2023 BYD Atto 3 review

All eyes are on the increasing electrification of Australian cars. Overall, it's still a relatively small slice of the Australian motoring landscape, but the slice of electric pie is growing year on year.

More and more electric cars are coming onto the market, and some more cost-effective options are surfacing as well. Not just the playground of the wealthy early adopters, buyers can now look at some options that come in below the $50,000 threshold.

One of these options is from a totally new nameplate in Australia: the 2023 BYD Atto 3.

There have been some question marks around BYD's introduction and rollout into Australia. The local importer made headlines with bold claims of low prices and high sales volumes, but the rollout of BYD vehicles into Australia has been both delayed and protracted.

However, we're finally seeing passenger vehicles go into the hands of consumers. This BYD Atto 3, which is priced from $44,381 before on-road costs, will compete with the MG ZS EV, and Nissan Leaf in the stakes of most affordable electric vehicles.

Our test vehicle, the 2023 BYD Atto 3 Superior Extended Range – fitted with the larger 60kWh battery pack – is priced from $48,081 before on-road costs, which includes the $3000 premium for the larger battery and $700 for the optional Surf Blue paint.

Beyond battery size, there is only one specification level available: Superior. It's quite a well-specced model as well, with things like a rotating 12.8-inch infotainment display, 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless charging pad, imitation leather upholstery with electric front seat adjustment, panoramic sunroof, keyless entry, push-button start and 18-inch alloy wheels. One notable omission is rain-sensing wipers.

In terms of powertrain, BYD's lithium-ion phosphate 'blade' battery feeds power to a single electric motor up front, which has 150kW/310Nm. This brings a claimed driving range of 420km (for the long-range model, according to the WLTP cycle). Our as-tested driving range was quite different however, more on that later.

There's no doubting that the interior of the BYD Atto 3 won't be confused with anything else on the market. It could even be called unique, choosing to clearly march to the beat of its own drum instead of following the design cues from other established players. And from that point of view, it feels like a breath of fresh air.

However, it won't be to everyone's taste. It's a bit out there, that's for sure There are plenty of interesting design elements going on, including the twanging elastic cords over the door bins, oddly designed air vents, foamy, cream-coloured and muscular-looking dashboard centrepiece, and door handles mounted atop the speaker pods.

But beyond all of that (and don't forget the interesting upholstery colours), there are good things to report on.

Along with a standard-fit wireless charging pad, the Atto 3 has USB-A, USB-C and 12V power up front. This is all located underneath the centre console, gear shifter and twin cupholders, which works well for storage. You'll also find a micro-SD port in here, which can store footage from the built-in dash cam recorder.

There's room for bottles in the door cards (behind those guitar-like elastic strings) and decent storage in the centre console. However, we note with sadness that the inbuilt karaoke microphone didn't make it to this Australian-delivered model.

However, having customisable ambient lighting – with a rainbow function – is another cool party trick.

The seats are comfortable and feel well made, with electric adjustment and heating on offer. They're quite a sporty design with an integrated headrest, but my passenger (my wife) didn't find the seats particularly comfortable.

Overall build quality seems to be quite good and solid, without any loose bits of trim or rattles to note.

The second row benefits from a completely flat floor (EV things), and there is plenty of space on offer for occupants. The seats don't slide and don't tilt either. But in their set position, they are comfortable enough with good levels of legroom and headroom on offer, even with a big panoramic sunroof.

There are air vents, USB-A and USB-C power outlets for the second row, and those red twangin' cords continue with space for bottles in the door cards. And don't forget about the cupholders in the fold-down central armrest.

The boot of the Atto 3 seems to be slightly small (when compared to a medium-sized SUV, for example), but it's big enough for most uses at 440L. The floor can be set at two points depending on whether you want a shallow load lip or deeper load space. Underneath is a tyre repair kit (in lieu of a proper spare wheel), which is a shame because a space-saving spare looks like it would fit.

And while rural buyers might be a little more recalcitrant about electric vehicle ownership, I'd wager that a full-size spare would fit with the floor in its highest position. That's not a bad thing for those who want to take an occasional run on rougher and more remote roads, but BYD Australia is yet to offer a full-size (or space-saver spare) as an option or accessory.

In a word, no. Although the 12.8-inch infotainment display is mightily impressive in size, and and has a trick rotating function, it's somewhat lacking in terms of functionality in comparison to other infotainment systems. Although, this situation changed during our test time, and it might also change further in the future (according to BYD).

Standard inclusions of AM/FM radio, digital radio, dash cam-style recorder system anda few other basic features. Although, the system was augmented through an over-the-air update (on the day the car was to be returned, unfortunately) to include Spotify integration and navigation.

BYD's local importer EVDirect has also previously said that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be available by the end of the year, and will be installed as an over-the-air update, without any need to visit the dealership.

There are a few things about the BYD Atto 3 that aren't as straightforward as other makes and models out there, and one of those things is the safety of the vehicle.

The BYD Atto 3 was recently awarded a five-star safety rating by ANCAP and Euro NCAP, but the catch is that it doesn't yet apply to Australian-delivered vehicles, only New Zealand delivered cars. This is because of concerns surrounding the Atto 3's compliance for Australian roads, and an ongoing review by federal regulators.

Which is a shame, because the Atto 3 otherwise scored well in the testing. ANCAP noted a 91 per cent score for adult occupants, while child occupant protection rates at 84 per cent. Vulnerable road users (pedestrians) rated at 69 per cent, while the safety assist systems scored 80 per cent.

There are seven airbags inside the Atto 3, including front, side and curtain airbags, along with a front centre (also known as a far-side) airbag between front occupants.

It also features autonomous emergency braking, forward and rear collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, and rear cross-traffic alert with braking function.

Also included are tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, 360-degree camera (which has a good image quality), front and rear parking sensors, and an imperfect speed sign recognition system.

The warranty of the Atto 3 doesn't seem to be as straightforward as other manufacturers. While there is an overarching six-year, 150,000km warranty for the vehicle, there are lots of exclusions to consider. Only the battery and motor get extensions, while other components – some of them big-ticket items – get reduced coverage.

The table below outlines all of these changes, but things like the multimedia system, shock absorbers, wheel bearings and charging infrastructure having only three years and 60,000km of coverage is concerning.

Servicing costs have been reduced by EVDirect – the local importer of BYD – following a strong public backlash from the initial costs. It now costs $748 for three years and $1384 for five years, which pins it at being noticeably more expensive than arch-rival MG ZS EV. This is mostly because the MG has 24-month and 20,000km service intervals instead of 12-month/20,000km for the BYD.

Insuring a BYD Atto 3 Superior Extended Range costs $1704.95 per year based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

In our time with the vehicle, we saw averages that ranged between 16.4 and 21kWh/100km in the Atto 3. The big variety came from highway driving, which was less efficient, while more town driving balanced things better.

These figures pin the Atto 3 at being a little less efficient than a Kia Niro EV and MG ZS EV, but similar to a Nissan Leaf and better than a Kia EV6 (according to recent Drive garage reviews).

We also struggled to match the 420km claimed range in the vehicle. We would bank on around 350km of range between recharges for town driving, while highway driving blunts that range even more: as little as 280km.

One important positive for me about the Atto 3 is the ride quality.

You can feel the weight of the vehicle over the bumps. Often it’s in a positive way, seemingly crushing things down with its weight. But it's also sometimes not so positive, without any ability to skip over bigger stuff easily.

It’s nicely tuned overall, with the suspension set up to absorb the sort of imperfections that you regularly come across. But with larger hits and wallows, the weight can also get a little bit out of control at times. That 1750kg of kerb mass – not a small amount for a vehicle of this size – does begin to betray the suspension’s performance.

That weight inhibits any kind of sporting performance, as the Atto 3 doesn't feel comfortable or capable when starting to be pushed through corners.

The tyres aren't helping in this regard. While the unimpressive Chaoyang tyres of our first taste have been replaced, the Atlas Batman tyres on this right-hand-drive model don't seem to advance the cause much either. They seem to lack outright grip through acceleration and cornering, especially when roads are damp.

Drive has seen reports of Atto 3 owners replacing their factory rubber with aftermarket options from other brands with good success, and we'd suggest it's a good option to consider.

With 150kW and 310Nm going through the front wheels, the Atto 3 gets along well enough for the application. It's not one of those mind-bogglingly fast electric cars like we see from Tesla, Mercedes-Benz and others. Instead, it uses that instant torque to give enough shove to get into and through traffic well enough. However, the overall performance can be capped by the tyres, which seem to squirm and squeal at the first signs of pressure.

When you consider how fit for purpose this Atto 3 is against the intended usage, it's hard to level any major criticism against it. Except for those tyres.

While the Atto 3 is still an expensive proposition when compared to a similarly sized petrol-powered vehicle, it's a big push in the right direction of price parity. And it's important to remember that although this is a new and emerging brand in Australia, BYD is far from being a start-up.

BYD is huge and well established, and you get a sense of that expertise and experience from spending time with the car. The build quality feels good, ride quality is also solid, and there's a good level of space and comfort on offer inside.

It's fair to say that the Atto 3's arrival into the Australian market has been bumpy. Following on from claims of top-10 sales performance, local distributor EVDirect has been forced to backtrack on elements like warranty and servicing costs, and the brand has not been immune to supply chain woes that have caused delays in production and delivery.

It has recently culminated in a stop sale, which is planned to last for one week and will aim to fix the issues surrounding compliance with Australian Design Rules.

Buyers should make themselves aware of these issues, but it has to be said that the vehicle itself is solid, well priced and impressive. And with a better set of tyres, it feels like one of the best-value electric offerings currently in Australia.