How Much Does it Cost to Own a BYD Atto 3 in 2023

The 2023 BYD Atto 3 comes in two variants that are distinguished by different battery pack configurations.

• The Atto 3 Standard Range price starts at $48,011 before on-road costs.
• The Atto 3 Extended Range price starts at $51,011 before on-road costs.

👉 View the full pricing and features of both BYD Atto 3 here.

Both the BYD Atto 3 Standard Range and Extended Range are eligible for most state-based EV incentives. Estimated pricing after incentives for each variant is detailed below.

BYD Atto 3 Standard Range Price

The BYD Atto 3 Standard Range costs between $46,118 to $48,880 after applicable on-road costs and government incentives.

BYD Atto 3 Extended Range Price

The BYD Atto 3 Extended Range costs between $49,118 to $51,880 after applicable on-road costs and government incentives.

We note these are estimates only. We have checked them against the official BYD Configurator and they come within a few hundred dollars. We recommend you go to the BYD configurator for exact pricing.

Like any car (electric or not) the following items will form the majority of the BYD Atto 3's running costs.

⚡ Fuel/energy

🔧 Service and maintenance

✅ Insurance and registration

1. Fuel/energy

The fuel (electricity) costs for the BYD Atto 3 will vary depending on how much you drive and what you pay for the energy.

Below, we've outlined indicative energy rates for common electricity sources, ranging from home charging to public charging.

Comparing these rates to an equivalent petrol vehicle for the same distance covered, you'll be saving anywhere between 41 per cent to 85 per cent in 'fuel' costs.

Electric Car Home Charging Guide 🏠🔌

2. Service and maintenance

There are now two servicing options for the BYD Atto 3:

• Standard kilometres: Every 12 months/20,000km, with capped prices over eight-years/160,000km averaging $299 per visit
• Lower kilometres: Every 12 months/12,000km, with capped prices over five-years/60,000km costing a fixed $189 per visit

These costs equate to $190 to $299 per year, compared to $1567 per year for the average petrol vehicle.

Mycar is your local BYD car servicing centre. Book your car in for a service and a free charge.

3. Insurance

Electric cars are still in the early stages of adoption in Australia and as a result, obtaining car insurance may not be so straightforward.

From our investigation, several insurers currently insure the BYD Atto 3. Prices are typically what you expect for an SUV priced between $40,000 to $50,000. Expect average prices to be between $800 and $1600 per year.

Actual premiums depend on a range of factors that are beyond the scope of this guide, such as how much you use your car, personal driving history, where you park it at home and at work, and more.

A car purchase is both a financial and emotional decision. As we cannot quantify the emotional side, we've done our best here to quantify the financial considerations of owning a BYD Atto 3 in the long run.

Below we've crunched the numbers and benchmarked the BYD Atto 3 against a similar-sized small SUV – the Nissan Qashqai.

• In this example, the Atto 3 works out to be:
• $1,899 cheaper to purchase upfront due to the effect of government incentives;
• $2,383 p.a. lower running costs due to lower fuel and maintenance; and
• $8,292 cheaper to own after 5-years.

The introduction of the FBT exemption for electric cars has made 'owning' a BYD Atto 3 more affordable than ever. We work through the potential savings in the below example. James works as a Sales Representative for a New South Wales (NSW) based company.

• Drives 15,000 km per annum
• Earns $100,000 gross income per annum
• Procure a BYD Atto 3 Extended Range ($51,011 MSRP) through a novated lease and a salary packaging arrangement through his employer.

Over a four-year lease, the total costs of the novated lease are $69,277 - this does not include any tax savings. This is ~$6,800 more expensive compared to an outright purchase. The total lease payments (including running costs) equate to $236 per week.

The total cost of the novated lease after tax savings is $52,332. This makes the novated lease ~$10,000 cheaper than an outright purchase after tax savings. The tax savings arise from being able to reduce your pre-tax salary by the lease payments and running costs - resulting in James being taxed a lower amount. We explain this in more detail here.

This analysis does not take into account additional interest paid on a home loan or foregone interest on a term deposit for the outright purchase option.

If James decides to sell the BYD Atto 3 at the end of the lease, she'll pocket the difference between the sale price and the residual value ($20,163). This will further increase the case for the novated lease.

The table below the key numbers in the example discussed.

Compared to the Nissan Qashqai Ti, both the upfront and running costs of the Atto 3 are lower. After five years of ownership, you could save more than $8,000.

This analysis does not factor in the impact of depreciation, which is likely to favour the BYD Atto 3 in the short-term, based on re-sale values we are seeing for electric cars vs petrol.

Furthermore, there is a strong case for procuring a BYD Atto 3 via a novated lease due to the potential tax savings. In the example detailed above, over $10,000 of additional savings are possible compared to an outright purchase.

As per the above comparisons, purchasing a BYD Atto 3 may be considered a sound 'financial' decision due to the potential savings.