The Atto 3 is New Zealand's Chinese EV benchmark - a new car priced to beat a used import.
Every Chinese car on New Zealand sale, read first-hand: who really makes it, what the Chinese original tells us about the car you would buy, and what it costs before on-road costs.
Range and charging come from the UK-market car UK: 418 km WLTP (260 mi). The car sold in New Zealand can differ in trim and battery, so read them as a guide until the local rating is published.
The New Zealand brief
What New Zealand EV buyers and the motoring press are talking about this week.
The bar shows how much each story is being talked about across the New Zealand outlets we read, next to the biggest story of the week. Links go to the original publisher.
Trending now
The Chinese-EV topics New Zealand drivers are searching, posting and arguing about this week.
The bar shows how much a topic is being mentioned and searched for, next to the most talked-about topic of the week.
Global watch: 泛EV行业 General EV, 特斯拉 Tesla, 比亚迪海豹 BYD Seal
On sale in New Zealand
The Chinese-brand models on New Zealand sale. Local prices appear as we confirm each one against a named source.
| Car | Local price | Range | Rapid | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BYD Atto 3 元PLUS BYD · made by BYD 比亚迪 | NZ$59,990 NZD Dynamic base, arriving Aug 2026 NZ Checked 10 Aug 2026 | 418km WLTP 260 mi UK | 88kW peak DC | On sale |
| BYD Dolphin 海豚 BYD · made by BYD 比亚迪 No longer in BYD New Zealand's line-up - the ATTO 1 and ATTO 2 took its place. Dealers may still have pre-order stock. | No data yet before on-road costs NZ | 340km WLTP 211 mi UK | 88kW peak DC | Estimate |
| BYD Seal 海豹 BYD · made by BYD 比亚迪 | No data yet before on-road costs NZ | 570km WLTP 354 mi UK | 150kW peak DC | On sale |
| BYD Sealion 7 海狮07 EV BYD · made by BYD 比亚迪 | No data yet before on-road costs NZ | 502km WLTP 312 mi UK | 230kW peak DC | On sale |
| BYD Seal U 宋PLUS DM-i BYD · made by BYD 比亚迪 Sold in New Zealand as the Sealion 6 DM-i. | No data yet before on-road costs NZ | 126km EV range 78 mi UK | 18kW peak DC | On sale |
| MG4 EV MULAN 木兰 MG · made by SAIC 上汽 | No data yet before on-road costs NZ | 435km WLTP 270 mi UK | 135kW peak DC | On sale |
| MG ZS EV (EV 版) MG · made by SAIC 上汽 New Zealand range is shifting to the MG S5 EV - check local stock. | No data yet before on-road costs NZ | 439km WLTP 273 mi UK | 76kW peak DC | Estimate |
| GWM Ora 03 欧拉 好猫 GWM · made by Great Wall 长城 Sold in New Zealand as the GWM Ora. | No data yet before on-road costs NZ | 420km WLTP 261 mi UK | 80kW peak DC | On sale |
| XPeng G6 小鹏 G6 XPeng · made by XPeng 小鹏 XPeng has said it is coming to New Zealand, without an on-sale date yet. | No data yet before on-road costs NZ | 525km WLTP 326 mi UK | 451kW peak DC | Estimate |
| Polestar 2 极星 2 Polestar · made by Geely 吉利 | No data yet before on-road costs NZ | 653km WLTP 406 mi UK | 205kW peak DC | On sale |
Local price is the "from" figure for New Zealand, quoted before on-road costs NZ. Where a row says "No data yet", we have not yet confirmed a local price we can point to a source for - we would rather leave it blank than show you a price from another country. A range tagged NZ is the figure published here, under the standard next to it; where it is tagged UK we are still showing the UK-market figure, which can differ from the car sold here. Estimate rows use our own reading of the public data.
Also coming to New Zealand
On sale in New Zealand but not yet covered model by model. They are listed so the picture is complete - full specifications follow once we have confirmed them.
BYD's plug-in hybrid dual-cab ute, on sale from NZ$70,990 before on-road costs.
On sale NZBYD's city hatch and its cheapest New Zealand model, from NZ$30,990 before on-road costs - the slot the Dolphin used to fill.
On sale NZSits between the Atto 1 and the Atto 3, from NZ$40,990 before on-road costs. Arrived with the Atto 1 in the 2026 line-up expansion.
On sale NZSeven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV, BYD New Zealand's flagship, from NZ$75,990 before on-road costs.
On sale NZGuides for New Zealand
Local essentials
The landscape, policy, money and daily realities that make New Zealand its own market - every line with a named source and the date we last checked it.
The market
New Zealand buys around 150,000 new vehicles a year. EV uptake surged while the Clean Car Discount ran and cooled after it ended - the market is still finding its post-rebate level.
Chinese brands reach New Zealand through smaller importer and dealer operations than in Australia: BYD and MG have local distributors, while newer names often ride with multi-brand dealer groups.
The Tesla Model Y is the benchmark here too; Chinese EVs pitch themselves below it on price while matching its equipment.
Policy in detail
Light electric vehicles pay road user charges of NZ$76 per 1,000 km; plug-in hybrids pay a reduced rate of NZ$38 per 1,000 km.
RUC is bought in advance in blocks of kilometres and checked against the odometer at warrant-of-fitness time - running out of RUC kilometres attracts penalties.
The Clean Car Standard still binds importers to fleet CO2 targets that tighten over time, which shapes which EV trims get brought into the country - it is a supply rule, not a buyer discount.
Money
New Zealand prices are usually quoted before on-road costs (ORC): registration, plates and dealer delivery sit on top of the sticker figure.
Light electric vehicles pay road user charges of NZ$76 per 1,000 km, bought in advance and displayed on the windscreen - budget it alongside a home power bill.
The Clean Car Discount ended in December 2023. There is no current national EV purchase rebate; any page claiming one is out of date.
Charging
ChargeNet runs the main national fast-charging network, with Tesla Superchargers as the other backbone - coverage is good on the main routes, thinner inland.
Most Kiwi EV owners charge at home overnight; a wallbox is the norm for houses with off-street parking.
Inter-island trips cross Cook Strait on the Wellington-Picton ferry, so a South Island road trip starts with a sailing booking, not a charger stop.
Networks: ChargeNet, Tesla Supercharger (open sites).
Ownership
New Zealand is a small right-hand-drive market: some trims and colours arrive late or not at all, so the car reviewed overseas is not always the car on the local yard.
The competition
The rival few overseas markets have: a huge used Japanese import trade. A used Nissan Leaf is the budget EV path, so a new Chinese EV must beat a much cheaper used import, not just other new cars.
Toyota dominates the new-vehicle market with hybrids, so many buyers cross-shop a Toyota hybrid against a Chinese EV on total cost rather than on technology.
Buying and service
Sales run through dealer groups rather than direct stores; the service footprint is thinner than Australia's outside Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
New cars land by ship and some deliveries cross Cook Strait by ferry, so a delivery date can move with the sailings - worth asking the dealer how firm the date they quote you really is.
Crash ratings
New Zealand recognises ANCAP ratings directly. ANCAP's protocols are broadly aligned with Euro NCAP but the ratings are separate - a five-star Euro NCAP result does not convert to five ANCAP stars.
Say it like a local: RUC - road user charges - NZ$76 per 1,000 km for light EVs; clean car - the ended rebate scheme; context only, never a current offer; ORC - on-road costs added to the sticker price.
Every number carries a source, a standard and a date.
Named sources next to the figure they back. Manufacturer pages, motoring press and Chinese owner platforms.
WLTP, CLTC and EPA are never mixed. Every figure is tagged for the market it belongs to.
Confidence levels on every claim. A named editor signs off anything high-risk before it publishes.
What we are following for New Zealand: 8 recent stories. Prices, ANCAP ratings and sales figures are added as we confirm them against a named source. A figure that comes from another country keeps that country's tag UK, so you always know which market a number describes.