BYD Atto 1 review: Small EV breaks new ground in Australia

Even just 12 months ago, electric vehicles were considered by many as expensive to buy. Sure, they had reached price parity with hybrid and ICE rivals in segments like medium SUVs, but a truly affordable EV was nowhere to be seen. However, BYD changed that in late 2025 with the arrival of its Atto 1 light hatchback. 

Called Seagull in its home market and Dolphin Surf in Europe, the Atto 1 launched in Australia with an eye-popping entry price of just $23,990 plus on-road costs. Under $25,000, let alone $30,000, for a brand new EV was unheard of. It’s a sign of things to come, but what do you get for the money?

How much does the Atto 1 cost to buy?

There are currently two Atto 1 models on sale in Australia: the entry-level Essential and upper-spec Premium. The former is priced at the aforementioned low $23,990 +ORC pricing, with the Premium model tested for this review $4000 more at $27,990 +ORC. 

2026 BYD Atto 1 pricing:

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Affordable new cars are thin on the ground so it’s fantastic to see a new entrant priced from under $25,000. It’s a bonus for those scared by high fuel prices that it also happens to be powered by electricity. 

Since the Atto 1 launched, there have also been some new rivals added to the market, such as the GAC Aion UT and MG4 EV Urban, both of which are priced from $31,990, though the MG’s pricing is driveaway.  Other rivals to the Atto 1 include petrol-powered cars like the Kia Picanto, Mazda2 and Suzuki Swift. 

While it’s inexpensive, we think that the Atto 1 could still be cheaper, especially in Premium form. Close consideration against rivals reveals that the MG4 EV Urban is priced around only $700 more once on-road costs are included and yet, it’s a larger car with five seats, a higher quality interior and more standard equipment – something to weigh up if you’re drawn in by the Atto 1’s low starting price. 

How practical is the Atto 1?

Look, you’re – hopefully – not buying the 3990mm long Atto 1 to carry a family of seven. It’s more likely to be bought as a first car or a household second car, and its size makes it perfect for that. The boot is a great example – not only is its 308-litre size larger than you might have first imagined, but it also features a deep under-floor storage area for even more space. It would be great to see a boot light added, however, as fumbling around in the dark for your groceries is frustrating, and there’s no front boot either despite there being space for one. 

The Atto 1 is a strict two-seater in the rear, but it’s actually surprisingly spacious. For a six-footer such as this writer, legroom is fine, and headroom is plentiful – plus, the flat floor adds more of a spacious feeling, though its rear windows are a touch small. Amenities include map pockets, door pockets and a tray at the rear of the centre console, though no air vents, armrest or charging ports.

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Move forward to the front cabin and you’re greeted with a funky and relatively practical space that gives off a great first impression, though there are caveats. Material quality is fine for the Atto 1’s price, with a mix of hard plastics and soft suede trims on the doors and lower dashboard. It would be nice to see more soft touch materials added on tops of the doors and dashboard.

There are also some good storage spots, including the open tray for the wireless phone charger, a big tray underneath the centre console and even a tray for the cabin at the rear of the centre console. But the downside to that is that aside from the glovebox, there’s no covered storage, so belongings won’t be hidden if left inside. The Atto 1 is hardly alone in this – just look at the Mazda2’s cabin, for example. 

Centre of the cabin is a 10.25-inch touchscreen that also features in the larger Atto 2. Its screen is bright, though a bit grainy, and the icons are quite small too, making them more difficult than they should be to use at speed. It can also take a bit of time to get used to the menu operation and its multiple functions, even for simple things like changing the air-conditioning. Connecting the wireless Apple CarPlay was easy, however. Bizarrely, there’s also no AM radio.

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There’s a useful row of buttons underneath the touchscreen with shortcuts for features like drive mode selection and a volume dial, though we’d like to see more of them for better ease of use. The four-speaker audio quality is not great, we must admit. The 7.0-inch digital driver’s display is informative, though its layout is a bit basic.

Front seat comfort is generally good, though the seats themselves are a bit small for taller folk and could offer more support. The driver’s chair features six ways of electric adjustment, making it relatively easy to achieve a good driving position, though under-thigh angle adjustment would be welcomed. 

How far can the Atto 1 travel on a full battery? 

Choosing the Atto 1 Essential gives you a small 30kWh battery with only 220km of range, but the Premium upgrades to a larger 42kWh unit for a much healthier and more useable 310km (WLTP). The Premium is rated at 16kWh/100km for energy consumption and while that is a bit high for such a small car, it’s easy to beat that efficiency and in a week of mixed driving, we ended up on 14.8kWh/100km.

As for charging capability, the Premium can be charged at up to 85kW on a DC fast charger, which is fast enough for a claimed 10-80 per cent charge time of 30 minutes. In this regard, the Atto 1 fits in with its more expensive rivals for charging speed as both the MG4 EV Urban and GAC Aion UT can charge only slightly faster at 87kW. However, the Atto 1’s 11kW AC charging capability is impressive, especially given that the MG4 EV Urban’s is limited to just 6.6kW.

How comfortable is the Atto 1 ?

As we’ve seen with a lot of BYD’s products, the Atto 1 is a pleasant car to drive that coped well with the worst Sydney roads we could throw at it. For example, the ride quality on its 16-inch wheels is excellent and it soaks up bumps well thanks to the relatively soft suspension. The body control is fine too, though it does roll a bit in even moderate cornering, and the soft suspension makes for a bouncy ride on bumpier higher-speed roads.

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But it is relatively fun to drive around town. Thanks to its tight chassis and diminutive size, it’s quite nimble. The well weighted and quick steering makes it change direction quickly. Refinement is also surprisingly good for the price with only a moderate amount of road noise, even at highway speeds.

As is the case with a lot of Chinese cars, the adaptive cruise control could use tuning however, as it’s quite conservative, and the lane-keeping assistance loves to unnecessarily tug at the steering wheel. There’s also no blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert, which are odd omissions in what is a city-focused car in 2026.

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The Atto 1 Premium uses a 115kW/220Nm electric motor, which makes it a whole 50kW/45Nm gruntier than entry-level Essential. Even with the extra weight of the EV battery compared to an ICE rival, 115kW in such a small car makes it feel quite peppy on the road. Not hot-hatch quick, but certainly quicker than you’d expect. The claimed 0-100km/h time of 9.1 seconds actually feels conservative in the real world.

How much does the Atto 1 cost to service? 

BYD offers a capped price servicing program for its products, and the Atto 2 costs $1391 to service over the first five years or 100,000km (whichever comes first). That’s an average of $279 annually, and its annual service intervals are longer than the Australian average at 20,000km.

For warranty, BYD covers the Atto 1 with a six-year/150,000km warranty with a separate eight-year/160,000km warranty for the battery. There’s also 12 months of roadside assistance. 

Should I buy a BYD Atto 1? 

It’s easy to see the appeal of the BYD Atto 1. Its low $23,990 plus on-road costs entry pricing for the base model Essential makes it easily the cheapest new EV on the market, and that alone warrants a lot of attention. It’s also funky to look at, surprisingly spacious inside, more than quick enough for even highway useage in more powerful Premium form, and its interior is a nice place to spend time.

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Potential buyers should consider that, the pricing of the Premium model especially ends up climbing higher than you’d expect, and its $31,000 driveway price takes the sheen off a bit because more practical EVs are also available for not much more money. Its touchscreen is also a bit finicky to use and its lacks some safety features such as blind-spot monitoring. Those issues aside, the BYD Atto 1 is Australia’s new cheapest EV and for that it should be applauded.

Atto 1 Premium standard features: 

• 16-inch alloy wheels (with a tyre repair kit)
• Dusk-sensing automatic LED headlights
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Keyless entry with push button start
• Smartphone Bluetooth and NFC key functionality
• Heated and auto-folding mirrors
• Rear privacy glass
• Electric windows
• Synthetic leather upholstery, including steering wheel
• Six-way driver/four-way front passenger electric seat adjustment
• Manual single-zone air-conditioning
• 7.0-inch digital driver’s display 
• 10.1-inch touchscreen with over-the-air updates 
• Live services, including inbuilt apps like Spotify
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto 
• Satellite navigation
• FM/DAB+ digital radio
• Bluetooth calling and audio streaming
• Four-speaker sound system
• Wireless phone charger
• 2x USB ports
• Eco, normal, sport and snow driving modes
• Vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality
• 6x airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality
• Lane keeping assistance 
• Adaptive lane guidance 
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention monitoring
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Anti-theft alarm 

BYD Atto 1 Premium specifications: