2024 BYD Atto 3 Extended Range Review

Did you know that one of the best selling cars in Australia this year is a Tesla Model Y?

That’s right, an electric car - or rather SUV - delivered straight to our doorstep from its Shanghai, China manufacturing plant.

But not everyone can go out and spend at least $69,000 on a brand new Tesla. Que the ‘competitor brands’ - like MG with its MG4, Build Your Dreams (BYD) with its upcoming Dolphin and Seal, and Atto 3, or GWM with its Ora - that are bringing affordable EVs similarly from China, but at almost half the price.

In fact rather shockingly, the BYD Atto 3 has single-handedly made BYD the #2 EV seller in Australia… that’s a success story by definition.

The BYD Atto 3 is one of Australia’s cheapest EV SUV’s, with the MG ZS EV being the closest competitor in the space.

It is full of some of the quirkiest quirks in the car industry, but in all honesty, that’s not such a bad thing.

Let’s review the BYD Atto 3!

How much does the BYD Atto 3 cost?

You may have noticed a ‘race to the bottom’ at the moment for Chinese manufacturer’s in Australia.

Although the Atto 3 is certainly inexpensive for an EV, it’s really it’s smaller brother - the Dolphin - that is taking the hit on extremely competitive pricing at just $38,890 ($100 less than an MG4 51 Excite, interestingly).

The Atto 3 is available in a single high-spec grade but with the option of standard range or extended range.

2024 BYD Atto 3 pricing:

• BYD Atto 3 Standard Range: $48,011 AUD
• BYD Atto 3 Extended Range: $51,011 AUD

The standard range comes with a 50.1 kWh battery with up to 345km of range (WLTP), while the extended range comes with a larger 60.4 kWh battery with up to 420km of range (WLTP).

How good does it look?

The BYD Atto 3 is a smart looking car, that is far less shouty on the exterior than interior.

Clearly going for an aero-design, the vast majority of the front is plugged up.

A neat LED light bar is up front, visible when the car has its bright-enough LED lights on.

The side is also not too long, in fact at just under 4.5 meters, it’s almost a ‘goldilocks’ effect of being just the right size to be a practical SUV, whilst also being city-friendly.

Out-back, the rear has the best views in my opinion - with another LED light bar making what is a fairly cheap car (by 2024 standards) - a very good looking car.

What’s the interior like of the BYD Atto 3 Extended Range?

The BYD has to have the quirkiest interior of the last decade, and frankly, I’m here for it.

Whereas I was quite underwhelmed by the design of the MG4, the BYD Atto 3 takes an opposite approach, to really WOW you.

The dash design was succinctly summarised by Jacob as ‘Alien’. Can you see it?

Despite its price tag, the Atto 3 comes with soft touch materials absolutely everywhere. That’s important for soaking up road noise, and the Atto 3 benefits from that resulting in a quiet enough ride.

It does have some rather interesting quirks I would be remiss not to mention. The door cards have ‘guitar strings’, which you can pluck and make musical sounds.

The door handles are connected to the tweeters high up in the door, with an almost fun action when opening.

More curiously, the Tesla-esque 12.8 inch display rotates 90 degrees, so you can have it as a portrait or landscape display… well, kind of. 

For most people, you will want to use it in its ‘landscape’ mode, because that’s the only way to get Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to work.

Still, the display is actually extremely functional being snappy to use, great graphics and also displays some of the best 360 degree camera functionality we’ve seen so far.

The little 5 inch motorcycle-style display in front of the driver is best described as ‘fine’, not showing a huge amount of information or customisation but it does the job.

Even the seats - which are heated - provide enough support, feel good to the touch (they aren’t real leather, but do look it), and are really easy to get into a comfortable position.

However, there are some drawbacks to the interior.

For instance, air conditioning controls are almost entirely relegated to the infotainment display which is frustrating when driving and needing to change temperature.

Some of the switch gear as well, including buttons on the admittedly nice feeling leather steering wheel but also the gear shifter, don’t feel particularly nice to action.

Despite its funky design, you still get plenty of storage spaces too, with a USB-A port, USB-C port and wireless charger up front for all your connectivity needs.

It also feels nice and airy - both in the front seats and back seats - thanks to the large panoramic sunroof.

The blue and highly textured interior will not be for everyone, but personally, I think the interior of the BYD Atto 3 is a very cool and mostly functional place to be.

What about the back seats of the BYD Atto 3 Extended Range?

Despite it’s relatively small size - especially for an SUV - the Atto 3 has plenty of space in the rear. At 5’11”, I have plenty of space behind my drivers position for head, leg and toe-room.

Importantly, despite the large battery pack in the floor, your legs sit at a good angle and with enough support from the seats.

Amenities are also good, with 2 air vents, a USB A-port and USB-C port.

You also get funky map pockets, but again very useful, totalling 3 for each seat.

Scooching around the back seats is also easy considering the flat floor thanks to no transmission tunnel.

In fact, the only real drawback to the rear seats are the guitar strings in the door cards - I can imagine kids playing with those would get very, very annoying.

How much can fit in the boot of the BYD Atto 3?

Using the powered tailgate to enter the boot space, you’ll find a relatively practical 440L of space.

Dropping the rear seats, you can expand that to 1340L of boot space.

If you want to get the maximum amount of room, however, be prepared to drop the false floor down and have a rather big hump in the way.

Still, it's a relatively big space.

What’s under the bonnet of the BYD Atto 3?

Well no storage, which is disappointing.

But you do get a single electric motor, mounted on the front wheels, which outputs 150kW of power and 310Nm of torque. 

That’s not mind blowing, but still better than what you’d find in an MG4 in terms of raw output.

Because we are driving the extended range, we have the larger 60.4kWh battery which has a claimed 480km of range according to BYD’s website, however, it’s actual WLTP range is 420km.

Based on our week of testing, however, we were seeing figures closer to 330km in daily driving.

We haven’t driven the standard range yet, but it has a WLTP of 345km so its real world range might be closer to 270km or so which wouldn’t be great.

Charging is also very average for an EV, with AC charging maxing out at 7kW and DC charging maxing out at 80kW. So realistically, a 0-80% charge will take around 40 minutes at best, which is just ‘okay’.

How does the BYD Atto 3 Extended Range drive?

Don’t expect life changing driving dynamics when you drive the BYD Atto 3.

But it does everything competently enough.

Frankly the biggest let-down are the Atlas-branded tyres on the car, which really hold very little grip. We drove the Atto 3 in pretty bad weather while out on country roads, and it had a tendency to wheel slip.

First thing I would do is replace those tyres with something a bit better.

Still, the Atto 3 has a nice smooth acceleration using the front electric motor when gentle throttle is applied. And it’s pretty quick too, when it does get some grip.

Even in the torrential downpour we were filming in, we managed to get a 0-100km/h time of 8.55 seconds.

In fact, it has quite a lot of torque steer through the front wheel when you do give it some sauce which is testament to the power outputs of the motor.

As I said earlier, cruising around is really pleasant due to the lack of road noise. All the soft touch materials help a lot in quietening down the interior.

That extends to the ride quality which for the most part is quite good. The BYD Atto 3 with its MacPherson Strut front and Multi-link rear has quite a soft suspension tune, which for around town driving is really good.

The opposite effect of that is body roll when turning a corner is quite pronounced, and because of the poor tyres, it’s certainly not confidence inspiring to drive the Atto 3 at 10/10ths.

Still, the steering feel is nice and direct and it's an overall pleasant driving experience. It certainly impressed me more than the MG ZS EV, which is the Atto 3’s closest competitor.

Autonomous driving features were also mostly well calibrated, with the Atto 3 able to keep itself centered in the lane and adaptive cruise control functioning flawlessly.

The BYD Atto 3 is definitely urban tuned with soft and cushy suspension, which for most people is exactly what you want. Just don’t go expecting the sporty driving dynamics offered by the MG4.

What are the key specs of the BYD Atto 3?

The BYD Atto 3 comes with an extensive range of inclusions.

Key highlights are:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Roof rails
• 50.1 kWh ‘Blade’ battery (Standard Range) OR 60.4 kWh ‘Blade’ battery (Extended Range)
• Powered panoramic sunroof
• Power tailgate
• Heated and power-folding side mirrors
• LED headlights
• Auto high-beam
• LED daytime running lights
• LED rear lights
• 12.8-inch rotating touchscreen infotainment system
• 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster
• DAB+ digital radio
• Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
• Voice assistant
• Factory navigation
• Bluetooth connectivity
• 8-speaker Dirac HD sound system
• USB-A port and USB-C port in centre console
• USB-A port and USB-C port in rear
• Wireless phone charger
• 12V socket
• Keyless entry and start
• Single-zone air-conditioning
• Heat pump
• PM2.5 air filter
• One-touch up-and-down windows with anti-pinch function
• Multi-colour gradient ambient lighting
• LED front reading light
• LED rear side reading light
• Luggage compartment light
• Artificial leather upholstery
• 6-way power-adjustable driver’s seat
• 4-way power-adjustable front passenger seat
• Heated front seats
• Domestic 3-pin plug AC charger
• Tyre repair kit

Is the BYD Atto 3 safe?

The BYD achieved a 5-star ANCAP safety rating in 2022.

It’s crash ratings were also good, with adult occupating rating of 91%, child occupant protection of 84%, vulnerable road user protection of 69% and safety assist rating of 80%.

Safety Features of BYD Atto 3:

Airbags:

• 7 SRS bags - front, front side, full length curtain airbags and driver’s far-side airbag.

Braking and Stability Systems:

• Electric Parking Brake System (EPB)
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
• Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
• Traction Control System (TCS)
• Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
• Hill Descent Control (HDC)

Cruise Control and Assistance:

• Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) or Adaptive cruise control with stop/go

Collision Systems:

• Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEB) or Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Front Collision Warning (FCW)
• Rear Collision Warning (RCW)

Lane and Traffic Monitoring:

• Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
• Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
• Rear Cross Traffic Brake (RCTB)
• Blind-spot monitoring

Warnings and Alerts:

• Door Open Warning (DOW)
• Front, rear seat belt reminders

Parking and Camera Systems:

• Surround-view cameras
• Drive recorder
• Front, rear parking sensors

Monitoring Systems:

• Tyre pressure monitoring system.

How much does the BYD Atto 3 cost to run?

The BYD Atto 3 comes with a comprehensive six-year warranty with no distance limit. Plus, for the initial year, there's a 24/7 roadside assistance on the house.

Details for the 2023 BYD Atto 3 Extended Range:

Warranty Coverage:

• Electric motor components and associated high-voltage elements: Guaranteed for eight years or up to 160,000km.
• Essentials like lighting systems, suspension elements, tyre pressure sensors, and ball joints: Four years or 100,000km.
• The 12V battery has coverage for a year or up to 12,000km.
• For the entertainment system, along with specific parts such as the shock dampeners, wheel bearings, and charging ports, the warranty extends to three years or 60,000km.

For any service needs, owners can head to an authorized BYD Service and Repair facility, or select independent mycar locations. Regular maintenance checks should be done either annually or every 20,000km. Additionally, BYD offers a complimentary inspection at the three-month mark or once 5,000km have been clocked.

Two tailored service packages are available. The initial package, ideal for those covering roughly 20,000km annually, comes at a total cost of $1384 for the first five years. Alternatively, for those traveling closer to 12,000km a year, the package is priced at an aggregate of $945.

CarSauce’s take on the BYD Atto 3 Extended Range?

It’s certainly not luck that has made the Atto 3 a success in Australia.

The smart exterior, well appointed interior, good-enough driving dynamics and good cost of running make the Atto 3 a great choice for those wanting an EV but not wanting to spend Tesla levels of money.

It is let down by a less than fantastic real world battery range and average charging speeds, but for most people, it will be more than adequate for daily commutes and occasional road trips.

For that reason alone, it is our strong recommendation to go for an extended range over the standard range for just $3,000 more.

Frankly, it’s no surprise that the BYD Atto 3 has propelled the BYD name high in Australia because it ticks so many boxes and it's an easy recommendation from us.