BYD · hatch

BYD Dolphin novated lease and the FBT cliff

908days left to commit,
under the draft
Last day: 31 March 2029

Treasury draft · not law yet

Electric carVariant

Car’s value for FBT ($, incl. GST)Maker's list price before on-road costs. Add dealer delivery and any options you choose.

Salary ($ a year)Before tax and packaging, from $45,000.Lease term

How the estimate works

Without a concession, FBT’s statutory formula makes 20% of the car’s value taxable each year.
Novated leases clear that by moving the same amount from pre-tax to after-tax pay.
The saving is the 2026–27 income tax and Medicare levy you avoid on that amount.

Tax the exemption saves

$1,920 a year

Full exemption to 31 Mar 2029 under the draft. Estimate only. General information, not tax advice.

Breakdown

Under $75,000BYD Dolphin Essential

Under the draft, the full exemption lasts for commitments until 31 March 2029.

$1,920 a year

Estimated tax the exemption saves you compared with a car that gets no FBT concession. Commit from 1 April 2029 and that drops to $480 a year: $4,320 less over a 3-year lease.

908 days left to commit by 31 March 2029

$29,990

$25,000$75,000$91,661$125,000+

Up to $75,000: full exemption for commitments until 31 Mar 2029$75,001 to $91,661: full exemption only if you commit by 31 Mar 2027Over $91,661: no FBT concession

Estimated tax effect by when you commit to the lease

If you commit	DiscountFBT discount	Saved a yearTax saved a year
By 31 Mar 2027	100%	$1,920
Apr 2027 – Mar 2029	100%	$1,920
From Apr 2029	25%	$480

Reportable fringe benefits: about $11,320 a year would appear on your income statement if you commit by 31 March 2027. It isn’t taxed, but income tests such as HELP repayments and the Medicare levy surcharge count it.

Estimate only. General information, not tax advice. It uses 2026–27 tax rates and the FBT statutory formula, and assumes you pay an after-tax contribution to clear any FBT. The rules for commitments from 1 April 2027 are a Treasury exposure draft, not law, and may change. Confirm your numbers with your employer, your novated lease provider or a registered tax agent.

Updated 3 Oct 2026 · every figure links to its source · Some links are referral links; that never changes the order.

Every BYD Dolphin is under $75,000: full FBT exemption on a novated lease committed to by 31 March 2029, under the Treasury draft.

$25,000$75,000$91,661$125,000+

Up to $75,000: full exemption for commitments until 31 Mar 2029$75,001 to $91,661: full exemption only if you commit by 31 Mar 2027Over $91,661: no FBT concession

What to know about the BYD Dolphin

The Dolphin hatch costs $29,990 for the Essential and $36,990 for the Premium before on-road costs, and the gap between them buys a much bigger battery: 44.9 kWh against 60.48 kWh, which BYD says stretches the range from 340 km to 427 km.

As a tax case it is simple. Both versions are a long way under every line, so the signing date is not the question. The question is whether a lease beats buying: with a modest price the exemption's yearly value is modest too, and provider fees are a bigger share of it than on an SUV.

Against its stablemate, the Dolphin Premium costs about a thousand dollars more than the Atto 2 Premium and brings a larger battery and a longer quoted range. If you are choosing between those two BYDs for a lease, the Dolphin gets more car in an identical tax position.

BYD Dolphin variants against the lines

BYD Dolphin at a $100,000 salary

Variant	Maker's price	Where it sits	By 31 Mar 2027	Apr 2027 – Mar 2029	From Apr 2029	Price source
Essential	$29,990before on-roads	Under $75,000	$1,920	$1,920	$480	BYD, 3 Oct 2026
Premium	$36,990before on-roads	Under $75,000	$2,370	$2,370	$590	BYD, 3 Oct 2026

Estimated income tax and Medicare levy saved each year compared with a car that gets no FBT concession. “Close” means within $3,000 of a line, where dealer delivery, options or on-road costs can move the car across it.

Tax saved a year on the Essential, by salary

Essential, $29,990

Salary	By 31 Mar 2027	Apr 2027 – Mar 2029	From Apr 2029	Missing the deadline, 3-year lease
$60,000	$2,010	$2,010	$500	$4,520
$90,000	$1,920	$1,920	$480	$4,320
$120,000	$1,920	$1,920	$480	$4,320
$160,000	$2,340	$2,340	$580	$5,260
$220,000	$2,820	$2,820	$700	$6,340

The last column is the extra tax over a three-year lease from committing just after 31 March 2029 instead of just before. Salaries between $45,000 and $66,667 can show a slightly bigger figure than higher ones, because the low income tax offset phases out across that range.

About these prices

3,068 BYD Dolphins were sold in Australia from January to August 2026. (CarExpert Sales Atlas, VFACTS and EV Council data, checked 3 October 2026)
BYD's order summary for postcode 2000 adds a $1,100 dealer delivery fee as an on-road cost. BYD advertised a lower drive-away campaign price for orders to 15 December 2026; this is the list price without it. (BYD Australia, checked 3 October 2026)
BYD's order summary for postcode 2000 adds a $1,100 dealer delivery fee as an on-road cost. (BYD Australia, checked 3 October 2026)
Prices are the maker’s own: before on-road costs. The value FBT uses includes dealer delivery and options but not registration, stamp duty or CTP.

Getting a quote for a BYD Dolphin

Check that your employer offers novated leasing, then ask a provider to quote the exact car, with delivery and options, and to confirm the date your commitment becomes binding. These providers offer novated leases; we list them alphabetically and don’t rank them.

Carbar (opens in a new tab) Referral link: we may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
Maxxia (opens in a new tab) Referral link: we may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
Oly (opens in a new tab) Referral link: we may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
RemServ (opens in a new tab) Referral link: we may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
Smart (opens in a new tab) Referral link: we may earn a commission. It never changes the order.

We compare only the 5 providers listed here, not the whole market.