The BYD Atto 3 is a different option for those in search of a high-value compact family EV Crossover. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

The BYD Atto 3 enters the crowded market for compact family-sized Crossover EVs, though this fresh Chinese contender is a little less compact than its mass-market rivals - and in some ways, a little cleverer too. It's the alternative you probably won't have considered, but possibly should.

Background

So. Yet another Chinese-branded small EV. Following, MG and GWM Ora, we now have BYD. Which launches on the UK market with this car, the Atto 3. The brand letters stand for 'Build Your Dreams' and the company is actually a huge global player, in 2022 selling nearly 1.9 million EVs and Plug-in Hybrids. Apart from a few e6 MPV electric taxis though, the Atto 3 is the first BYD product we've seen here, its name derived from the word 'attosecond' (which apparently is one quintillionth of a second). They already love this car in China, but there it's called the Yuan Plus. This of course is just the start of BYD's product offensive, overseen by UK dealer network that'll grow from around 30 to about 100 outlets by 2025. By then, we may also be seeing this Shenzhen-based company's Yangwang premium EV brand, which will bring us luxury sports cars and SUVs. But let's start with a look at this Atto 3.

Driving Experience

The performance on offer here won't be much the stuff of 'Dreams', unless those dreams happen to be somewhat modest. Nor, more significantly, will the 261 mile range figure you'll get from the 60.5kWh battery, despite said battery's uniquely-dense 'Blade'-style construction. It powers a single 201bhp electric motor mounted on the front axle (rather than on the rear one, as would it would be from a rival Volkswagen, Skoda or CUPRA model in this class). The Atto 3 doesn't pointlessly hurl itself at the horizon from the get-go, but performance is pleasantly eager, the 7.3 second 0-62mph time about a second faster than comparable Kia Niro EV or Skoda Enyaq iV 60 models. Not that this should suggest handling dynamics tailored for those who like their driving. On the contrary, as you might expect, the multi-link rear suspension with its soft springs has been set up here to prioritise comfort, as most likely owners will want. Expect impressive refinement too. And the usual EV-typical 99mph top speed.

Design and Build

At a glance, for several reasons, you might be left a little unsure of what this Atto 3 model is. In terms of brand, there's a kind of 'I-can't-quite-place-it-MG' sort of vibe. You might also be a touch undecided in terms of this Chinese model's size, where the positioning is little large for models in the compact hatch Kia Niro EV / Volkswagen ID.3 electric segment. And a little small if you're looking at something in the sector just above, like a Volkswagen ID.4 or a Hyundai IONIQ 5. Dimensionally then, the Atto 3 straddles two sectors, a bit like the Skoda Enyaq iV, one of its closest rivals. The Crossover styling is a touch blander than one of those, but smart - in a conservative kind of way. It's a lot more memorable inside, where there's a clear design layout with some unexpectedly quirky touches. The main feature of note is the central 'Electric rotary touchscreen', which will be either 12.8-inches or an enormous 15.6-inches in size, depending on the trim level you've chosen. Strangely, it can rotate to display in either landscape or portrait formats via a push of a provided steering wheel button (BYD thinks it's safer to use the landscape screen for media functions and the portrait screen for the sat nav). Cabin quality is better than the kind of thing you'll find in rival Chinese brands MG and GWM Ora, though there's still scope for improvement. And you get a clearly laid-out 5-inch digital instrument screen. Curious touches include air vents like old CD racks, door bins made of cords strung like guitar strings, interior door handles fixed on the speakers and, weirdly, no auto wiper function. Rear leg room is good, even by the impressive EV class standard, and there's a flat floor. The headroom's a little restricted by the standard panoramic glass roof. You pay for that legroom a little in boot space - it's 440-litres (35-litres less than the slightly smaller Kia Niro EV), but there's 1,338-litres available if you fold the seats flat.

Market and Model

Interestingly for an unknown brand, BYD isn't looking to substantially undercut its main competitors on price. Atto 3 pricing starts at around £36,500 for the base-spec 'Active' variant. You'll need around £37,000 for mid-range 'Comfort'-spec; and about £39,000 for top 'Design' trim. As we told you in our 'Driving' section, all versions are based around the same powertrain combination of a 60.5kWh battery and 201bhp motor. You order online, but all purchases go through the brand's UK dealer network, currently 30-strong. BYD's big market advantage is that, unlike other brands, it makes all its EV drivetrain components itself: batteries, motors, control units, semiconductors - the lot. Which is why instead of waiting months for your car, as is currently the case with EVs from some other brands in this segment, an Atto 3 can be with you in no more than a couple of weeks. And it'll be very well equipped. Even base 'Active' spec gives you quite a lot. There are 18-inch wheels, LED automatic headlights with High Beam Assist, LED tail lamps, roof rails, a panoramic electric sunroof, a heat pump and metallic paint. Parking is aided by camera and all-round sensors and you get adaptive cruise control with an intelligent speed limiter. Inside, even with base active spec, there's vegan leather upholstery, with power adjustment and heating for the front seats. Plus multi-colour ambient lighting, a wireless charging mat and a 5-inch TFT LCD instrument panel. Media connectivity is taken care of by a 12.8-inch 'Electric rotary touchscreen', with voice control, an 8-speaker DAB audio system, 4G Internet access and the company's 'BYD DiLink' suite of media systems. There's also an 8-year 'Cloud service' that gives you 1.5Gb of data per month for free for the first two years. And you get a useful 'Vehicle-to-Load' function so that you can charge things like lap tops and power tools from the vehicle. Mid-range 'Comfort'-spec is the same, except that the base version's feeble 7kW on-board charger is raised to 11kW status. Top 'Design' trim doesn't get you much extra apart from a larger 15.6-inch version of the 'Electric rotary touchscreen', an air purification system and a bit of extra ambient lighting. All Atto 3 models get the same extremely high standard of safety kit. There's a 'Forward Collision Warning' system with 'Automatic Emergency Braking', 'Rear Collision Warning', Rear Cross Traffic Alert', 'Lane Keep Assistance', 'Lane Change Assist', 'Emergency Lane Keep', 'Traffic Sign Recognition' and a full suite of airbags, including a front centre airbag. We said there was a lot.

Cost of Ownership

The battery used here is of the unique-to-BYD lithium-ion-phosphate 'Blade' variety, which incorporates cells mounted in the strips directly to the pack. Which, the Chinese maker says, allows for a much higher cell density than a conventional battery could offer. So a much higher driving range then? Afraid not. The 261 mile range is reasonably class-competitive, but way off being class leading (a MK2 Hyundai Kona Electric, probably the closest rival here, manages 304 miles for instance). BYD claims an efficiency figure of 3.98 miles per kWh; expect more like 3.2 miles per kWh in the real world. To preserve driving range in cold conditions, a heat pump is standard (which draws want for the cabin from the surrounding ambient air and is something that's normally a pricey extra in this segment). You'd think that BYD building, designing and owning this car's entire set of EV drivetrain components (including battery and semiconductors) would allow the company to make the Atto 3 the first car in its segment to offer a truly modern 800V electrical architecture capable of allowing charging with the new breed of ultra-rapid DC public chargers - something we've already seen with the only-slightly-larger Hyundai IONIQ 5. But no, it's the same conventional 400V system as everyone else uses - and the entry model only gets it with a feeble 7kW on-board charger: from mid-spec 'Comfort' trim upwards, a proper 11kW charger unit comes included. Which, when connected to a public 150kW DC charger allows the Atto 3 to be charged to a modest maximum of 88kW. At that speed, a 30-80% boost takes 29 minutes. An AC charge from a home 7kW single-phase wallbox takes 9 hours and 42 minutes from empty to full. If you've avoided base trim and can use an 11kW 3-phase charger, that figure falls to six and a half hours.

Summary

So yet another option to add to your list if you're seeking a compact but family-shaped Crossover-style EV. We're surprised that BYD hasn't priced the Atto 3 a touch lower to give customers more reason to switch from an established brand. But there's no doubt that you get an awful lot for what you're paying here, including a greater slice of interior tech than you might expect at this price point. Interestingly, BYD (which wasn't even making cars until 20 years ago) describes itself as a 'technology company' rather than a car brand. Which shows itself here with this model's uniquely dense 'Blade' battery and standard heat pump. So there's more to this Atto 3 than meets the eye. BYD certainly has big plans for it - and the UK. The company already owns 95% of our electric bus market, it probably produces the battery in your smartphone or lap top. And in future, it wants to sell you your car too. Maybe not this one. But it's well worth a look.

Body Glass

Rain sensor

Rear wiper

Privacy glass for rear side windows and rear window

4 x One-touch lift window with anti-pinch function

Brakes

Traction control

Electronic parking brake

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Automatic emergency braking system

Electronic Stability Programme (ESP)

Auto vehicle hold function

Hill decent control

Electronic brake distribution

Integrated Park Brake

Comfort stop

Carpets/Rugs

Velour floor mats

All weather floor mats

Rear trunk mat

Communication

Voice control system

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

BYD DiLink

Onboard 4G connectivity

Driver Aids

Lane keep assist

Forward collision warning

Traffic sign recognition

Rear collision warning

360 camera

3 driving modes Normal/Eco/Sport

Lane change assist

Power assisted steering

Blind spot detection

Adaptive Cruise Control and Intelligent Cruise Control

Intelligent Speed Limit Information and Intelligent Speed Limit Control

Rear cross traffic alert and rear cross traffic brake

2 x front parking radar

4 x Rear parking radar

Driver Convenience

Electric tailgate

Driver Information

Navigation system

Emergency call service

Emergency lane keep assist

Smartphone wireless charging

5" TFT full LCD instrument panel

15.6" Electric rotary touchscreen

Driving Mirrors

Automatic dimming rear view mirror

Electrically folding and heated exterior mirrors

Entertainment

8 Speaker audio system

DAB radio and FM radio

Exterior Body Features

Metallic paint

Rear side wing doors

Aluminum roof rail

Electric panoramic srunroof with anti-clamping

Exterior Lights

Automatic headlights

LED daytime running lights

LED Headlights

High beam assist

Follow me home lighting

LED 3rd brake light

LED taillights

Footlights for exterior mirrors

Heating/Cooling/Ventilation

Heat pump

Rear seat air vents

PM2.5 air purification system

Interior Features

Heated steering wheel

Rear armrest with 2 cupholders

Fabric roof lining

Illuminated centre console

12V power sockets

Vegan leather multifunction steering wheel

Center armrest with dual cupholder

Rear trunk parcel shelf

Panoramic sunroof sunshade

2 x Front USB charge port (1 x Type A , 1 x Type C)

2 x Rear USB charge port (1 x Type A , 1 x Type C)

Vegan leather seats with red piping

Interior Lights

Glovebox light

Front LED reading lights

Driver and front passenger footlights

Four LED door lights

Rear side LED reading lights

Rhythm-reactive multi-colour ambient lighting doorknob

Rhythm-reactive multi-colour ambient lighting door panel and pad

Safety

Front passenger airbag

Warning triangle

Front side airbags

Seatbelt warning

Child locks on rear doors

Driver's airbag

3x3 point rear seat belts

Deactivation switch for front passenger's airbag

Direct tyre pressure monitoring system

Front center airbag

Front side air curtain airbag

Mechanical child safety lock

2 ISOFIX in outer rear seats and 1 ISOFIX in front passenger seat

Belt with pretensioner and force limiter

Panoramic viewer

Door Opening Warning

Reflective vest

Seats

Heated front seats

3 individual rear seats

60/40 split folding rear seat

3 rear head restraints

Integrated front headrests

Single front passenger seat

Rear seats center headrest

Driver seat with 6-way electric adjustment

Front passenger seat with 4-way electric adjustment

Front seat file bag

Front ventilated seats

Security

Keyless entry and start

2 E-Key and 1 NFC Key

Towing

Towing hook

Vanity Mirrors

Driver and front passenger sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors

Vehicle Charging

11KW onboard charger

Mode 2 charging cable-Type F

Mode 3 Type 2 charging cable (3 phase)

Vtol power strip - Type F

Vehicle To Load function

Wheels

Continental tyres - 235/50 R18

Wheels - Alloy

18" Alloy wheels

Wheels - Spare

Tyre repair kit

Electric Vehicle Data

Battery Charging Scenario 1 - Charge Time (Mins): 582

Battery Charging Scenario 1 - Power Supply - kW: 7

Battery Charging Scenario 1 - Percentage Change: 0-100

Battery Charging Scenario 2 - Charge Time (Mins): 380

Battery Charging Scenario 2 - Power Supply - kW: 11

Battery Charging Scenario 2 - Percentage Change: 0-100

Battery Charging Scenario 3 - Charge Time (Mins): 80

Battery Charging Scenario 3 - Power Supply - kW: 150

Battery Charging Scenario 3 - Percentage Change: 0-100

Battery Charging Scenario 4 - Charge Time (Mins): 35

Battery Charging Scenario 4 - Power Supply - kW: 150

Battery Charging Scenario 4 - Percentage Change: 10-80

Coupler/Connector Type: CCS Type 2

Standard manufacturers Battery warranty - Years: 8

Standard manufacturers Battery warranty - Mileage: 120000

Battery Capacity in kWh: 60.48

Battery Leased: 0

Battery Type: Lithium-ion

WLTP - Pure Electric Range (km) - City: 565

WLTP - Pure Electric Range (km) - Comb: 418

WLTP - EC (kWh/100km) - City: 12

WLTP - EC (kWh/100km) - Comb: 16

WLTP - EC (miles/kWh) - City: 5.2

WLTP - EC (miles/kWh) - Comb: 3.9

WLTP - Pure Electric Range (miles) - City: 351

WLTP - Pure Electric Range (miles) - Comb: 260

Battery Capacity % guaranteed under warranty: 75

Charging Port Location: Right Side Front

Usable Battery Capacity: 60.48

Maximum Charging Rate - kW: 150

Emissions - ICE

CO2 (g/km): 0

Standard Euro Emissions: N

Noise Level dB(A): N

CO: N

HC: N

NOx: N

HC+NOx: N

Particles: N

Engine and Drive Train

Cylinders - Bore (mm): N

Cylinders - Stroke (mm): N

CC: 1

Cylinders: N

Cylinder Layout: N

Number of Valves: N

Camshaft: N

Fuel Delivery: N

Catalytic Convertor: N

Engine Layout: N

Compression Ratio: N

Transmission: AUTO

Gears: 1 SPEED

Engine Code: N

Fuel Consumption - ICE

EC Directive 1999/100/EC Applies: N

EC Urban (mpg): N

EC Extra Urban (mpg): N

EC Combined (mpg): N

General

Coin Series: Design

Coin Description: N

Did at least one aspect of this vehicle's safety give cause for concern?: 0

Special Edition: 0

Special Order: 0

Based On ID: N

Insurance Group 1 - 50 Effective January 07: 38D

Service Interval Mileage: 20000

Service Interval Frequency - Months: 24

NCAP Adult Occupant Protection %: 91

NCAP Child Occupant Protection %: 89

NCAP Pedestrian Protection %: 69

NCAP Safety Assist %: 74

NCAP Overall Rating - Effective February 09: 5

Badge Power: 204

Badge Engine CC: 0

Vehicle Homologation Class: M1

Generation Mark: 1

Alternative Fuel Qualifying: No

Performance

0 to 62 mph (secs): 7.3

Top Speed: 99

Engine Power - BHP: 204

Engine Power - PS: No

0 to 60 mph (secs): 0

Engine Power - KW: 150

Engine Power - RPM: 5000

Engine Torque - LBS.FT: 229

Engine Torque - NM: 310

Engine Torque - RPM: 0

Engine Torque - MKG: 31.6

Test Cycles

Emissions Test Cycle: WLTP

RDE Certification Level: N/A

Tyres

Tyre Size Front: 235/50 R18

Tyre Size Rear: 235/50 R18

Tyre Size Spare: TYRE REPAIR KIT

Wheel Type: 18" ALLOY

Wheel Style: N

Alloys?: No

Vehicle Dimensions

Length: 4455

Width: 1875

Wheelbase: 2720

Width (including mirrors): 2075

Height: 1615

Height (including roof rails): N

Weight and Capacities

Minimum Kerbweight: 1750

Gross Vehicle Weight: 2160

Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres): N

Max. Loading Weight: 410

Luggage Capacity (Seats Up): 555

No. of Seats: 5

Max. Roof Load: 50

Luggage Capacity (Seats Down): 1338

Turning Circle - Kerb to Kerb: 10.8

Paint - Metallic

Metallic - Cosmos black

Metallic - Surfing blue

Metallic - Skiing white

Metallic - Climbing grey

Trim - Leather

Vegan leather - Black

Vegan leather - Dark blue and grey with red piping