BYD Atto 1 vs Geely EX2: Australia's Cheapest EV Compared
The Atto 1 is Australia's cheapest EV at $23,990 plus on-roads; the Geely EX2 starts at $26,490. The single line that decides it for most buyers: the EX2 seats five, the Atto 1 seats four. If you never carry a fifth person, the Atto 1's price and range-per-dollar are hard to argue with.
These are the two cheapest new EVs in the country, launched within months of each other, chasing the same buyer. Atto 1 figures below are verified against its official owner's handbook wherever the handbook speaks; Geely figures are from Australian launch reporting of July 2026, because no Geely manual was available to us for cross-checking, and we say so plainly.
At a glance
| Measurement | BYD Atto 1 | Geely EX2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price (plus on-roads) | $23,990 Essential / $27,990 Premium | $26,490 Complete / $30,990 Inspire |
| Seats | 4 (per handbook) | 5 |
| Drive | Front-wheel drive (per handbook) | Rear-wheel drive |
| WLTP range | 220 km / 310 km | 252 km / 345 km |
| Peak power | 65 kW / 115 kW (per handbook) | 60 kW / 80 kW |
| Length x width | 3,990 x 1,720 mm (per handbook) | 4,135 x 1,805 mm |
| Vehicle warranty | 6 yr / 150,000 km | 7 yr / unlimited km |
Price and running costs
The Atto 1 undercuts the EX2 at both ends: $23,990 versus $26,490 at entry, $27,990 versus $30,990 at the top, all before on-road costs per January and July 2026 launch pricing respectively. A $2,500 to $3,000 gap matters enormously at this end of the market.
Geely is fighting back with a launch offer running to 31 August 2026: a complimentary 7 kW home charger and premium paint for eligible orders, which genuinely narrows the real-world gap since a wallbox is money most EV newcomers spend anyway. Time-limited, so verify before relying on it.
On energy, both are efficient city cars; the Atto 1's handbook lists consumption of no more than 15.6 kWh/100 km on the WLTC cycle. What electricity actually costs you depends far more on when and where you charge than on which of these two you pick; our breakdown of what charging a BYD really costs shows the maths that applies to both.
Range and charging
Spec for spec, Geely holds a modest range edge: 252 km against 220 km at entry, 345 km against 310 km at the top, all WLTP per each maker's Australian figures. Neither is a road-trip car; all four variants are honest city runabouts.
Charging is closer than the brochures suggest. Both top variants fast-charge in the 80 to 85 kW DC class, and BYD claims a 10 to 80% DC top-up in about 30 minutes. The Atto 1's quiet advantage is 11 kW AC on both variants, which is quick overnight charging on three-phase power; the EX2's AC rate is reported at 6.6 kW. If your charging happens at home on a wallbox, that difference matters more than peak DC numbers you will rarely use.
Size and practicality
Here the EX2 earns its premium. Per the Atto 1 handbook, the BYD is 3,990 mm long, 1,720 mm wide on a 2,500 mm wheelbase, and seats four. The EX2 is reported at 4,135 mm by 1,805 mm, seats five, and adds a 375-litre boot plus a 70-litre front trunk.
That fifth seat is the decider we led with. A four-seat car is a deliberate choice that suits couples, retirees and second-car households perfectly, and rules out anyone who does school runs with three kids even occasionally. No spec sheet argument beats counting the people you actually carry.
Warranty and servicing
On paper, Geely wins the warranty line: 7 years unlimited kilometres versus BYD's 6 years / 150,000 km, with both offering 8-year battery cover (Geely's unlimited-km, BYD's to 160,000 km). For a high-kilometre driver the unlimited distance is a real difference; for a typical city car doing 12,000 km a year, both expire on time, not odometer.
Two balancing points. Early EX2 coverage in June 2026 predicted a shorter warranty before the official 7-year terms were confirmed at launch, a reminder to check current official terms rather than previews. And a warranty is only as convenient as the network honouring it: BYD's Australian service footprint has scaled with its sales boom, while Geely's is newer and smaller. Our guide to what BYD servicing costs in Australia covers the BYD side, including the 12-month / 20,000 km intervals.
Who should buy which
- Buy the Atto 1 Essential if lowest price is the mission and your driving is genuinely urban. Nothing on the Australian market gets you into a new EV for less.
- Buy the Atto 1 Premium if you want the strongest motor of the four variants (115 kW per the handbook), 310 km of range and 11 kW home charging, while staying under the EX2 Inspire's price.
- Buy the EX2 Complete if you need five seats on the smallest possible budget.
- Buy the EX2 Inspire if range is your anxiety: its 345 km is the longest-legged of the four, and the launch-window free charger sweetens it.
Still deciding whether a small BYD is the right size family at all? Our Atto 2 versus Atto 3 comparison covers the next steps up the range, and our BYD accessory collections cover the models we currently stock for.