Australia is soon expected to have a new titleholder as cheapest plug-in hybrid SUV in the land in the form of the BYD Atto 2 DM-i. Already on sale in fully electric form, the Atto 2 is also available as a PHEV in overseas markets such as the UK and it’s just been approved by the government for local sales, suggesting that a local launch is due within a few months.

Unlike the fully electric Atto 2 already on sale, which features a 130kW/290Nm motor and a 51.3kWh battery for a WLTP-rated range of 345km, the plug-in hybrid Atto 2 DM-i pairs a 72kW/122Nm naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine paired to a 145kW/300Nm electric motor making a combined 122kW/300Nm outputs. A 7.8kWh LFP battery also features, with a claimed 40km of EV-only range.

There’s also a larger 18.3kWh battery option that increases claimed WLTP range to 89km, and it increases the power output to 156kW with an unchanged 300Nm of torque. Both battery sizes can only be AC charged, the former at up to 3.3kW for a claimed two hour and 42 minute 15-100 per cent charge time and the latter at up to 6.6kW for a 15-100 per cent charge of a claimed three hours and 15 minutes.

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The Atto 2 DM-i will find itself in a crowded price point in BYD showrooms as the electric Atto 2 starts from $31,990 plus on-road costs and larger plug-in hybrid Sealion 5 is priced from $33,990 +ORC. Therefore, the Atto 2 DM-i could be priced from under $30,000, making it Australia’s cheapest plug-in hybrid vehicle and stealing the title from the Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid.

Compared to the electric Atto 2, the plug-in hybrid sports a revised front bumper design for extra cooling for the petrol engine, as well as different alloy wheel designs. Inside is identical except for the button to switch between EV and hybrid power, while UK models also feature Google Built-In software and Google Maps integration into the 12.8-inch touchscreen.

The BYD Atto 2 DM-i is expected to go on sale in Australia from later this year, perhaps in the third quarter.