BYD has seemingly come from nowhere in 2023 but has already signalled its intent to take on the establishment with its EV models, specifically the Atto 3. Just as the Atto 3 is seemingly establishing itself in the market, BYD’s baby, the Dolphin, looks set to be introduced to the UK market in a matter of months, equalling a double EV threat from the Chinese manufacturer. 

The Atto 3 is a C-segment SUV, built on BYD’s newest electric platform, the E-platform 3.0. A scalable 400V or 800V platform, it could be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or even all-wheel drive. However, here it has 400V and a 60kWh battery, but its ‘blade battery’ uses clever cell-to-pack technology, for safety and reliability, which in turn equals a slimmer design. 

The Atto 3 also features the world’s first mass-produced 8-in-1 electric powertrain and a high-efficiency heat pump, which should equal more efficiency and range reliability. We charged the Atto 3 a couple of times during the week we had it, and despite showing the claimed 260 mile range on the display, its performance on the road would suggest 200 miles is more realistic. Still, the charging speeds are good, with a 10-to-80% DC charge on a 150kWh charger taking 44 minutes.

The styling might be generic, but the BYD attracted a lot of attention from other mostly EV drivers during the time we had the car. Mainly positive, the only divider was the ‘Build Your Dreams’ badging across the boot. Move inside, and the Atto 3’s more extravagantly designed interior surprises, as it seems to be a complete contrast to the exterior. However, we found we didn’t spend too much time looking at that but more at the dashboard highlight – the electric rotary touchscreen, here in largest 15.6in size. There’s also a smaller 5in screen behind the steering wheel for the instruments, which considering its size, crams in a lot of functions, and we wonder if that could be improved? The touchscreen is designed to operate like an Apple iPhone and is generally intuitive, but its party piece is the fact it can be changed from horizontal to vertical at the touch of a button. 

Elsewhere, other Atto interior features such as the kettlebell-style gear selector and the barbell-style door handles are definitely quirky and inspired by a gym. Although, how the guitar-string-like door pockets are influenced by a gym we’re not sure. Overall quality is good, but some of the detailing for interior items such as the gear selector disappoints. The interior also smells quite heavily of the plastic trim and the left-hand rear seat belt on our test car was locked solid. 

Get over the interior design and the driving position and supportive one-piece sports seats impress with their comfort. Rear space is also good, and even with the standard glass sunroof, the tallest have just enough headroom. Considering all the interior space, the 440-litre boot seems disappointingly small – but it can be extended to 1,338 litres with the rear seat folded down.

The Atto 3 is offered with a choice of three equipment grades, but we had the range-topping Design, priced at £39,695. On the road, it’s the torque (310Nm) that impresses first. The urgency does seem to drop off, however, as you get closer to the national level. You wish for more brake feel when slowing down, too. Handling-wise, the Atto 3 does not feel as sharp dynamically as the MG4, but it steers confidently enough. There is some body roll, but it’s a tidy handler in corners with generally good grip. It rides well too – although sometimes you can feel its weight thanks to a loss of body control at speed. Also, despite three driving modes, ‘Sport’ is the only one that changes the throttle response.

The Atto 3 impresses, is good value for money, offers a tidy drive and has a spacious and unusually styled interior. Range and interior quality issues aside, it remains a serious and credible EV rival to the established opposition.

BYD Atto 3 Design 

P11D: £39,640

Residual value: 42.5%

Depreciation: £22,782

Fuel: £4,182

Service, maintenance and repair: £1,545

Cost per mile: 47.51p

Range: 260 miles

CO2 (BIK %): 0g/km (2%)   

BIK 20/40% a month: £13/£26

Luggage capacity: 440 litres

Battery size/power: 60kWh/168hp