Here’s why the Chinese and brands such as BYD should be taken seriously.
The recently launched BYD Atto 1 has a achieved a maximum five-star safety rating in crash tests.
What’s even more impressive, is that the Atto 1 is Australia’s smallest and cheapest fully electric, battery-powered vehicle.
Priced from just $23,990, the Atto 1 comes in two grades and the five-star crash rating applies to both.
Named World Urban Car of the Year at the 2025 World Car Awards and one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025, the Atto 1 is known as the Seagull in China and Dolphin Surf in Europe.
It has already attracted more than 1 million sales worldwide.
Two Atto 1 variants are offered, Essential and Premium, priced from $23,990 and $27,990 respectively plus on-road costs.
Essential with 65kW and 175Nm has a 30 kWh battery and delivers 220km of range.
Premium puts out 115kW of power and 220Nm, and with a larger 43.2 kWh battery is good for 310km.
Both figures were achieved under the stricter WLTP testing regime.
DC fast charging from 10-80 per cent takes 30 minutes, enabling quick and convenient top-ups at home or on the go, making the Atto 1 well-suited to city lifestyles.
Both variants feature a 10.1-inch touchscreen, wireless smartphone integration, synthetic leather seats, and generous boot space, along with six airbags, a 360 degree camera, and BYD’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS).
Atto 1 features Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Departure Assist (LDA), Emergency Lane Keeping Assist (ELKA), Intelligent Speed Limit Control (ISLC), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), and a direct driver-monitoring system — a level of safety equipment usually found in larger, more expensive.
In addition to clinching maximum points for side-impact and oblique pole testing, and whiplash protection, the ATTO 1 also delivered strong Autonomous Emergency Braking performance across car-to-car, pedestrian, cyclist, motorcycle, and junction scenarios, reinforcing the effectiveness of its advanced driver-assistance systems.
The model achieved impressive results across every major assessment category, including:
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82 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection
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86 per cent for Child Occupant Protection
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76 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection
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79 per cent for Safety Assist.
BYD boss Stephen Collins said safety is fundamental to BYD’s mission.
“This rating further cements our commitment to delivering world-class vehicles that combine leading technology, exceptional value, and uncompromising protection for drivers, passengers, and all road users,” he said.
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