BYD T3 2022: fully-electric van with 300km of range on sale in Australia

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The BYD T3 van is on sale in Australia offering a fully-electric alternative to the largely diesel-powered small commercial van segment.

Australian BYD distributor EV Direct has imported the electric T3 van in limited numbers alongside the E6 wagon, but currently all stock of the vehicles have been spoken for.

Chasing Cars has enquired about when the T3 van will back in stock for Australian buyers and we’ll update this story when we receive word.

Priced at $34,950 before on-road costs, the T3 van is the cheapest electric vehicle in Australia – and the real purchase price is even cheaper when you take into account the range of grants and rebates available in some Australian states, most notably New South Wales.

The T3 isn’t the first electric van to go on sale in Australia – that title went to the Renault Kangoo Maxi ZE in 2016 – but the Chinese product offers a particularly aggressive value proposition not seen in the segment before.

With its low price of entry, the T3 is likely to undercut rivals from more established brands such as the Mercedes-Benz eVito and Ford E-Transit before they go on sale in 2022.

BYD T3 payload and dimensions

The T3 van is dimensionally similar to a standard-wheelbase Volkswagen Caddy with a payload sitting just under that of its German counterpart at 700kg.

BYD has equipped the T3 with two sliding doors and a single-piece rear tailgate that opens up to expose 3800 litres of loading space. A light kerb weight of 1610kg means the van has a maximum gross vehicle weight of 2420kg.

A braked and unbraked towing capacity is not quoted for the T3, which may be a disadvantage for some buyers.

Range and charging

The T3 has a range capacity of up to 300km in the city (according to WLTP testing) thanks to a 45kWh lithium-ion battery which has been tested at up to 3,000 cycles.

Once flat, the battery can be recharged at speeds of up to 6.6kW using an AC charger such as a wall box you would find in a home garage and should be enough to charge up the T3 overnight in around seven hours.

Alternatively, buyers can plug into a 50kW using a DC fast charger like those often found at public charging stations which should see the battery topped up in just over an hour.

The T3 is limited to 100km/h which makes it less suitable for longer highway journeys, but this limitation would have little to no bearing on fleets that concentrate their operations in Australia’s cities and suburbs.

BYD quotes an urban-focussed 0-50km/h acceleration time of 6.5 seconds thanks to the 70kW of power and 180Nm of torque that is sent to the front wheels.

BYD has kept the interior strictly practical but the T3 does feature some luxuries including leather-accented trim around the cabin, an LCD screen, single-zone air conditioning along with keyless entry and push-button start.

ANCAP has yet to offer an official safety rating on the T3 or any BYD vehicle but the van is equipped with dual front airbags for some peace of mind.

BYD T3 2022 pricing:

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• T3: $34,950