BYD bungle: Hundreds of Aussies given wrong vehicle from Chinese carmaker

Hundreds of Australians have been offered compensation after the wrong vehicles were sold by a Chinese car company.

Zoheb Khan, who lives in Melbourne, had been driving around in his new electric BYD vehicle for weeks when BYD contacted him and offered him $1,100 compensation for the mess.

Mr Khan said he was shocked to learn that his 2026 model vehicle was actually produced in 2025.

“Our invoice date was 2026, we signed the contract and everything was going well, then two weeks later I got a call from BYD customer service and they said there was an admin error in the contract being processed,” Mr. Khan told NewsWire.

“The production date of the car was 2025, not 2026. They announced that there was no difference between the two cars, but they would refund the delivery fee of $1100.”

Mr Khan said the most shocking thing to learn was that he was not the only one experiencing this problem after reading about it in online forums.

“There were so many people, literally everyone who commented had a story similar to mine,” he said.

Mr Khan said the issue affected multiple dealerships and different BYD car models across Australia.

“Many people have already accepted the $1100, some are confused and others like me who are unsure, I have sent a complaint to BYD,” he said.

Mr Khan said he did not think the $1,100 refund was good enough considering the cost of the new car and asked the carmaker to replace his vehicle or pay more compensation but received no response from the company.

He said the situation affected his insurance and he was concerned about the uncertainty of resale value over the years.

“It’s so complicated I don’t even know what to do. All I do is keep driving because it’s the only car I have,” he said.

“I’m happy with the car, so there’s no real problem with the car itself, they just messed it up for everyone.”

NewsWire has contacted BYD for comment.

Paul Ellis, the company’s public relations manager, told ABC 1265 customers were affected by the administrative error.

“There was no cheating whatsoever,” Mr Ellis told the programme.

“We will offer full refunds to our customers. They will receive that refund, and if they want to make a new transaction, they can purchase another BYD from us.”

A spokesman for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said customers have rights known as consumer guarantees when purchasing products and services, and these include rights to match descriptions of products provided.

Speaking generally, a spokesman said: “The Australian Consumer Act also prohibits businesses from engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct or making false or misleading representations about products or services, including the style or model of a product.”

“Businesses should ensure that the products they supply to consumers are consistent with the descriptions and representations made by the business at the point of sale.”

The spokesperson said the ACCC expects businesses to take appropriate steps to resolve issues and communicate directly with consumers.

“If the consumer is unable to resolve their issue directly with the business, they can contact their local state or territory consumer protection authority for further assistance. Consumers can also report issues to the ACCC,” a spokesperson said.

“In addition to rights under the ACL, consumers may also have rights under sales contracts.”