours for the top-spec DM-i.

According to BYD, WLTP fuel consumption with a charged battery is 1.8L/100km for the Essential, which has a total hybrid range of 845km. The consumption figure drops markedly to 0.7L/100km for the Premium, with its total range hitting 895km.

Turquoise SUV driving along a coastal road with palm trees and a pier in the background.
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Both variants come with three intelligent hybrid driving modes: the self-explanatory EV Pure Electric; HEV Series mode, which turns the petrol engine into a generator for the battery instead of using it to power the wheels; and HEV Parallel Mode, with both the petrol mill and battery putting grunt to the road.

Safety is taken care of with front and side airbags for the passenger and driver, curtain airbags front and rear, and the full monty of active safety features such as blind spot detection, forward and rear collision warning and lane departure assist.

The fresh interior sports an 8.8-inch LCD instrument display, either a 10.1-inch central touchscreen (Essential) or 12.8-inch version (Premium), with a 425-litre boot that grows to 1335 litres with the backrests folded.