BYD Atto 3 electric cars join Sixt rental fleet

The BYD Atto 3 will become available to rent across Australia from mid-2023, with the Chinese car-maker’s local distributor signing an exclusive contract with NRMA-owned rental company Sixt.

BYD has partnered with Sixt Australia – formerly known as Thrifty – to deliver “at least” 500 examples of the Atto 3 electric SUV to the rental-car company by February 2024, with the first electric SUVs becoming available in mid-2023.

Sixt Australia’s current fleet of electric cars includes the MG ZS EV small SUV, Hyundai Ioniq hatchback, Hyundai Kona Electric small SUV, Tesla Model 3 sedan and BMW iX3 luxury SUV. 

According to Sixt Australia’s website, the electric cars can be rented from its airport locations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Launceston. 

MORE: Electric cars you can rent in Australia

Priced from $48,011 plus on-road costs for private buyers, the BYD Atto 3 is second-cheapest electric car in Australia, behind the MG ZS EV ($43,990 plus on-road costs).

Despite BYD Atto 3 deliveries commencing in September 2022, it was the best-selling non-Tesla electric car in Australia last year, recording 2113 sales across the final four months of the year.

The BYD Atto 3 is powered by a 150kW/310Nm front-mounted electric motor powered by a choice of two batteries – a 49.9kWh pack (offering 345km of driving range) or a larger 60.5kWh pack, increasing its driving range to 420km.

The rental car company is yet to announce how much the BYD Atto 3 will cost to hire.

As previously reported, Sixt also offers free charging for its electric rental car customers through the Chargefox network – one of Australia's largest – which is also owned by the NRMA.

“The BYD Atto 3 is an exclusive offering with Sixt for anyone looking to rent one in Australia,” Sixt Australia CEO Matthew Beattie said in a media statement.

“Customers who hire any EV (electric vehicle) from Sixt can take advantage of complimentary charging with NRMA’s EV fast-charging network and the national Chargefox network throughout their hire period.”

Sixt Australia claims the partnership with BYD is a part of its plans to switch half of its 16,000-strong fleet to electric power “in the coming years”, though it has not announced a specific time for when the change will occur.

While Sixt appears to offer one of the most diverse ranges of electric cars to rent in Australia, it is not the only company to include zero-emission vehicles in its fleet.

Throughout the next five years, global rental car giant Hertz will partner with Volvo spin-off Polestar to receive 65,000 vehicles worldwide – with the Polestar 2 sedan rolling out across selected locations in Australia.

The rental car company has also ordered 100,000 Tesla Model 3s for its global operations, with Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr citing the lower maintenance costs of electric cars as a contributing factor.

In April 2021, Europcar Australia added the MG ZS EV to its fleet – the cheapest electric car locally at the time, with a drive-away price of $44,990.

Although not a rental car company, utilities provider AGL offers the Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq and Mini Electric through a subscription service, allowing its customers to sample the electric cars for a week.

Meanwhile, Australian car-sharing start-up Evee allows users to hire or rent out electric cars directly from their owners, similar to the business model of Airbnb.