The electric vehicle market in Australia is heating up, with BYD launching a new "Essential" version of its Dolphin EV at a significantly reduced price of $29,990 plus on-road costs. It is now officially Australia's cheapest electric car. The BYD Dolphin range is now priced as follows:
| Trim | Price (plus ORC) |
| Essential | $29,990 |
| Dynamic | $36,890 |
| Premium | $42,890 |
The price reduction comes amid increased competition from brands like MG and GWM, who have been aggressively pricing their base EV models the MG4 and GWM Ora respectively. MG temporarily slashed the base price of MG4 51 Excite to just $30,990 drive-away. Currently the MG4 51 Excite is being offered for $34,990 drive-away and the base GWM Ora for $33,990 drive-away.
The Dolphin Essential retains the same 44.9kWh battery and 340km range as the standard model but omits features such as heated seats, a sunroof, and premium tires to achieve the lower price point. Similarly, the BYD Atto 3 now offers an "Essential" trim starting at $39,990, sacrificing features like a powered tailgate and a larger touchscreen.
By comprison, the Dolphin electric hatch matches the price of traditional petrol-engined small cars, including the base-spec Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport ($29,270), Mazda 3 ($31,190), and Hyundai i30 Hatch ($29,000).
Following strong growth in 2024, the Australian electric vehicle market is poised for even stronger growth with the imminent arrival of new models from Hyundai, XPeng, Leapmotor, and other international brands.
Orders for the BYD Dolphin Essential open Monday.
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BYD Dolphin Essential Key Features
The Dolphin Essential loses the following key features comapred to the Dynamic trim:
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
- Panoramic glass roof
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Wireless phone charger
- Heated front seats
- Rear privacy glass
- BYD Digital Key
- BYD Bluetooth Key
Dolphin Essential standard features include:
| Exterior | 16-inch alloy wheels |
| Full LED head- and tail lights | |
| Interior | Two-tone synthetic leather seats |
| Six-way electrically adjustable driver seat | |
| Four-way electrically adjustable front passenger seat | |
| Height adjustable rear seats | |
| Single-zone climate control with PM2.5 air filter | |
| LED interior lights | |
| Ambient lighting | |
| Technology | 12.8-inch rotating touchscreen with OTA software update capability |
| Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto | |
| Built-in maps, BYD voice assistant, FM/DAB radio | |
| 5-inch driver instrument display | |
| Six speakers | |
| Keyless entry and start | |
| NFC card key | |
| Heat pump | |
| Exterior V2L adapter | |
| Safety assist | Front auto emergency braking (AEB) with car/pedestrian/cyclist/intersection detection |
| Front cross-traffic assist | |
| Rear collision warning with rear cross-traffic AEB | |
| Blind-spot monitoring | |
| Rear cross-traffic alert | |
| Lane keep assist | |
| Adaptive cruise control | |
| 360-degree camera system | |
| Front and rear parking sensors | |
| Door open warning | |
| Traffic sign recognition |
About the author
Danny Thai
Danny is a consultant and entrepreneur working at the cutting edge of the electric vehicle and energy transition. He is passionate about educating and helping consumers make better decisions through data. He is the founder of zecar and is currently the EV Innovation Manager at Endeavour Energy.
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