We must do better! BYD details huge expansion of customer service and support in Australia as boss admits “we’ve got work to do”
The rapidly growing Australian BYD customer base should be getting better after-sales service, the booming Chinese PHEV and EV brand has admitted.
But it’s vowing to lift its game with expanded dealer, service and parts support.
Long wait times on service and parts is an acknowledged problem among the expanding Chinese brands in Australia and BYD, with 85,000 vehicles now on the road, is under pressure to do better.
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“We’re really aware that we’ve got work to do in this area and we really are determined to make sure that we get this right,” BYD Australia chief operating officer Stephen Collins said.
“We’ve had and still have room for improvement in the back end for service and parts. It’s a massive priority. We’re resourcing for it
“We’re trying to improve our systems. It’s not an overnight fix, but it’s a huge, huge emphasis for us.
“I see customer complaints … and I think there’s no doubt some of the feedback from our dealers. I think I’ve acknowledged from day one that we need to do better in that area.”
BYD now faces a key test having been on-sale since 2022 in Australia. That means early adopter are now thinking about rolling over into new models.
Their service and dealer experience could decide if many of them continue with BYD. It also plays a role in whether they stay within the network for servicing.
“We want people to come back, not once or twice,” Collins said. “We want them to come back for the whole life of the car.
“I know what that looks like, and we need to improve.”
Collins, an auto industry veteran with long stints at Honda and Nissan, joined BYD seven months ago just before the factory took back local distribution from independent importer EVDirect.
Initially intended to be an online operation, EVDirect soon recruited Mycar to handle servicing and the Eagers group as a dealer partner.
The Mycar deal has recently been terminated and BYD is looking beyond the Eagers/EVDirect joint-venture – now known as the EVDealer Group – to expand its dealer numbers.
It’s no wonder its doing so as its sales grew 156.2 per cent to 52,415 in 2025, locking it into eighth in overall sales results.
That was driven by strong performances from the Shark 6 PHEV ute, Sealion 7 mid-size electric SUV and the Sealion 6 PHEV SUV.
Collins admitted the changeover of distribution had created problems because Eagers previously looked after parts supply.
“We’ve had some parts issues,” he said. “There has been a bit of difficulty in getting systems to talk to each other.”
Important initiatives Collins has announced recently include expanding the dealer network from 100 today to 150 by mid-2026.
Many of these new dealers will be in regional and provincial areas.
All dealers are intended to be full parts and service suppliers.
“We’re really working hard to reduce wait times for service,” Collins said. “We’re really working hard on parts. So, we have a 95 per cent fill rate on our parts.
“What that means is that 95 per cent of the time when a dealer needs a part, it’s sitting in our shed in Melbourne or in Brisbane, which is pretty much industry standard.
“We’ve just invested in a Melbourne warehouse, 20,000 square metres, and we’ll be investing in parts warehouses in other states over the coming months.
“We’ve got a call centre in Sydney, we’ve got a call centre in Melbourne, they’re all local. So, I think it just rightly illustrates our commitment to improving that customer experience.”
- What’s your experience of service and spares availability been with BYD? Let us know in the comments below. And what about other new brands like Geely and Chery? We’d love to hear about your experiences.
