BYD electric cars

The world's biggest EV maker, bringing value-priced electric cars and DM-i plug-in hybrids to Australia at pace.

BYD was founded in 1995 by Wang Chuanfu as a rechargeable-battery manufacturer and entered the car business in 2003. Leveraging its battery expertise it grew into China's best-selling car brand and, in 2025, overtook Tesla as the world's largest electric-vehicle maker. Its proprietary Blade lithium-iron-phosphate battery and DM-i plug-in hybrid system underpin its global range.

BYD sells both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid (DM-i) models, positioning on value and a fast product cadence. It entered Australia in November 2022 with the Atto 3 and has since rolled out a broad line-up spanning hatches, sedans, SUVs and a plug-in hybrid ute. In mid-2025 BYD took direct control of its Australian distribution (previously handled by EVDirect), building out its own importer and dealer structure to support rapid volume growth.

value-driven mainstream EV/PHEV

Battery-electric: Atto 3 plus the newer compact Atto 1/Atto 2, Dolphin hatch, Seal sedan and Sealion 7 SUV. Plug-in hybrids (DM-i): Sealion 6 SUV, Sealion 5, and the Shark 6 dual-cab ute — the Shark 6 has become one of Australia's best-selling plug-in hybrids.