EV price war hots up in sub-$40,000 market as BYD cuts price of Dolphin

BYD has once again cut prices on its electric vehicle range in Australia, this time on its already lowest cost EV in the country, the Dolphin hatchback.

A day after revealing a price cut on the updated Atto 3 electric SUV, and a week after even bigger price cuts on the BYD Seal electric sedan, BYD has quietly cut the asking price of the Dolphin Dynamic and Premium variants , which now start at $36,890 and $42,890 before on-road costs respectively.

This represents a saving of $2,000 for each variant, and continues the price war in the local EV market, which has been particularly fierce at the sub-$40,000 sector with BYD, MG, GWM and even Nissan all slashing prices.

The price cut for the Dolphin however is not enough to give it the title of the lowest cost EV on the market. That title is still held by the GWM Ora, which starts at $35,990 drive-away.

(See our Models page for all the asking prices for all EV models available in Australia).

The MG4, the best-selling electric hatchback in the Australian market, starts at $39,990 drive-away. Over the last 12 months, BYD has sold just shy of 2,000 Dolphins and this price cut is likely to help accelerate the sales of this well-equipped hatchback. 

(See our full breakdown of all EVs sales in 2024 here).

State subsidies can also be added, with eligible Queensland buyers potentially shaving more off the new advertised price of many hatchbacks, including the Dolphin.

The Dynamic variant is powered by a 70 kW motor which is paired with a 44.9 kWh battery pack. On the charging front, 7 kW of AC charging and 60 kW of peak DC charging is on offer.

This pack can deliver up to 340 km of WLTP range and is popular option for anyone looking at getting from A to B and for inner-city driving. 

The more expensive Premium variants bump that power up by having a 150 kW motor which is paired with a larger 60.48 kWh battery pack offering a range of up to 427 km of WLTP range. With this battery, DC charging speeds have been bumped up to 80 kW of DC charging.

The powertrain on the Premium variant is similar to that found on the Atto 3 electric SUV which also received a price cut last week with the launch of the 2024 model. The Atto 3 saw around $3,500 cut off the two variants offered in Australia.

State subsidies can also be added, with eligible Queensland buyers potentially shaving more off the new advertised price of many hatchbacks, including the Dolphin.

The Dolphin is also one of the few BYD vehicles that have successfully been able to charge at Tesla’s V3 superchargers since they opened to non-Tesla EVs in September 2023.

This allows many drivers to travel further given the reliability and availability of Tesla’s extensive charging network across the country.

With competition in the EV market only heating up in the coming months with the launch of multiple new brands and price cuts being announced on a weekly basis in recent times, now is a better time than ever to consider an EV and avoid future petrol station trips.