Best Value Electric Vehicles

11 August, 2026

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After falling agonisingly short of winning the small-car segment, the BYD Atto 1 is a resounding victor here.

As Australia’s cheapest EV, the Atto 1 underscores its value credentials with the lowest depreciation cost in the category, competitive insurance premiums and low servicing costs.

Runner-up was the MG4 Urban, which costs $5000 more to buy than the Atto 1 but still offers strong resale and low servicing bills.

It’s the third-placed GWM Ora 5 that is the servicing champion, though, thanks to a five-year bill of just $685.

A clear trend in the EV segment is that they’re substantially cheaper to service than a petrol or hybrid equivalent. That’s due to lower costs rather than longer servicing intervals, with nearly all 16 EVs we crunched numbers on still requiring an annual service.

Only one contender in our data can stretch to 24 months between services, and that’s the Hyundai Inster.

Electricity bills were consistent across the entire EV segment, meaning the biggest differentiators were depreciation, insurance premiums and tyres. An Atto 1 costs $13,915 in depreciations over five years, for example, while a Leapmotor C10 will sting you $29,409.

Insurance premiums vary by as much as $6533 between the BYD Atto 3 and the less cover-friendly GAC Aion UT. Replacing tyres on the GAC is also costly, with EV tyres generally being more expensive.

Winners and finalists

Best Value Cars 2026

BYD Atto 1 Essential

Category: EV

Drive-away price: $26,815
Depreciation: $13,915
Fuel/electricity: $2,796
Insurance: $7,585
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,104
Servicing: $1,391
Tyres: $828
Total: $30,618*

Drive-away price: $26,815
Depreciation: $13,915
Fuel/electricity: $2,796
Insurance: $7,585
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,104
Servicing: $1,391
Tyres: $828
Total: $30,618*

Best Value Cars 2026

BYD Atto 1 Essential

Category: EV

Drive-away price: $26,815
Depreciation: $13,915
Fuel/electricity: $2,796
Insurance: $7,585
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,104
Servicing: $1,391
Tyres: $828
Total: $30,618*

Drive-away price: $26,815
Depreciation: $13,915
Fuel/electricity: $2,796
Insurance: $7,585
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,104
Servicing: $1,391
Tyres: $828
Total: $30,618*

Highly Commended

Best Value Cars 2026

M4 Urban

Category: EV

Drive-away price: $31,990
Depreciation: $15,390
Fuel/electricity: $2,976
Insurance: $9,647
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,104
Servicing: $1,366
Tyres: $1,184
Total: $34,667*

Drive-away price: $31,990
Depreciation: $15,390
Fuel/electricity: $2,976
Insurance: $9,647
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,104
Servicing: $1,366
Tyres: $1,184
Total: $34,667*

Highly Commended

Best Value Cars 2026

M4 Urban

Category: EV

Drive-away price: $31,990
Depreciation: $15,390
Fuel/electricity: $2,976
Insurance: $9,647
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,104
Servicing: $1,366
Tyres: $1,184
Total: $34,667*

Drive-away price: $31,990
Depreciation: $15,390
Fuel/electricity: $2,976
Insurance: $9,647
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,104
Servicing: $1,366
Tyres: $1,184
Total: $34,667*

Highly Commended

Best Value Cars 2026

GWM Ora 5 Lux

Category: EV

Drive-away price: $33,990
Depreciation: $17,090
Fuel/electricity: $2,796
Insurance: $8,864
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $685
Tyres: $752
Total: $35,086*

Drive-away price: $33,990
Depreciation: $17,090
Fuel/electricity: $2,796
Insurance: $8,864
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $685
Tyres: $752
Total: $35,086*

Highly Commended

Best Value Cars 2026

GWM Ora 5 Lux

Category: EV

Drive-away price: $33,990
Depreciation: $17,090
Fuel/electricity: $2,796
Insurance: $8,864
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $685
Tyres: $752
Total: $35,086*

Drive-away price: $33,990
Depreciation: $17,090
Fuel/electricity: $2,796
Insurance: $8,864
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $685
Tyres: $752
Total: $35,086*

*Costs over five years

Full results

Select a criterion to filter the chart:

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Rank	Vehicle	New price	On-road costs	Drive-away price	Depreciation	Fuel/electricity	Comprehensive insurance	Registration (Years 2–5)	CTP (Years 2–5)	Servicing	Tyre replacement set (same as EOM tyre fitted)	Total five-year ownership cost
1	BYD Atto 1 Essential	$23,990	$2,825	$26,815	$13,915	$2,796	$7,585	$1,848	$2,256	$1,391	$828	$30,618
2	MG4 Urban	$29,990	$2,000	$31,990	$15,390	$2,976	$9,647	$1,848	$2,256	$1,366	$1,184	$34,667
3	GWM Ora 5 Lux	$30,490	$3,500	$33,990	$17,090	$2,796	$8,864	$2,644	$2,256	$685	$752	$35,086
4	GWM Ora Lux	$34,490	$1,500	$35,990	$17,990	$2,796	$8,691	$2,644	$2,256	$685	$752	$35,813
5	BYD Dolphin Essential hatch	$29,990	$3,201	$33,191	$18,491	$2,381	$8,091	$2,644	$2,256	$1,628	$408	$35,899
6	BYD Atto 2 Dynamic	$31,990	$3,369	$35,359	$21,459	$2,796	$7,859	$2,644	$2,256	$1,628	$884	$39,526
7	Chery E5 Ultimate	$35,990	$2,000	$37,990	$22,390	$2,796	$8,079	$2,644	$2,256	$1,145	$828	$40,138
8	Hyundai Inster Standard Range	$39,000	$4,187	$43,187	$24,287	$2,579	$8,027	$1,848	$2,256	$1,340	$310	$40,648
9	GAC Aion UT Premium	$31,990	$1,000	$32,990	$15,690	$2,958	$13,748	$2,644	$2,256	$1,607	$1,948	$40,851
10	BYD Atto 3 Essential	$39,990	$3,609	$43,599	$25,599	$2,886	$7,215	$2,644	$2,256	$1,628	$828	$43,035
11	Jaecoo J5 Electric Summit	$36,990	$2,386	$39,376	$23,776	$2,579	$10,286	$2,644	$2,256	$915	$1,072	$43,529
12	Geely EX5 Complete Ext. Range	$41,990	$3,360	$45,350	$27,250	$2,886	$11,185	$2,644	$2,256	$1,487	???	$47,708
13	Leapmotor C10 Style	$45,888	$3,721	$49,609	$29,409	$3,337	$11,987	$2,644	$2,256	$1,799	???	$51,432

How we crunch the numbers

Purchase price
The NSW drive-away price, not the manufacturer suggested retail price, reflects the actual cost for consumers. Redbook’s ‘drive-away’ calculator is used for consistency and promotional drive-away deals are included where relevant. Prices are correct as of June 30, 2026.

Depreciation
Data is sourced from AutoEdge and based on the vehicle’s estimated trade-in value after five years/60,000km.

Fuel costs
For combustion vehicles, the five year figure is calculated using the official combined fuel economy, NSW average fuel price (minimum RON for each car) and average annual driving distance. ABS data was used for annual distance figures, while pricing is based on NSW average fuel costs over the first six months of 2026.

Electricity costs
For electric vehicles, a blended model is used – 70 per cent home charging, 20 per cent public charging and 10 per cent solar. This creates a realistic national average of 32.5c/kW. The formula is calculated using combined energy consumption (kWh/100km) and weighted electricity cost over 55,500km.

Insurance
The comprehensive insurance premium from NRMA Insurance is based on a 30-year-old male living in Chatswood and using the car for personal use, with a clean driving history and $1000 excess.

Servicing and maintenance
Our servicing costs are the total spend for the first five services. These figures don’t include consumables like fi ters, which can change the price depending on your individual vehicle. LDV is the only brand without capped price servicing, with those figures based on dealer estimates.

Registration and CTP
The figures are based on NSW ownership over years 2-5, as these costs are already included in on-roads for the first year.

Total cost
The ownership cost is effectively everything you spend over five years, minus what the car is still worth if you were to sell it.

Tyres
One replacement set is included over five years. Tyroola provided pricing as of June 30, 2026, with replacement tyres being the same spec and brand as fitted from the factory.