Right, there’s no point diving in here with impressions of the BYD Atto 3, when the first question that will come to most people’s minds is “what on earth is BYD?” So, let’s start there.
What is BYD?
BYD is a Chinese manufacturer that’s new to Europe and the UK. It stands for Build Your Dreams, but BYD is no start-up. It’s been around for some 27 years in global markets, initially as a battery manufacturer, but for a long time it’s also been involved in producing buses, trains, forklift trucks, solar panels, and even hybrid and electric vehicles in its native Chinese market. In fact, it sells its technology to both Tesla and Toyota.
Although most people in the UK won’t have heard of it, BYD is a huge global company that employs some 300,000 employees, and which sold 235,000 passenger cars in December alone. For some context of the manufacturing might of BYD, it is also in a position where it produces every part of the Atto 3 itself, from the semiconductor microchips that have caused such disruption in the car industry, to the electric motors, the upholstery, the bodywork, the platform and more. Only the windows and tyres come from third party suppliers.
It's now being sold in the UK, complete with a four-year, unlimited-mileage warranty (eight years and 100,000 miles on the high-voltage battery) through a number of well-established local dealer franchises.
What is the BYD Atto 3, then?
The BYD Atto 3 is a mid-sized, pure electric hatchback, that splits the difference in size between the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4. The new car sits on the company’s new e-platform 3.0, and gets front-wheel drive, a 201bhp electric motor and a 60.5kWh usable battery capacity, courtesy of the company’s new ‘Blade’ lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology. That means that the BYD Blade battery is cobalt-free (great news environmentally), and the company also claims that it is safer and longer lasting than the lithium-ion cell technology traditionally used in most electric cars today. Incidentally, the e-platform 3.0 is a scalable platform that’s capable of delivering four-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, a variety of battery sizes and also 800V charging technology (albeit none of this is currently on the Atto 3).
That all adds up to a WLTP combined range of 261 miles on the Atto 3, or we’d estimate real-world driving range to be some 220- to 250 miles in the summer, while winter will probably see that drop to more like 160- to 190 miles. A heat pump is standard to help with efficiency in cold weather. Prices are expected to be around £40,000 for a well-equipped version when it goes on sale in spring 2023, making the Atto 3 a direct rival for both electric family cars and electric SUVs. That means that it must take on the likes of the Kia Niro EV, Hyundai Kona Electric, Skoda Enyaq iV, MG ZS EV, Volkswagen ID.3, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model 3 and more.
The BYD Atto 3 charges from Type 2 or CCS sockets, which are the European standard and are compatible with the majority of public charging stations. It’ll rapid charge at up to 88kW, which means that you’ll get a battery top-up from 10-80% in around 40 minutes. A 7kW home charger will fully charge the battery in under ten hours.
BYD Atto 3 Interior
Well, it’s certainly spacious. At 440 litres, the boot is a good size and will take a chunky buggy beneath the tailgate with ease, even if rivals like the Skoda Enyaq iV offer usefully more boot space. Rear legroom in the BYD is as good as in the best alternatives, though; it really is properly spacious, with more room than in a VW ID.3 or Tesla Model 3, and rivalling the Skoda Enyaq iV on this front.
Headroom in the rear seats of the BYD Atto 3 will make a six-footers feel a touch hemmed in, but it’s worth mentioning that our test car had a panoramic sunroof that eats into the available headroom. You get two USB charging ports in the back, a centre armrest and also some funky elastic styling features on the door bins, which look like guitar strings and can be twanged by the kids for maximum amusement. A fun trick for the first few miles, but probably tiresome for the parents who have to sit in the front and listen to it.
There are even more whacky design cues up front. The dashboard design has been inspired by a gym, apparently, but the scalloped finishes and colourful plastics seem to inspire more of a seaside theme to us. The materials and switch damping themselves feel pretty solid and tactile, though, reflecting some very decent perceived quality throughout the BYD. It might not trouble the likes of BMW, but it feels just as well screwed together as a VW ID.3, for instance, and usefully better than the MG ZS EV and even the MG4. But, that design is very unusual, and is one area where BYD may have failed to tailor the Atto 3 to Western European tastes (which is odd, as they’ve done well with making the Atto 3 look and feel European in every other aspect).
Still, the driving position is good, making it easy to get comfortable behind the steering wheel, while the visibility is good and the tech inside the Atto 3 is impressive. The huge touchscreen infotainment system also has graphics to match Volkswagen and Kia, while the screen’s menu layouts and responses are also good even if the air-con controls aren’t all that easy to find and fathom out. You can even rotate the screen so that it’s portrait or landscape, but that’s a bit of a gimmick as it cuts into your forward visibility in portrait mode, yet doesn’t bring much to the usability of the system. Best just to leave it in landscape mode, to be honest.
You also get ‘natural’ voice recognition (which is as hit-and-miss as any of these systems), over-the-air software updates, and all the features you want - although Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity don’t yet feature and may be added via an update later in 2023. A reversing camera, cruise control and all the semi-autonomous driver aids including emergency braking and lane-keep assist are standard, which contributes to the five star Euro NCAP safety rating that the Atto 3 has earned. Vehicle-to-load charging is also a feature, meaning that you can trickle-charge other electric items or cars from the Atto 3’s battery pack.
What’s the BYD Atto 3 like to drive?
Cushy, and generally very pleasant. The steering is light but nicely weighted, so it’s easy to place precisely on the road, and it even feels confident in faster corners and direction changes despite a noticeable amount of body roll. It’s not as sharp and fun as a Cupra Born, or even the MG4, but it is very assured and refined.
There’s plenty of performance, too. A 0-62mph of 7.3sec is pretty sprightly even by EV standards, and you get plenty of response even if you ask for a burst of acceleration when you’re already doing a good speed. It’s no hot hatch, but a fast merge onto a motorway won’t be a problem, that’s for sure.
Brake regen’ is adjusted in the touchscreen menus, but neither mode is heavy enough to be a one-pedal mode, and both are predictable and easy to get used to.
Verdict
The BYD Atto 3 is a really competent pure electric family car that feels good quality and has some impressive tech. It’s also roomy, and promises to be very highly equipped as standard (although UK specs are yet to be confirmed). However, it’s nice rather than anything special to drive, and the rather wacky interior won’t be to everyone’s tastes. At £40,000 and up, it’s also not cheap by any standard, never mind the standards of a new brand that UK buyers are yet to build up any trust with.
So, while the BYD Atto 3 is a genuinely decent family car, and a promising model with which to launch the brand, it is also a way off the class leaders in some key areas. Keep an eye out for BYD, though, because between the tech and the manufacturing might that the company is wielding, it’s sure to start disrupting the establishment sooner rather than later.
Fact File:
Fuel type: Electric
Powertrain: Single electric motor, front wheel drive, 60.5kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery
Power: 201bhp
Torque: 229lb ft
0-62mph: 7.2 seconds
Range/efficiency: 261 miles / 4.3m/kWh
Verdict: The BYD Atto is competitive in most areas, but a peculiar interior design and a high price – not to mention being an unknown brand - currently make it tricky to justify in such a competitive class.