BYD cheerfully admit they’re the car brand you never heard of but if that’s the case, they’re also one of the biggest car battery brands you’ve never heard of either.
BYD, or Build Your Dreams, are primarily a battery company, now transitioning into car production with their first product launched in Ireland, the Atto 3, a mid-sized crossover EV.
In constrast to the slightly ridiculous name, the Atto looks from the outside anyway to be an entirely conventional crossover/SUV with full width lighting front and rear and a blanked out front grille, emphasising its electric roots.
Interior
It’s inside where the designers were really let loose and the result is very funky with attractive, soft-touch materials all across the dashboard and unusual features dotted around the cabin.
It’s said that the interior décor was partly inspired by a gym, with air vents resembling weights and even the top of the central storage compartment designed to look like a treadmill. I didn’t really get the gym vibes until it was pointed out to me but it’s an interesting interior which works well at the same time.
It’s dominated by a central touchscreen, either 13” or 15” which can go from its default landscape orientation to portrait at the touch of a button. It’s quite a party trick and something I’ve never seen in any other car.
The screen supports wired Apple Carplay and Android Auto and there’s an eight speaker audio setup as standard.
A further small screen in front of the driver gives basic information to supplement the larger screen.
The controls are generally easy to use with enough hardware buttons dotted around the cabin to make things easy to find. I did find the active cruise control a bit fiddly to use and you can’t seem to set it to a specific speed. A further demerit is the speed limit detection, which seemed woefully inaccurate.
The seats are very comfortable and come with standard vegan leather, with coloured piping to give them an extra lift. The front seats are heated and both driver and front passenger seats can be adjusted electrically.
Driving and Range
There are three drive modes provided, so you can choose to sharpen the response or maximise range, which is decent enough for a car of this type.
A 60kW battery provides a claimed range of 420km. I’d say high 300s is more realistic but that’s OK and there didn’t seem to be a huge penalty for travelling at motorway speeds.
The battery itself is described as a ‘blade battery’ and it’s quite advanced, as you’d expect, given BYD’s day to day business. It’s a cell to pack battery, which foregoes the usual battery modules in most other cars, instead mounting the cells directly into the battery pack. This makes the battery more compact and energy dense and as a further advantage, there’s no cobalt used in the manufacturing process.
Maximum DC charging is pegged at 88kW which is adequate but not outstanding and 7kW AC charging is standard, with the option of 11kW available.
All this drives through a 201bhp motor driving the front wheels, which is good enough for 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds. The Atto is quick enough for a family car and there’s no problem overtaking but it doesn’t have that snappy acceleration you sometimes get from an electric car.
The motor itself and all the power electronics, including the charger and converters are all packaged into one integrated unit, which saves weight and wiring and ekes every last electron from the batteries.
There are two levels of regenerative braking available, selected with a button near the gear lever. Even on the strongest setting, one pedal driving isn’t on the table.
In general, the road manners are very good, with positive steering and good visibility making it easy to place the Atto 3 on the road.
It’s not the heaviest EV and as a consequence the ride is quite supple, although the odd time it can feel caught out. In handling terms, it’s right up there with the competition.
Passengers won’t feel short-changed for legroom either front or rear. There’s plenty of space and the flat floor in the rear means three can travel abreast in comfort.
A 420 litre boot is augmented by a storage compartment under the floor which can easily house the charging cables.
Equipment and Pricing
Standard equipment across the range is very generous, with even the base Active spec giving you all you could ever need. It includes a heat pump, 18” alloys, LED headlights, tail lights and DRLs, vegan leather seats, heated and electrically adjustable, wireless charging, panoramic roof, VtoL function, nfc opening, keyless entry and start.
Comfort trim adds the 11kW onboard charger and top-spec Design trim gives you the bigger central screen, an electric tailgate and more advanced ambient lighting.
My advice would be to stick to the base model at €38,628 after grants as it gives you all you could possibly want. There’s precious little difference between a 7kW and 11kW charger. A 22kW charger would be a worthwhile option as a lot of public AC chargers can give out this much charge and you’d be able to take full advantage.
In addition to all that, there’s a six year warranty on the car itself, with eight years on the battery, along with a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty. The Atto 3 also comes with a two year service plan, which offers free tyres, front brake pads and wiper blades should they be needed in the first 24 months.
