Overview

Although you would be forgiven for thinking that the BYD company is new, it is a technology company that was first founded in 1995. BYD stands for “Build Your Dreams” and it has turned its attention to producing a series of electric vehicles.

Making its debut in Australia in 2022, the BYD Atto 3 is a small/medium plug-in electric vehicle. At a fraction under 4.5 metres long and 1.9 metres wide, it is small yet deceivingly generous in its usable space. It has a 440-litre boot which expands to 1340 litres if you fold down the rear passenger seats, making it more than comparable with other similar sized SUVs in the market today.

BYD have elected to place the electric motor over the front axle and as a result this vehicle is a front-wheel drive. Its electric motor produces 150kW of power and 310Nm of torque which translates to a quoted acceleration time of 7.3 seconds for 0 to 100 km/h. Whilst this may not appear to be record-breaking performance, in the real world this translates into a very spritely drive, especially when carrying out the mundane daily duties in suburbia.

The Atto 3 comes in 2 specifications – the Standard and the Extended model. The key difference between the two models is the distance they can travel, with the Standard quoted at 410 km and the Extended pushing the envelope further to 480km. It should be noted that real world driving plays a significant role in how close you can get to these claimed numbers. At best, the quoted numbers appear optimistic, however in fairness, the same can also be easily said about the same for petrol vehicle manufacturers and their supposed fuel efficiency rates as compared to their real-world performance.

What we like

Put simply, there are many things a vehicle owner will appreciate in the BYD Atto 3. It comes with a 5-star ANCAP safety rating and features great safety technology including Automatic Emergency Braking system (AEB), Front Collision Warning, Rear Collision Warning, Blind Spot Monitoring, Door Open Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Brake to name a few.

The raft of technology carries over to other items including Apple Car Play and Android Auto, which feature on the single centre console 12.8” display which can rotate between landscape and portrait orientations, depending on the driver’s choice. There is an 8 speaker High-Definition sound system which has both FM and DAB capability.

The aesthetics of the cabin are surprisingly modern and solid without being ostentatious. There is an abundance of storage spaces within the cabin which would suit many families. Both front seats are heated and the vehicle comes with a panoramic electric sliding sunroof.

What we don’t like

The instrument cluster that sits above the steering wheel is too small and is almost impossible to read when the light background is selected. Whilst this can be remedied somewhat by choosing the dark background, the size of the numbers is probably on the too-small side for a car designed in 2022. Given that other manufacturers have progressed to heads-up displays and improvements in driver technology, this item borders on distracting.

Drivers should also be aware that whilst the vehicle has a spritely performance in real-world driving, the set-up of the suspension is more towards comfort over sportiness. That is more than adequate for most of us in everyday driving duties, especially around town. However, if you find yourself wanting to push on a little out of the city limits, you may find yourself underwhelmed by its chassis response under harder acceleration.

The verdict

If you are in the market for a new electric vehicle, and you don’t want to break the bank, then you must look at the BYD Atto 3. It is one of the cheapest electric vehicles in Australia today and whilst it not built to the standard one would expect to find in a luxury vehicle, it is still a very attractive package with great features and very sensible performance in typical everyday driving. This is one vehicle that you might find is something straight out of your dreams!