BYD ATTO 3 REVIEW & PRICES
Is the BYD Atto 3 truly a standout among electric SUVs?
Today unveils yet another family-oriented offering from China: the BYD Atto 3. It’s vying for your attention alongside competitors such as the Peugeot e-2008, MG ZS EV, and Kia Niro EV.
The BYD Atto 3 might strike a chord of familiarity, akin to reconnecting with a long-lost schoolmate seated across from you after years of separation. Established in 1995, BYD has diversified from smartphone components to electric buses, and now makes its move into the competitive automotive sector in its native China, eyeing expansion into the UK market.
At first glance, the Atto 3 doesn’t clamor for attention. Its design, save for the understated ‘Build Your Dreams’ emblem, seamlessly integrates into its bustling segment without a bold proclamation.
Yet, where it excels lies within its idiosyncratic interior. Picture textured trim inserts reminiscent of muscle fibers, vibrant vegan leather pairings that catch the eye, and even functional guitar strings adorning the door bins – the Atto 3 radiates unmistakable character inside and out.
BYD Atto 3: Electric Range, Battery, and Charging Data
- Range:261 miles
- Efficiency:0 miles per kWh
- Battery Size:60 kWh
- Max Charge Speed:150 kW
- AC Charge Time:9 hrs 42 mins (0-100%, 7 kW)
- DC Charge Time:44 mins (10-80%, 150 kW)
- Charge Port Location: Right front
- Power Output:204 hp
The BYD Atto 3 doesn’t just excel in performance; it also impresses with its build quality. Unlike many affordable cars where corners are cut, this vehicle manages to avoid cheap-feeling materials almost entirely, except perhaps in those rarely seen areas under the dashboard.
Standard in the BYD Atto 3 is a 12.8-inch infotainment system. Opt for the top-spec Design model, and you’ll get an even larger 15.6-inch screen. But there’s more—this screen has a nifty trick up its sleeve. With just a press of a button, it can rotate from landscape to portrait mode. It’s a fun feature that will entertain at first, but you’ll probably find your preferred setup and stick with it.
The software on the BYD Atto 3’s system is notably intuitive, functioning much like an Android tablet. Yet, there are a few initial quirks to iron out. For instance, while Apple CarPlay is included, Android Auto is currently absent, though it’s expected to arrive as a no-cost update in the future. Moreover, the ‘Hey BYD’ voice assistant could benefit from better adaptation to the UK’s diverse regional accents, enhancing user experience.
In terms of rear legroom, the BYD Atto 3 offers a decent amount, but you might find the headroom a bit lacking. It’s perfectly fine for children in car seats, but if you frequently transport teenagers or adults, this could be a consideration.
Boot space presents a similar situation. With 440 liters of storage, it’s not inadequate, yet it’s outdone by the Kia Niro EV and MG ZS EV. However, it does edge out the similarly-sized Peugeot e-2008, offering slightly more room for your cargo needs.
The BYD Atto 3 has a quirky interior design – it’s smart, but the guitar strings on the doors are just odd
All versions of the BYD Atto 3 feature a single electric motor powered by a 60.5kWh battery. While official tests indicate a range of 260 miles, real-world conditions, such as on a cold March day, showed an efficiency of 3.3 miles per kWh, resulting in less than 200 miles of actual range.
In urban environments, the Atto 3 performs admirably. It offers easy maneuverability with excellent all-round visibility, complemented by a standard 360-degree camera that simplifies parking.
The suspension is tuned for comfort, absorbing road imperfections smoothly. This translates well to highway driving, although there is noticeable wind noise at higher speeds.
On winding back roads, the BYD Atto 3 exhibits some body roll and lacks exhilaration, typical for vehicles in its class.
The BYD Atto 3 makes its debut in the UK market with a commendable effort. It offers compelling value and quality that merit serious consideration against established competitors. However, it lacks the refinement typically found in more recognized brands, and its limited space may be a drawback for some buyers.
How Much is the BYD Atto 3?
The BYD Atto 3 presents a pricing spectrum spanning from £37,695 to £39,695 at MSRP.
Performance and DriveComfort
The Atto 3 excels in providing comfort and maneuverability tailored for urban environments. However, its performance on motorways suffers from noticeable noise levels, detracting from the overall experience. Furthermore, its handling characteristics do not deliver the engaging responsiveness needed for pleasurable driving on twisty roads.
In Town
The Atto 3’s suspension ensures a luxuriously smooth ride, ideal for navigating bustling city streets and effortlessly handling bumps with outstanding comfort. Its low-set dashboard contributes to excellent forward visibility, significantly improving the overall driving experience. However, the rearward view is somewhat compromised due to a smaller rear window, despite the inclusion of a reversing camera. Unfortunately, the camera is prone to accumulating road grime and lacks a dedicated washer system. On a positive note, it provides a clear image and is complemented by a helpful 3D all-round view and a ‘transparent bonnet’ feature for tackling rugged terrain. Nevertheless, the wide front windscreen pillar poses challenges to visibility around corners and junctions, which could be seen as a drawback.
The steering of the vehicle is notably light, facilitating easy maneuverability, especially with a tight 10.7-meter turning circle that makes navigating roundabouts and executing u-turns effortless. However, an unsettling aspect arises from the eerie ‘woooo’ sound emitted by the pedestrian warning system. This feature, intended to alert pedestrians to the car’s presence at low speeds, creates a persistent auditory presence that can evoke a feeling of being trailed by spectral entities, adding an unsettling undertone to the driving experience.
On the Motorway
The Atto 3 boasts a robust 201hp electric motor, delivering swift acceleration from 40mph to 70mph with brisk and responsive performance. However, speeds exceeding 60mph reveal a notable drawback: substantial wind noise, especially noticeable around the wing mirrors. This can evoke a sensation akin to vacationing in a caravan perched atop a blustery Welsh clifftop.
The efficiency of the vehicle is passable but falls short of outstanding. In our testing, we managed an average of 3.3 miles per kWh, resulting in a real-world driving range of 190 miles, which is below the advertised 260-mile range. While this performance isn’t the worst, one might expect more from a company that highlights its roots as a battery manufacturer and the internal development of all its battery systems.
On a Twisty Road
The BYD Atto 3 includes a Sport mode accessible through a small toggle switch on the center console. Despite activating it, practical outcomes seem limited to illuminating ‘SPORT’ in green letters on the instrument panel. There’s no noticeable enhancement in steering responsiveness or electric motor power. Is its functionality purely cosmetic?
Although the soft suspension of the Atto 3 offers comfort in city environments, its performance in other settings is less satisfactory. The vehicle tends to remain unsettled, akin to someone navigating hot sand during a beach vacation.
The regenerative braking creates a unique sensation: after lightly pressing and releasing the brake pedal, the braking effect lingers for a few seconds. Moreover, there is a noticeable delay in throttle response.
The steering of the Atto 3 is remarkably light and disconnected, akin to guiding the Mars Rover remotely from Houston. Although it handles corners decently for a medium crossover, the absence of road feedback through the steering wheel erodes trust in its handling. When compared to an MG 4, the driving experience leaves much to be desired.
The Atto 3 demonstrates impressive speed, often meeting or even exceeding its advertised 0-60mph time of 7.3 seconds, occasionally exhibiting a touch of wheelspin during acceleration.
Space and Practicality
The Atto 3 is reasonably practical, but its boot is slightly smaller compared to some EV SUVs, and there’s a shortage of rear headroom.
Up front, the cabin of the Atto 3 is highly practical. It features a large storage box under the front armrest and a pair of spacious cup holders in front, with an adjustable base to accommodate tall bottles. There’s additional storage in front of the gear selector, which includes a wireless phone charger. The glovebox is adequate, and there’s a useful open storage area under the center console, housing both types of USB sockets and a 12-volt connector.
Let’s also delve into the door pockets, which are of sufficient size and feature four elastic strings for securing items. These strings resemble guitar strings, and BYD has incorporated them into the design of the door panels and stereo speakers to amplify this musical motif. The strings are taut enough that you can strum them, even producing a bass line. It’s an unusual feature, but one that can be oddly enjoyable if you find yourself bored in traffic.
The front seats are comfortable, but oddly enough, despite being electrically adjustable, they lack lumbar support adjustment.
Space in the Back Seats
The rear space in the Atto 3 offers a blend of positives and challenges. There’s plenty of leg, knee, and foot room, facilitated by the flat rear floor that helps when seating someone in the center rear. However, headroom is somewhat restricted, particularly with the standard panoramic glass roof. Interestingly, the roof does offer a slight advantage for three-abreast seating: opening the sunblind provides the middle passenger with a bit more headroom. Nevertheless, overall space is tight; for better rear seat accommodations, the Kia Niro EV proves superior.
We value the generously sized seat back pockets, partitioned into a large section ideal for a tablet or magazine, complemented by two smaller compartments for phones or sunglasses. Another notable feature is the uncovered ISOFIX anchor points, conveniently including one on the front passenger seat, ensuring secure installation of baby seats. Furthermore, there are USB sockets available—one at the front and another at the rear. The guitar-string door bins reappear in the back, almost like an encore performance, sparking imagination about the potential amusement for kids who discover they can pluck them like guitar strings.
Boot Space
The Atto 3’s boot provides a modest 440 litres of space. While this is decent, the MG ZS offers an additional 30 liters at a lower price point, and the Kia e-Niro tops the Atto 3 with an extra 35 liters. However, the Atto 3 does surpass the Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric, which offer 408 and 310 liters respectively. On the positive side, the loadspace is square and flat, without a load lip, facilitating easy loading and unloading of large, heavy items such as suitcases or boxes from a popular Swedish furniture store.
The rear seats fold almost completely flat, which is quite advantageous. Despite the absence of handles in the boot to facilitate folding them forward, releasing them with a flick of the catch is straightforward. However, since there are no retainers for the rear seatbelts, they may become caught or stuck behind the seatbacks. Another inconvenience is the low-set boot release button, which tends to accumulate road grime, leading to messy fingers when operated.
One notable advantage is the false floor, which not only accommodates your charging cables but also conveniently stores the rigid luggage cover when it’s not in use.
Interestingly, the Atto 3 doesn’t feature a front boot (or “fruit”), despite the recessed space above the front-mounted electric motor that easily fits a soft bag or backpack. It’s surprising that BYD decided against including a properly lined storage area here, which appears to be a missed opportunity.
Interior Style, Infotainment, and Accessories
There’s some good technology on board the Atto 3, but the cabin’s quirky design might put you off
While the outside of the BYD Atto 3 might seem straightforward and unremarkable, the interior presents a contrasting narrative. It’s somewhat flamboyant, taking cues from an unexpected inspiration: a gym. Yes, that’s right. The hefty air vents are fashioned to resemble dumbbells, providing a quirky touch. Meanwhile, the flowing contours of the dashboard bring to mind characters from “Return of the Jedi.” Adding to this eclectic mix, the gear selector bears a striking resemblance to the throttle lever found in aircraft like an Airbus or even something out of the Millennium Falcon, injecting a futuristic vibe into the cabin.
The centerpiece of the Atto 3 is its expansive touchscreen located at the center of the dashboard. While entry-level models feature a 12.0-inch screen, higher-tier variants boast a larger 15.6-inch display. This screen impresses with its responsiveness and user-friendly interface, reminiscent of Apple’s design aesthetic, featuring intuitive menus and icons. It seamlessly supports Apple CarPlay for connecting your phone. However, access to Android Auto will require an upcoming over-the-air software update expected in the coming months.
The screen’s most notable feature is its capability to rotate between a horizontal landscape layout and an upright portrait layout with a simple button press—either on the steering wheel or via the screen itself. Portrait mode significantly enhances the clarity and precision of the navigation system, albeit it does slightly diminish forward visibility. A peculiar observation is that when wearing polarised sunglasses, the screen nearly disappears in portrait mode, likely due to the angles at which the screen’s pixels function. This is an important factor to bear in mind when utilizing the screen in portrait orientation.
The instrument panel, situated behind the wheel, feels quite small compared to the expansive central screen. While it’s clear and easy to read, our test car’s panel was slightly angled, raising concerns about Atto’s overall build quality.
Regarding cabin materials, the upper sections impress with high-quality finishes, featuring soft-touch surfaces and luxurious vegan leather that feels buttery-soft. However, lower down, the hard plastics have rough edges, posing a risk of injury, especially when adjusting the steering column. Despite this, Atto’s cabin quality surpasses that of its VW or MG counterparts. However, certain details, like the seam on the silvery door armrest, resemble those found on children’s toys rather than on a premium vehicle.
There are some quirky design choices as well. The interior door handles are large, flat rocker switches that rotate around the small stereo speakers. These speakers feature inset LED lights that pulse to the beat of your music, and there’s even an optional karaoke system integrated into the screen for added entertainment.
The front seats are very comfortable, with imitation leather that both looks and feels premium. However, some might find the seats a bit too soft at times; firmer support would be beneficial for longer journeys
Electric Range, Charging, and Tax
The Atto 3 presents significant tax benefits owing to its electric propulsion. Private drivers can enjoy exemption from road tax until 2025, while corporate buyers face only a nominal two percent Benefit in Kind (BIK) tax.
However, concerning its range, as mentioned earlier, it does not meet expectations. Despite claims of achieving up to 260 miles on a single charge in ideal conditions, real-world usage typically yields closer to — and occasionally less than — 200 miles. This disparity falls short of ideal usability for many drivers.
Charging the battery isn’t exactly rapid either. Despite BYD’s assertions of advanced battery technology, the top DC charging speed at high-speed public charging stations peaks at 88kW. In contrast, a VW ID.4 charges at 135kW, while a Hyundai Ioniq 5 can handle an impressive 350kW if such a powerful charger is available.
For slower charging, basic models of the Atto 3 can charge at 7.4kW using AC power, such as from a home charger installed on your driveway. Optionally, this can be boosted to 11kW on AC power, which is better suited for curbside chargers. However, this falls well short of the 22kW AC charging capacity offered by Renault and Nissan.
To be candid, given BYD’s deep expertise in batteries (chances are, your laptop or phone utilizes a BYD battery), we expected stronger performance in this regard. Nonetheless, a standout feature is the vehicle-to-load function, which empowers the Atto to charge external devices such as e-bikes, e-scooters, or even another electric car during emergencies. This functionality also integrates seamlessly with a smart electric meter at home, offering the potential to supply power to your house during power outages.
Safety and Security
The BYD Atto 3 comes fully loaded with an extensive range of safety technologies. These encompass advanced features such as blind spot detection, traction control, radar-guided adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and rear collision warning systems. Euro NCAP subjected the Atto 3 to rigorous crash tests, awarding it a prestigious five-star rating and an impressive 91 percent score in adult protection, solidifying its position as a leader in safety within its class.
Reliability and Problems
The Atto 3 represents a fresh offering from a relatively new car manufacturer, which leaves its reliability still uncertain. Electric cars, in general, are reputed for their reliability owing to simpler mechanics compared to petrol or diesel models. However, the Atto 3 is technologically intricate, and there are apprehensions regarding certain aspects of cabin build quality that may fall short of expectations, a point worth considering.
The Atto 3 comes with an extensive warranty package that covers the entire car for four years or 70,000 miles. Moreover, the electric motor and its control unit benefit from an eight-year or 90,000-mile warranty, while the battery pack is covered for eight years or 120,000 miles.
