The cheapest electric cars and SUVs under $35,000 in Melbourne right now

Verified by Daniel Romero

Six electric vehicles currently sit under $35,000 drive-away in Melbourne: the GWM Ora 5, Geely EX2, GAC Aion UT, BYD Atto 1, BYD Dolphin and MG4 EV Urban. This guide compares all six on price, range, warranty and running costs, so you can work out which one suits how you drive rather than which one has the loudest marketing. A few other EVs come close, and we've covered those separately further down, but they land just over the $35,000 line once you look at their drive-away pricing rather than a headline grabbing, before-on-road-costs figure.

At Booran Motor Group, we stock the GWM Ora 5, Geely EX2, GAC Aion UT, MG4 EV Urban, BYD Atto 1 and Dolphin across our Melbourne dealerships, plus a range of quality, late model, pre-owned EVs across our used car locations.

What does $35,000 actually buy you in a new electric car right now?

Quite a lot, and more than most buyers expect. The GWM Ora 5 is the only small SUV in this group under $35,000 drive away. The Geely EX2, GAC Aion UT, BYD Atto 1, BYD Dolphin and MG4 EV Urban are all hatchbacks, ranging from small city cars up to larger, more highway-capable options. The BYD Atto 1 in particular is worth knowing about if outright price is your main filter, it's Australia's cheapest new EV by a clear margin, undercutting everything else in this comparison by several thousand dollars.

Five of the six are hatchbacks, the Geely EX2, GAC Aion UT, BYD Atto 1, BYD Dolphin and MG4 EV Urban, though they span a wide range within that body style. The Atto 1 is a dedicated city car, smaller than a Suzuki Swift in some dimensions. The Dolphin and MG4 Urban sit closer to a conventional small hatchback. The EX2 and Aion UT split the difference.

The GWM Ora 5 is the only small SUV of the six, with more ground clearance, a higher seating position and generally more boot space, and it's the only one of the group that stays under $35,000 in that body style.

Range varies enormously across this group, largely tracking price within it. The GWM Ora 5 leads at up to 435km on the WLTC cycle. The GAC Aion UT is close behind at up to 430km WLTP. The MG4 EV Urban reaches up to 405km WLTP in its longer-range Essence 54 grade, or 316km WLTP in the entry Essence 43. The Geely EX2 spans 252km to 345km WLTP depending on grade. The BYD Dolphin Essential sits at up to 340km WLTP. The BYD Atto 1 trails the group, as you'd expect given its sharper price, at 220km WLTP on the Essential and 310km WLTP on the Premium.

If range is the deciding factor and price is a close second, the Ora 5 and Aion UT are worth cross-shopping directly against each other. If price is the overriding factor and you're comfortable with a shorter range for urban use, the Atto 1 is in a different league to everything else here on cost.

No, and it's worth checking before you buy rather than after if this is important. The GWM Ora 5 includes an integrated space-saver spare tyre as standard. At Road Trip Reviews, we noted the lack of spare tyre when recently reviewing the Geely EX2, Atto 1, Dolphin, MG4 EV Urban and GAC Aion UT, they instead provide a tyre inflation kit.

The GWM Ora 5 and Geely EX2 both offer a 7 year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty and an 8 year, unlimited-kilometre battery warranty. The GAC Aion UT goes a year further on the vehicle at 8 years unlimited kilometres, but caps its battery warranty by distance at 200,000km. The MG4 EV Urban runs a 7 year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty and an 8 year, 160,000km battery warranty, extending to 10 years and 250,000km if serviced exclusively within the MG dealer network. The BYD Atto 1 and Dolphin's warranty is shorter, at 6 years and 150,000km on the vehicle and 8 years, 160,000km on the battery.

What will servicing cost you over the first several years?

The Ora 5 and EX2 both have published, budgetable servicing programs. The Ora 5 runs capped-price servicing at $195 per visit for 7 years, totalling around $1,365. The EX2 offers a 7 year prepaid package at $1,642, or $2,052 paid as you go, averaging around $293 a visit. GAC hasn't published servicing costs for the Aion UT. We haven't confirmed servicing costs for the Atto 1, Dolphin or MG4 Urban in our own research for this specific comparison, so factor that into your questions at the dealership.

Two of the six do. The BYD Atto 1 and Dolphin hold a five-star ANCAP rating. The MG4 EV Urban also holds a five-star rating. The GWM Ora 5, Geely EX2 and GAC Aion UT are all still awaiting their results, with each manufacturer targeting a five-star outcome. We've put together a guide on how ANCAP ratings actually work if you want to understand what sits behind the star count.

If outright price is the deciding factor, the BYD Atto 1 isn't close, it's several thousand dollars below everything else here, though you're trading down on range and standard equipment to get there. If you want a hatchback with a longer range and don't mind spending closer to the top of this bracket, the GAC Aion UT or MG4 EV Urban Long Range are the strongest options, and the MG4 adds piece of mind with a current five-star ANCAP rating. If you specifically want an SUV and want to stay under $35,000 drive away, the GWM Ora 5 is currently the only one that does both, and it also leads the group outright on range and charging speed.

Three other EVs sit close to this group but land just over $35,000 once you look at confirmed drive-away pricing, so we've kept them out of the main comparison above rather than stretch the definition of "under $35,000."

The BYD Atto 2 Dynamic lists from $31,990 plus on-road costs, but BYD's own website confirms a Victorian drive-away price of $35,529.75 in Ski White.

The Jaecoo J5 EV lists from $35,888 plus on-road costs and is commonly promoted at $36,990 drive away.

The Leapmotor B05, a coupe-styled hatchback that only landed in Australian dealerships from late August 2026, launches from $35,990 drive away for the Style grade as a limited-time offer, rising to $39,990 for the longer-range Design LR. Early reporting suggests the B05 Design LR could claim up to 482km WLTP range, which would lead this entire group if it holds up under local testing, but that figure hasn't yet been independently verified in Australia.

All three are worth cross-shopping if your budget has a little more flexibility than a strict $35,000 ceiling. Get in touch and we can talk through how they compare to the six cars above.

All of our brands can be seen and driven at our dealerships across Melbourne. Come in, compare them side by side, and we'll help you land on the one that actually fits how you use a car, not just the one at the top of a spec sheet.

Simple, fill out the form below, and our friendly team will be happy to assist you with your research, arrange a test drive, assist with any EV finance options and to secure a great deal on a great EV.

Related guides

• The 5 most affordable electric SUVs in Melbourne (Coming Soon)
• The 5 longest-range EVs under $35,000
• The 5 fastest charging EVs under $35,000 (Coming Soon)

About the verifier

Daniel Romero has over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry and is the founder of Road Trip Reviews, where he has driven over 250,000km in EV testing across Australia and the world. This article has been checked against manufacturer and official pricing, specification and safety sources.