Stunning BYD EV price cut

BYD ATTO 1

 From The Driven

BYD has cut the price of its cheapest electric car to just $19,990 driveaway [US$14,190, but the Australian price includes a 10% GST (sales tax), taking the price down to an effective US$12,775], pushing the cost of a new EV in Australia below the $20,000 mark for the first time.

The special offer applies to the entry-level BYD Atto 1 Essential and is available nationwide, according to BYD Australia.

The Atto 1 was already comfortably Australia’s cheapest new electric car, launching at $23,990 before on-road costs late last year. The new offer cuts $4,000 from that headline price while also including on-road costs.

It puts the compact electric hatchback into a price bracket occupied by some of Australia’s cheapest new petrol cars, and represents another significant step down in the cost of entry to a new battery-electric vehicle.

Electric cars have already taken a huge chunk out of the Australian car market this year, posting a record 24.9 per cent share in August, and outselling petrol cars, and diesel, for the first time.

The Atto 1 Essential uses a 30 kWh BYD Blade Battery and offers up to 220 km of WLTP range. Its front-mounted electric motor produces 65 kW and the car can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 11.1 seconds.

It also comes standard with 11 kW AC charging and DC fast charging at up to 65 kW, along with a 10.1-inch infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability and six airbags.

BYD Australia chief operating officer Stephen Collins said the price cut was aimed at making electric vehicles accessible to more Australian households as cost-of-living pressures continue.

“At a time when Australian families are carefully considering every household expense, we’re committed to making vehicle ownership more attainable,” Collins said.

“The BYD ATTO 1 at $19,990 driveaway demonstrates our commitment to delivering outstanding value without compromising on technology, safety or quality.”

The deal further intensifies competition at the affordable end of Australia’s rapidly expanding EV market. When the Atto 1 arrived, its $23,990 starting price opened a sizeable gap to other new EVs and made it cheaper than many popular entry-level petrol cars.

Competition has since increased, including the arrival of the Geely EX2, which starts from $26,490 before on-road costs and offers 252 km of WLTP range in entry-level Complete form.

The Atto 1 is also offered in a more powerful Premium variant, which uses a larger 43 kWh battery for up to 310 km of WLTP range and a 115 kW motor.

BYD has been rapidly expanding both its model range and physical presence in Australia. The company says it has introduced eight new models or major variants since October last year, with that number expected to reach 10 by this October.

Upcoming additions include a plug-in hybrid version of the Atto 2 small SUV and the M9, BYD’s first premium people mover for the Australian market.

BYD says it has also been opening an average of one new sales and service centre a week over the past 12 months, and expects to have more than 150 dealerships across Australia by the end of 2026.

BYD has not indicated in its announcement how long the $19,990 driveaway Atto 1 Essential offer will remain available.

This is extraordinary.  To date, the cheapest new car in Australia has been the petrol-driven MG MG3, at $19,990.  And that isn't the drive-away price — you still have to add $1000 to $2000 to that.   The electricity to fill the battery would cost you $9 (30 cents/kWh) on a typical daytime home charge rate, or, at midday, thanks to a new government program, or if you have solar panels, it would be free.  Fast chargers typically cost 65 cents/kWh, so to recharge from empty to full using a fast charger, would cost you $19.50.  However, most people charge at home, and many use off-peak charging at 20 cents/kWh, if they're not using their own solar panels or the low or zero rate over midday.

The equivalent range in the MG3 would cost roughly $30 of petrol. (That is with current prices; without the Iran war it would be cheaper.)

Problem:  the range is short.  If you wanted to drive from, say, Melbourne to Sydney, you would have to stop 3 times to recharge.  With the petrol MG, you might not have to refuel at all, since the MG3's range is 750 km.  In practice, though, one only makes long journeys occasionally.  The average daily commute is 16 km, and 73% commute 20 km or less.  

To sum up: you can now buy an EV which is cheaper up front than the cheapest equivalent petrol car, and will cost you much less to run.  

Outside the US and Europe, Chinese-made EVs are going to grab market share from ICEVs, not because people care about climate change, or because of pollution, but because EVs are cheaper.  And the switch to EVs, here in Australia, and globally, has accelerated because of Trump's Iran war.  What a glorious irony.

Europe's EV sales boom

Europeans are responding to soaring petrol/diesel prices by buying EVs and hybrids.   That choking noise you hear is the death rattle of ICEVs.  

From Inside EVs

Europeans’ appetite for electric cars is not slowing down. Last month, EV sales in the region went up by 51% compared to the same month last year, leading to a crisp 25% market share for this type of powertrain, according to Dataforce, which crunched the numbers from 98% of all new car registrations in the European Union, United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

In the first seven months of 2026, EV sales grew 37% compared to the same period last year, helping the entire industry keep its numbers in the green. By comparison, the entire European car market went up by 4.1% last month and 5.7% from January through July.

The growth of EV sales outpaced plug-in hybrids and traditional hybrids, too, with PHEV sales rising by 15% in July, while full-hybrid sales were up 9%. Rising fuel prices and an ever-expanding lineup of electric cars are more than likely the main drivers behind the sustained growth of EV registrations in Europe.

France and Germany, two of the biggest car markets in Europe, are leading the EV boom, with more and more battery-powered vehicles hitting the roads every month. In July, France hit a 35% EV share, with over 44,000 registrations. Meanwhile, full-electric cars reached a 29.3% share last month, with nearly 79,000 registrations.

In total, 277,006 EVs were registered in Europe last month, and none of Tesla’s models are at the top of the list. The Škoda Elroq was the best-selling EV in the region, followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Renault 5 E-Tech. However, the Tesla Model Y is still the best-selling EV in Europe after the first seven months of the year, with 115,759 registrations, an increase of 55%. Škoda’s Elroq is second, with 67,679 units, followed by the Tesla Model 3 with 57,086 cars sold.

The Škoda Elroq

EVs best-selling drive train in UK

 

From Inside EVs

While tariffs and the destruction of plug-in vehicle subsidies have gutted the market for electric vehicles in the U.S., elsewhere in the world the numbers continue to surge. 

In the UK in August, sales of battery-electric cars surged 30% year over year, according to data from New Automotive, a research firm. As a result, EV market share hit 30% of new car sales, beating gas [petrol] vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and diesel models. Notably, non-hybrid combustion models only made up 27% of the UK market, so even if they’re not buying a full EV, buyers are opting for something that is electrified in some fashion.

UK EV sales have been on the upswing this year. Data from New Automotive, shows that in July, the country's EV registrations jumped 50% compared to the year before, bringing their market share to 27%.

It’s a no-brainer as to why the UK is EV crazy. For starters, there’s a zero-emission vehicle mandate that aims to phase out combustion engines entirely by 2035. This goal is tiered, with EVs to account for 33% of new car sales in 2026, 80% in 2030, and 100% by 2035. Manufacturers that sell enough EVs to hit the ZEV target get credits, while those who don’t meet it must pay penalties. This incentivizes automakers to develop and sell EV models. The UK also has direct subsidies for buyers of EVs.

The UK also has a lot of Clean Air Zones that disincentivize cars that pollute too much, making drivers who wish to drive into certain areas pay a fee. Cars that are clean-air compliant, such as an EV, don’t need to pay any clean-air fees.

Those incentives seem to be working. Rising fuel prices due to the Iran war have been boosting EV sales across Europe too. 

So cars with an electric engine now make up three-quarters of UK new car sales.  The S-curve is flexing up.  Can anyone doubt that by 2030, almost all cars sold will have an electric motor, and more than half will be pure EVs?

Driving electric 4 times cheaper

 From Chris Meder (EVCurve Futurist)

Driving electric is up to 4× cheaper than petrol. 100 km costs: ⛽Petrol: $22–$33 ⚡EV (home, 6pm): $5.90 ☀️EV (midday solar): $1.20 Same distance. Massive difference. Plus no servicing or oil changes. Around $4k saved every year —a family holiday instead of fuel bills.⚡ #Bettrification #EVs #Save

In the US, these calculations would differ, because petrol isn't taxed there as heavily as it is in Australia.  However, electricity is also cheaper there in most states.

Plug-ins now one quarter of new car sales

 From CleanTechnica

Plugin vehicle registrations were up 9% year over year (YoY) in April, ending the month at around 1.6 million units. Interestingly, BEVs (+19% YoY) and PHEVs (-9% YoY) behaved very differently, with pure electrics back to double-digit growth while plugin hybrids remained in the red. This is the first time since 2019 that PHEVs remained in the red for four consecutive months.

This meant that, while the plugin YTD numbers are barely positive (+1% YoY), that is solely due to the PHEV blues (-10% YoY), because BEVs are already on the way back to normal (+7%).

And the different dynamics between pure electrics and plugin hybrids are reflected in the BEV vs. PHEV share of plugin sales — in April, BEVs represented 72% of all plugin sales, or about 1.15 million units, one of the best results of the past few years. That led the YTD breakdown to be 70% vs. 30% in favour of pure electrics, which is touching the ceiling of BEV share of the past 12 years. Since 2014, BEVs have floated between 70% and 50% of the total plugin share.

With numbers out of the red zone, it is undeniable that globally, this year started slow. But there is one easy explanation for this — incentives. Or the end of them.

The end of US incentives last October, added to the partial removal of incentives in China at the end of 2025, had an expected impact, as these are the 3rd and 1st largest EV markets, respectively.

Actually, if we remove China and the USA from the tally, EVs jumped 50% YoY globally in April, with BEVs surging +63% YoY, their highest growth rate since June 2023.

Funny enough, PHEVs are also underperforming in this metric, as the 23% PHEV growth rate in April, excluding China and the USA, is the lowest for the technology in over a year. It is starting to look like PHEVs’ current slowdown is more structural than expected….

Just because certain media-friendly markets are down, that doesn’t mean that all markets are down.

Here are a few examples of fast growing markets:

• BEVs jumped 157% in Australia, to 16% share;
• In Italy, BEVs surged +99% YoY, bringing their share to 9%;
• In Argentina, BEVs experienced exponential growth, going from less than 100 units in April 2025 to over 1.300 units last month;
• As for Ireland, BEVs doubled their sales to 3,000 units, or 27% share;
• In South Korea, BEVs surged 160% YoY, to 36,000 units, or 24% share;
• In Vietnam, BEVs tripled to 26,000 units, or 43% share;
• As for Japan, BEVs more than doubled their sales YoY, to 7,000 units, or 2% share;
• In Indonesia, EV sales were up 93% to 15,000 units, or 18% share;
• Finally, in Malaysia, BEVs jumped 104% YoY to 6,000 units, or 8% share;

So, Keep Calm and Carry On — the EV revolution is in good health, and with what is happening in the Middle East, ICE vehicle sales are going to melt even faster.

The charts below use CleanTechnica's data, but my seasonal adjustment and trend-fitting.

The slowdown in global sales can be clearly seen, as well as the recent pick-up as the Iran War drives people to buy EVs and PHEVs.  

 

Electrifying: EV sales in Australia

From The Driven

Australia’s latest VFACTS and EVC data confirms what we’ve been charting all year: EV sales are multiplying, ICE is slowly losing control of the market, and the power EV dealers are supplying is genuinely electrifying.

China now dominates as the source of those vehicles, while grease and petrol and diesel look so “last century” with every monthly update.

As Tim Minchin might put it, the sun is finally coming out on Australia’s electric age – and this time it’s science, not faith, doing the work.

The May 2026 figures show another big jump for battery electrics.

Tesla’s Model Y has topped the national sales charts, while BYD remains the leading EV brand on year-to-date volumes, and Zeekr has emerged as the fastest-growing new player.

EV sales overall are up more than 110 per cent year-on-year, a doubling that reflects both rising demand and a rapidly widening model mix. Every month, more Australians discover that the supposed compromises of EVs were mostly theatre; the weekend, it turns out, was never really at risk.

Country-of-origin data reinforces the point.

China is now firmly the number-one source of new vehicles in Australia, well ahead of Japan and pulling further away.

A growing share of EVs on Australian roads – and a fair number of hybrids and even some ICE models – are built in Chinese factories, whether they carry BYD, Zeekr, MG, GWM, Volvo or Tesla badges.

For a country that doesn’t build cars, we are being swept along an S-curve largely designed in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Since the post‑COVID bounce in 2021, petrol and diesel volumes have been sliding on a clear downward trend, punctuated by the familiar EOFY “dead cat” jumps seeking moonlight.

Even those June bounces in 2023 and 2025 only delivered lower plateaus afterwards, as buyers shifted into hybrids, plug‑ins and BEVs. BEV sales are now close to overtaking the combined hybrid sales including PHEVs, as they first tried to do in 2022.

The old oil era is fading into the twilight, even as the solar‑powered sun finally rises over the showroom, tomorrow.

The long-run picture is no summer fling; combustion is in a decidedly not slow fade-out to the horizon.

By contrast, the electrified side of the ledger is all upward motion. Hybrids first inched into the mainstream, then PHEVs began to appear in meaningful numbers, and BEVs have recently shot to one in five sales in market share.

In the last few months, the BEV line on our charts has started to look like those classic S-curve graphs from EV-heavy Europe and China – and Singapore and Indonesia. This is what the steep part of the transition feels like: one record month after another, as more households and fleets decide they’ve had enough of fuel-price roulette.

Policy and geopolitics are both amplifying the trend.

The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard is only in its early stages, but it is already nudging manufacturers to push low- and zero-emission models harder and to clear older, higher-emission stock.

At the same time, the world’s fourth oil crisis has reminded Australians how fragile the “cheap fuel forever” story really is. Each time global tensions flare and servo price boards jump, a few more drivers decide they’re ready to unplug from oil altogether.

That’s why this moment matters.

For decades, petrol and diesel were the unquestioned kings of Australia’s car market. Now, almost quietly, they are becoming the legacy option. ICE-only is still more than half of new sales, but that share is shrinking, and the trend has momentum.

The old soundtrack of the market is fading under the hum and whirr of motors powered from the grid and, increasingly, from rooftop solar.

So yes, Grease is so last century – at least for Australia’s car fleet.

EVs are no longer a sideshow; they’re the main act, stepping into the spotlight as the headliners from the age of oil shuffle offstage.

For all the noise and scare campaigns, the data say, the future turns up slowly, then all at once, like the sun coming out after a long, cloudy morning.

And from what the latest VFACTS data shows, this is one number that’s only going to keep building, key change after key change, as electrified vehicles take over the chorus line.

The chart below shows monthly EV sales, unadjusted for seasonality (blue line), adjusted for seasonality (red line) and smoothed (my seasonal adjustment and smoothing).  Note logarithmic scale. 

 Sales have doubled over the last year; given that EVs now have the same sticker price as petrol/diesel cars, and are much cheaper to run, rapid growth is likely to continue.  As The Driven's article points out--we are in the steeply rising part of the S-curve.  See the lower chart, which is plotted on a linear scale.

UK EVs now cheaper than petrol cars

 From The Guardian

The price of new battery electric cars has fallen below petrol cars in the UK for the first time, according to the car sales website Autotrader, in a significant milestone in Britain’s transition away from fossil fuels.

The average price of a new electric car listed on the website was £42,620, compared with £43,405 for a new petrol model – making the former £785 cheaper based on advertised prices after discounts.

The higher upfront cost of electric vehicles has long been one of the big sticking points preventing some drivers from switching away from cars with polluting petrol and diesel engines towards those with battery motors, which do not emit carbon dioxide directly. Total running costs for electric cars have been lower for some time.

UK battery electric car sales accounted for 22% of new car sales in the first three months of the year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, a lobby group.

Prices in the UK have been pushed down by the electric car grant brought in last summer, offering up to £3,750 off some models. Carmakers have also been under intense pressure to drop prices to meet electric car targets, known as the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, and from an influx of Chinese competitors that have been able to undercut traditional brands.

Autotrader is the UK’s biggest automotive marketplace, although it does not cover all transactions across the country. The data suggests that the UK has reached a pivotal moment for decarbonising its road transport, as a cheaper upfront cost and significantly lower running costs combine to make electric cars increasingly attractive to buyers.

Bex Kennett, the head of new car at Autotrader, said: " ...carmakers had been forced into historically high levels of discounting earlier this year” as they tried to increase electric sales. However, their efforts appear to have been aided by the war in Iran, which has caused a rise in petrol and diesel prices. Car sales platforms across Europe have reported large increases in inquiries for electric cars from consumers keen to cut their energy costs.

Gurjeet Grewal, the chief executive of Octopus Electric Vehicles, the car division of the energy company, said the term milestone “gets thrown around a lot, but this really is one. For the first time, EVs are cheaper than petrol cars on upfront cost – removing one of the biggest barriers to switching.

“They’ve long been cheaper to run, and now they’re cheaper to buy, too. Add in growing competition and more choice, and it’s clear the direction of travel: electric is the obvious option for drivers.”

However, the transition to electric cars in the UK still faces some barriers. Households across the country who do not have driveways are reliant on the public charging network, which remains patchy in some areas.

Given the strategic risks revealed by the Iranian war, the government should regard the EV subsidies as money well spent. 

In Australia, the BYD ATTO 1, shown below, is comparable in size and performance to the petrol Suzuki Swift, and is roughly the same price (AUD $24,000, which includes a 10% sales tax), without subsidies.  An A$3,000 subsidy for EVs costing less than $30,000 would sharply accelerate EV sales in Australia, as it is in the UK.

The BYD ATTO 1, Australia's cheapest EV.

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