BYD ATTO 3 Review: 260-Mile Range SUV

Practical Size

260-mile driving range

Good to drive

Competitively priced

BYD ATTO 3 design & powertrain

The BYD ATTO 3 has the exterior styling that is typical of many SUVs, but the interior has some interesting design features as a result of being based on the concept of ‘sports and fitness’. The interior is spacious, and there’s a 440-litre boot.

A key feature of the ATTO 3 is its 60.48 kWh LFP ‘Blade’ battery. Battery technology is a speciality of BYD (which stands for ‘Build Your Dreams’), and the company claims that its Blade battery sets new standards for battery safety, energy density and space utilisation. The ATTO 3 has a 204 PS electric motor and it’s front-wheel drive.

Driving Experience

A key feature of the ATTO 3 is its 60.48 kWh LFP ‘Blade’ battery. Battery technology is a speciality of BYD (which stands for ‘Build Your Dreams’), and the company claims that its Blade battery sets new standards for battery safety, energy density and space utilisation. The ATTO 3 has a 204 PS electric motor and it’s front-wheel drive.

The ATTO 3 has three drive modes;

Eco
Normal
Sport (With the added button for snow!)

There’s also a button for standard or increased brake regeneration. The drive mode and the brake regen level stay in the same setting next time you drive the vehicle.

There’s a large 12.8″ touchscreen (or an even larger 15.6″ touchscreen in top of the range ‘Design’ spec), and the screen can rotate between landscape and portrait formats by pressing a button, or by giving a verbal command.

The heating and ventilation controls are on the touchscreen, so there are times when you can’t access these controls, for example if Apple CarPlay is on the screen. However if you’re accessing car controls on the touchscreen, it’s easy to get back to Apple CarPlay thanks to a permanent button for it on the screen.

Range & Charging

The BYD ATTO 3 has a WLTP combined electric driving range of 260 miles, which is good for this size of car in this price bracket. And the ATTO 3 appeared to be averaging 260 miles in real-world driving.

The ATTO 3 has a maximum rapid charging rate of 88 kW. BYD quotes a time of 29 minutes to charge from 30%-80% at a rapid DC charger, and 44 minutes for a 10%-80% charge. The company also quotes a time of 80 minutes to charge from 0%-100% at a rapid DC charger.

A 7 kW AC home charger should give a charge of 0%-100% in 9 hours 42 minutes, and an 11 kW 3-phase workplace AC charger should take 6 hours 30 minutes for a 0%-100% charge (note that 11 kW charging isn’t available on the Active trim level).

Watch our BYD Atto 3 review

Pricing and Model Range

The BYD ATTO 3 starts at £36,490 for the entry-level Active model, rising to £36,990 for Comfort trim, and £38,990 for the top-of-the-range Design model.

Conclusion

The BYD ATTO 3 looks similar to other mid-size SUVs on the outside, but the interior has more differentiation, thanks to some of the details of its ‘sports and fitness’ design theme, and its rotating central touchscreen.

The ATTO 3 is good to drive, with comfortable ride quality being a key feature. The 260-mile range is better than many other EVs in this segment, but the maximum charging rate of 88 kW could be improved.

The £36,490 starting price of the BYD ATTO 3 is competitive and is a sign of things to come from BYD - and from other Chinese brands introducing EVs into the UK.