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The world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, BYD, admitted it made a mistake when it sold vehicles to an estimated 1265 Australian customers as 2026 models when they had been made the year before.
The Chinese manufacturer, which is poised to become one of Australia’s top car brands, agreed on Saturday to provide customers a full refund, or compensation of $1100.
Paul Ellis, the public relations director of BYD in Australia, told the ABC that it was a mistake.
“It was an administrative error that occurred. There was no deceit,” he said. Ellis said BYD had mistakenly used the dates the cars left the factory instead of the date they were manufactured.
Owners of BYD electric and hybrid cars said BYD’s compensation offer was grossly inadequate.
On Saturday, BYD apologised to customers, and offered a full refund.
Ellis said, “We will offer customers a full refund. They will take that refund and if they wish to have a new transaction they can purchase another BYD from us.”
He reassured customers that the cars were not materially different but acknowledged the build date was wrong.
“It doesn’t affect the compliance of the car in terms of Australian design rules. It doesn’t affect the vehicle’s warranty or its performance. It is just a build date,” Ellis told the ABC.
Car site Which Car said the mix-up related to the model year recorded in sales documentation rather than any mechanical or specification differences. Customers received 2025-built vehicles instead of those described as 2026 models, although the cars are otherwise believed to be identical.
BYD will call, email and text all affected customers to make the updated offer.
Customers can still obtain a $1100 repayment and Ellis said many were satisfied with this.
On social media, though, some owners of BYD vehicles were angry.
One said, “I am seriously pissed off.” Other users said the $1100 was insufficient.
Some customers worried that having an older vehicle would reduce their vehicle’s resale value, or increase the cost of insurance.
“Every BYD owner must now be frantically checking their cars build date/compliance plate,” a Reddit commenter wrote.
BYD customer Zoheb Khan told the ABC’s consumer reporter Michael Atkin that the compensation wasn’t enough and said he had asked the manufacturer to replace his car with a 2026 model.
Roadside assistance group the RACV reported that BYD was set to become one of the top three car brands in Australia in 2026 and eventually plans to be market leader.
“Just four years after arriving in Australia, BYD has become one of the top-selling car brands with its fast-expanding EV and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model range – and it does not plan to slow down until it has toppled Toyota for outright market leadership.”
Asked about the issues, Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh told the ABC he wanted to strengthen the effectiveness of the consumer guarantee so that, if something went wrong, people got a fair go. That included proposing new penalties for suppliers and manufacturers who fail to comply with their obligations to offer consumers a repair, replacement or refund.
BYD has been contacted for comment.
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