2026 BYD Atto 1 vs MG3 Hybrid: We run the rule over the two small, budget warriors

The BYD Atto 1 has rewritten the rulebook on electric vehicle pricing, launching in Australia from just $23,990 (plus on-road costs), but how does it stack up to the king of the light car segment, the MG3? 

While purely petrol-powered at the entry level, a super-frugal hybrid version can still be had for less than $30,000 on the road, so if you want a new car for not much money, what are the pros and cons of each? 

Pricing 

As it happens, the BYD Atto 1 Premium and MG3 Hybrid Excite line up perfectly at $27,990 (plus on-road costs), though this is the top-spec Atto and mid-spec MG3 Hybrid, so it’s not quite like-for-like. 
It’s somewhat tit-for-tat in terms of after-sales care. MG has the warranty advantage, with a standard seven-year/unlimited kilometre offering that extends to 10 years or 250,000km if you service with an authorised MG dealer.  

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Roadside assistance is also included for the length of the warranty period and servicing costs $2045 over the first five visits with attention required every 12 months or 10,000km. 

Over at BYD there’s a six-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for the vehicle with eight years of cover for the battery, but complimentary roadside assistance is limited to just 12 months.  

On the plus side, service intervals are 12 months or 20,000km and while BYD hasn’t announced servicing costs as yet, its Dolphin bigger (but still small) brother costs $1628 over the first five visits which is probably indicative. 

*plus on-road costs 

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Dimensions 

At 3990mm long the BYD Atto 1 is truly tiny by modern standards, though with a 2500mm wheelbase and a 308-litre boot it should manage to offer decent accommodation relative to its overall size. 
The MG3 is bigger in every dimension bar height (though it’s also 100kg lighter) but has a slightly smaller boot. Still, if outright space is a concern, these probably aren’t the cars for you. 

Equipment 

Given we’re comparing slightly different trim levels, it perhaps shouldn’t be surprising that the flagship BYD has the edge in equipment over the mid-spec MG3, but the Atto 1 Premium is an exceptionally well-equipped little car. 

LED headlights, auto wipers and powered and heated leather front seats are all advantages it has over the MG, though the latter has USB ports and air vents for those in the rear. It also must be said you can have all the gear in the MG3, but you need to stump up another $2000 for the Essence; probably worthwhile if you can make the stretch. 

The BYD’s four colours – white, yellow, black and blue – are standard, whereas at MG yellow and white are standard, with silver, grey, black, blue and red costing an extra $500. 

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Powertrains 

Obviously, this is where our two protagonists differ most, with the BYD being pure electric and the MG3 a hybrid.  

The bigger battery of the Atto 1 Premium gives it more than 300km of range and it can charge faster, too, with a minimum 10-80 per cent charge time of 30min at its 85kW DC maximum, while at its 11kW AC maximum you’re looking at five hours from 0-100 per cent. 

It also supports V2L meaning you can power various appliances if the need arises. 

The MG3 is very heavily hybrid, its 75kW/128Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine boosted to 155kW/425Nm by an electric motor, fed by a 1.8kWh battery. The engine does require 95 RON fuel and the heavy use of electrification does make it best suited to urban duties. 

In this instance the 4.3L/100km combined fuel consumption claim is misleading as the urban claim is just 0.9L/100km, whereas this increases to 6.3L/100km on the highway as the petrol engine is going to have to work a lot harder. 

*ADR combined claim 

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Safety 

Despite their small size and price tags, neither of these two skimp on safety. The current MG3 has a five-star ANCAP rating from 2025, having scored 74 per cent for adult occupant protection, 75 per cent for child protection, 81 per cent for road user protection and 70 per cent for safety assist. 

The BYD has not yet been given an ANCAP score, though the five-star Euro NCAP rating bodes well, but local cars do without blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. Still, there’s plenty of airbags, all the basic active safety equipment and a 360-degree camera is pretty swish at this price point.

Technology 

Once again, MG keeps some goodies in hand for the top-spec Essence, such as sat-nav, app connectivity and digital radio, but the BYD has the upper hand regardless with wireless smartphone mirroring and charging and in-built sat-nav. 

The Atto 1 also has native apps such as Amazon Books, YouTube and Disney+ for entertainment on the go (or, more likely, while waiting to charge). 

Conclusion 

The MG3 is rightly popular with Australian small-car buyers thanks to the value proposition it offers. While it’s not as cheap as its predecessor, it’s a much better car and the hybrid is well-suited to urban duties. 

However, if buyers can accept the switch to full electrification, the BYD Atto 1 Premium is a very enticing proposition. Zippy performance, decent range and a stacked equipment list for less than $30,000 means Australia may well have a new micro king in due course.