$40K BYD e6 EV coming soon, but there’s a catch…

October 21, 2021October 29, 2021 Stephen Corby 8703 Views BYD

Chinese brand BYD has just launched the cheapest electric car ever seen in the Australian market – the e6 small wagon, priced from $39,999 plus on-road costs. But there is a rather large catch: there won’t be many of them.

The arrival of a $40K EV in Australia finally begins to deliver on the many promises we’ve heard about electric cars finally reaching price parity with internal-combustion engined vehicles.

As demand surges for EVs – Hyundai recently claimed that sales for electric cars have soared by 190 percent year on year in Australia and the first batch of Ioniq 5 EVs sold out within hours – it looks like it will be Chinese brands such as BYD and MG that will provide the incentives at the affordable end of the market.

Strictly speaking, BYD already offers a cheaper electric vehicle, the T3 small van, at $36,005 plus on-roads, but that’s a van, not a passenger car. Plus there was only 15 of them, which BYD importer Nexport says have already sold.

The station wagon may seem like a bit of a throwback in the Australian market, where they have fallen spectacularly out of fashion with the rise of the SUV, and the only real competitors at the e6’s size would be Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 308 wagons.

Here at EV Central, however, we love a wagon, with their lower centre of gravity providing better driver involvement and handling.

You’ll have to be quicker than a Hyundai Ioniq 5 buyer to get one of these super-cheap BYDs, however, with just 15 – yes, 15 – examples on sale.

Clearly BYD is trying to create some excitement, and some headlines, about the price of its cars ahead of its full launch locally next year.

Keen observers will notice it’s not the first time the BYD e6 has been on Australian roads. A fleet of e6 taxis is still in Sydney, some parked, others still on the road.

However, the car being sold for $39,999 plus on-roads – which equates to between $40,968.10 and $43,268.09 drive-away, before any EV rebates or tax breaks – is the newer model with fresher styling.

The genuinely attractive and slightly Subaru-like BYD e6 is powered by a single front-mounted electric motor that makes 70kW and 180Nm.

It claims a top speed of 130km/h and a WLTP-certigfied 415km of range of a charge of its 71.7kWh Blade battery.

Using a 60kW DC fast charger, BYD claims it can be fully charged in just 90 minutes.

In terms of safety you get speed-limit recognition, hill-start assist, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors as well as four airbags, ESC and traction control.

The cabin features a 10.1-inch touchscreen and a four-speaker sound-system and leather upholstery, while the wagon’s boot offers a useful 580 litres of storage area.

There’s plenty more promised from BYD, although the goalposts appear to shift occasionally. Through its Australian distributor Nexport it plans to launch six new models in Australia by the end of 2023 including hatchbacks, SUVs and a sports sedan. Longer term a BYD ute is on the wishlist.

Stephen Corby

Stephen is a former editor of both Wheels and Top Gear Australia magazines and has been writing about cars since Henry Ford was a boy. Initially an EV sceptic, he has performed a 180-degree handbrake turn and is now a keen advocate for electrification and may even buy a Porsche Taycan one day, if he wins the lottery. Twice.