- Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 9/10
- What are the key stats for the engine and transmission? 7/10
- How much fuel does it consume? 7/10
- Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
- How practical is the space inside? 8/10
- What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating? 8/10
- What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered? 6/10
- What’s it like to drive? 7/10
What we like
Great value at an excellent price Good range Spacious interior
What we don’t
Loss of traction in Sport mode Expensive servicing costs Warranty duration could be longer
What we like
Great value at an excellent price Good range Spacious interior
What we don’t
Loss of traction in Sport mode Expensive servicing costs Warranty duration could be longer
Build Your Dreams. That’s what it says in large shiny letters across the back of the Atto 3. It’s the newest electric vehicle to arrive here and we had a chance to test the Australian version, not the left-hand drive one, nor the pre-production model as you may have seen in other reviews, nope, we have reviewed the car that you’ll buy.
It has to be the longest car badge in the history of car badges. I mean it’s a whole sentence. I don’t know what it means, but I like it, because it’s unusual, which is a hint of what to expect from the Atto3 small SUV.
The Atto3 is unusual, not just in its quirky interior design but also its price. Here is an EV which costs less than $50K, before on-road costs, undercutting other electric vehicles such as the Tesla Model Y, Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 by about $20,000. Only MG’s ZS EV can claim to rival the Atto3 in price.
We had a chance to test the Atto3 over the course of a day, driving it for a few hours in Sydney’s CBD and into the suburbs, so this review only serves as a first impression. Soon we’ll have an Atto3 for a longer stretch and we’ll be able to get to know it better.
Still, this review covers everything you need to know about the Atto 3. From the prices and features, and the range you can travel on a full charge, to how long it takes to charge and where you can service it. Of course we’ll also give you our first impression on what it’s like to drive.
Oh, and you don’t have to call it a Build Your Dream Atto 3. BYD is the shortened version, thankfully.
Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 9/10
In the world of electric vehicles, range costs money, so how far do you want to go? The BYD Atto 3 Standard Range can make it 345km on a full charge and lists for $44,381, while the Atto 3 Extended Range can go 420km, but lists for $3000 more, at $47,381.
The Standard Range and the Extended Range have the same features. Standard on both cars are 18-inch alloys wheels, LED headlights and running lights, LED tail-lights, roof rails, proximity unlocking and an automatic tailgate.
Standard on the inside is a 12.3-inch screen (which can rotate), push-button start, wireless phone charging, air conditioning, heated front seats (the driver’s is power adjustable), ambient lighting and a panoramic sunroof.
Sat nav isn’t included but you can use your phone’s maps. Talking of which Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will become standard features later this year.
Value-for-money is excellent for an electric vehicle and the Atto 3 is pretty much neck and neck with the MG ZS EV (starting at $46,990 drive-away) for the title of most affordable electric vehicle on the market.
Keep in mind on-road costs for different states vary – stamp duty in Western Australia is a lot more than, say, Tasmania.
What are the key stats for the engine and transmission? 7/10
The BYD Atto 3 is a fully-electric vehicle and if you lift the bonnet you’ll see a lot of empty space, but if you look deeper down you’ll see the motor.
Outputs are plenty at 150kW/310Nm. So much so, you’ll be able to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds, which is better than many of the cars that’ll put up beside you at the traffic lights
Quick comparison, the Atto 3’s rival, the MG ZS EV has a single motor making 105kW/353Nm.
The motor drives the front wheels only through a single-speed automatic transmission, so the Atto 3 is a two-wheel drive car, not all-wheel drive.
How much fuel does it consume? 7/10
Here are some numbers which may seem confusing, now, but it’s only because we’re not used to electric vehicles yet. Soon you’ll be rattling off these figures like a pro at the next barbeque or bar mitzvah you attend.
The Atto 3’s standard range battery has a capacity of 49.92kWh and that’ll give you a range of 345km – that’s the WLPT estimation and pretty close to reality.
Seriously, though, you can get more or less depending on how you drive. High-speed motorway driving for example uses up far more charge than city driving.
The extended range battery has more capacity – 60.48kWh and that’s why it has a longer range of 420km (WLPT).
That’s a lot more than the MG ZS EV’s 263km of range from a full charge.
As for energy consumption the Atto 3 will use 16.0kWh/100km for both batteries.
As for how long it takes to charge, well the Atto 3 has a slow charging speed of 7.0kW (a Hyundai Ioniq charges at 10.5kW).
So, a fast charger such as the type you’d find in a supermarket car park will take it from empty to full in up to two hours.
You can also use a regular household power point to charge the Atto 3 but this will take more than 24 hours for a full charge.
You’d be wise to have a fast charger installed at your home or garage. A 7.0kW wall unit will charge the Atto 3 in 8.5 hours. Put it on before you go to bed, wake up and your car has a full charge – just like a phone.
Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
Premium and sporty looking on the outside, downright quirky inside.
I like the Atto 3’s determined looking face with the angry-looking front bumper that makes the car seem wider and lower for a tough stance.
Then, from the back it has the stylish red LED brake light which joints the prestigious looking tail-lights.
And then there’s the badge on the tailgate: Build Your Dreams. I like it. It’s brave and surreal, like the inside.
Yes, the interior of the Atto 3 borders on surreal with its guitar string door pockets, which actually can be played like an instrument.
There’s also the rotating media screen which can turn from a landscape to portrait position, and there’s the dashboard that’s made of a foam-like material and looks like rippled sand stretching from door-to-door in the cabin.
I think BYD might be trying to carry-off a unique and quirky interior as you’d find in a Mini. The quality of the materials or craftsmanship doesn’t appear as impeccable as you’d find on a Mini, but let’s not forget the Atto 3 is far more affordable.
How practical is the space inside? 8/10
The Atto 3 is a small five-seater SUV, but at just under 4.5m it’s larger than the MG ZS EV, which is 4.3m end-to-end.
The extra length and a 2.7m wheelbase that’s longer than even a Toyota RAV4 (which is a mid-sized SUV) means the cabin is spacious for passengers and still leaves a decent sized 440-litre boot for your luggage.
I’m 191cm tall and can easily sit behind my driving position with room to spare. Headroom is compromised by the sunroof, but I have just enough space.
Cabin storage is excellent with four cupholders, big door pockets, an enormous covered storage area between the front seats and a large tray under the floating centre console.
You’ll find a wireless phone charger up front along with two USB ports (Type-A and -C) and a 12V power outlet, and the second row also has two USB ports (Type-A and -C).
A lack of front boot under the bonnet is disappointing. There’s room for one, that’s for sure.
What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating? 8/10
At the time this review was written the Atto 3 hadn’t been given an ANCAP crash test rating. BYD said it expected the Atto 3 to score the maximum five stars but we’ll know for sure when ANCAP hands down its verdict.
Still the advanced safety tech list ticks all the boxes with AEB, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert with braking.
There’s also adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and surround view cameras.
Seven airbags include front passenger and driver front airbags and curtain airbags. There’s also curtain airbags for rear passengers.
What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered? 6/10
The Atto 3 is covered by BYD’s six-year/150,000km warranty and the battery warranty goes for eight years/160,000km. As a comparison MG ZS EV has a seven year unlimited warranty on the car and the battery.
Servicing is needed every 20,000km or 12 months and the prices are capped. Pretty expensive though at $1736.68 over five years or an average of $347.34 per service over that time.
By comparison the MG ZS EV’s service intervals are two years/20,000km and each one is capped at $268.00.
It’s the warranty and servicing costs which have made me give the Atto 3 a lower mark.
Servicing can be done at selected mycar centres, they used to be called Kmart Tyre and Auto but they changed their name to mycar. See the BYD website for their locations
What’s it like to drive? 7/10
Three hours in a car driving from Sydney’s CBD to the suburbs in pouring rain is actually a pretty good way to get to know a vehicle’s strengths and weaknesses. But even so, because we couldn’t have the car for longer, this really is only a first impression.
The Atto 3 I test drove was the Extended Range version, but the Standard Range is identical apart from the shorter distance it can travel on a full battery.
If you’ve driven an EV before then the Atto 3 will feel much the same as a smooth, easy-driving experience. Electric vehicles are so well suited to the city because of their seamless movement with no gears to change, and as I piloted through Sydney’s CBD the experience was serene.
But it could have been better. The motor in the Atto 3 is fairly noisy, more so than most other EVs I’ve driven and the loss of traction in ‘Sport’ mode on the wet city streets concerns me too, although I’ve experienced the same thing in petrol front-wheel drive cars, as well.
There was a loss of traction again at 70km/h on the freeway. Could be a calibration issue, perhaps.
There’s not the same level of refinement in the driving as say a Kia EV6 or Ioniq 5, and definitely not a Tesla Model 3 either, but I found the experience better than the MG ZS EV.
Still the Atto 3 is easy to pilot with an excellent driving position, light steering and a comfortable ride.
Verdict
The BYD Atto 3 is excellent value for money not just for being one of the most affordable electric vehicles, but it’s also loaded with standard features.
Servicing costs are higher than what we’d expect and the warranty’s duration doesn’t match rival MG’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre coverage.
But this is a practical, small SUV with unique and quirky styling that’s going to appeal to many Australians.
Keyword: BYD Atto 3 2023 review