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BYD, a new car brand?

In this review, we go into detail about the qualities of the BYD Atto 3, an all-electric SUV. But you probably want to know a little more about BYD first. Just try getting a new car brand out of the ground. Many brands have tried, but few have actually made it. BYD may sound new, but it is anything but. In fact, you probably have your whole life as dealing with BYD. The Nokias of the past already had a BYD battery.

Build Your Dreams

Build Your Dreams, which is what the letters BYD stand for, has been around since 1995. The company employs 290,000 people, has 70 (production) sites and sells its passenger cars in more than 70 countries. BYD is the world’s largest manufacturer of electrified cars, as well as developing other technological products such as solar panels, skytrains and, of course, buses. In 2022 alone, BYD sold more than 1.8 million passenger cars. So a big players that BYD. The brand is now also trying it in Europe with the Atto 3 and the Han(walkaround BYD Han) and Tang.

BYD and Louwman

In July 2022, BYD and Louwman Group joined forces. Louwman constitutes BYD’s distributor in the Netherlands. For that reason, BYD can grow quickly because Louwman has a huge dealer network as well as many properties. The BYD Atto 3 is currently one of BYD’s three models for Europe. There is also a Han (sporty sedan) and Tang (hefty SUV) for sale. In the course of 2023, many more models will be added, expected to include a cheaper model under the Atto 3.

BYD ATTO 3: bizarre what BYD is pulling off here! – REVIEW – AutoRAI TV

A dragon of a car?

Drawing for the design of BYD models is Wolfgang Egger, former chief designer of Audi. He is now the design boss at BYD. Its design is inspired by thousands of years of Chinese culture, with a touch of dragon. So is the BYD Atto 3 also a dragon of a car? Well no! He just looks super sleek. Sharp lines and various design elements in the nose of the car are inspired by ancient dragons. Thus, the LED headlights and the horizontally brushed grille that symbolize the eyes and mustache of these mythical creatures. In the C-pillar we even detect the scales of a dragon, BYD would have us believe.

Luggage space

The five-seat BYD Atto 3 is 4,455 mm long, 2,050 mm wide and the wheelbase comes out to 2,720 mm. The rear seats can be split 60:40, expanding the 440-liter luggage space to 1,138 liters when both parts are folded down. The luggage compartment is practical, with a double floor under which the charging cable can be stored, according to this BYD Atto 3 review. The charging point is located on the right front of the car.

Original interior for BYD Atto 3!

The interior looks super original. The inspiration comes from a gym. For example, the inspiration for the door handles was found in a barbell and the gear lever resembles a so-called kettlebell, a workout weight. The curves in the dashboard should represent a muscle do under tension. The central armrest is inspired by a treadmill.

Fully equipped

Every convenience has been thought of, including a wireless phone charger, mood lighting, seat heating and more. Everything is controlled via a hefty touchscreen with Google software, but topped with a BYD sauce. The touchscreen is rotatable, this can also be done with a subtle button on the steering wheel. A fun gimmick that also proves surprisingly practical, because especially for navigation purposes, you have a perfect view of the route. In front of you is a 5-inch LCD instrument panel. We are less enthusiastic about that. It does not look premium enough; there is room for improvement here.

Tilting touchscreen

Returning to the tilting touchscreen for a moment: as standard (Design variant), the BYD Atto 3 has a 12.6-inch tilting touchscreen. Only the slightly more expensive Comfort version has the 15.6-inch display. What that smaller display looks like? No one knows that, because until recently no one actually takes the Design version. The reason is simple: the more expensive Comfort version costs only an additional 2,000 euros. For those euros, you get not only the larger display, but also a power tailgate, interior air purification technology, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 3.3 kW vehicle to load connection that allows you to use the battery pack to power or charge other devices. Let’s put it subtly: you’re crazy if you wouldn’t go for the Design version, also in terms of resale value.

Prices BYD Atto 3

So what does a BYD Atto 3 like that cost? The Comfort version starts at 42,998 euros and for the Design you pay 44,998 euros. With those prices, the Atto 3 is a counterpart to the Kia e-Niro, Hyundai Kona Electric, Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra Born.

Blade Battery

BYD has everything in-house, even semiconductor manufacturing. That gives advantages. Being able to deliver quickly, for example, but also being able to scale up quickly as demand increases. BYD also develops batteries entirely in-house. The brand even works closely with Toyota in this area. Unique to BYD models is the Blade Battery. This is a cobalt-free battery that is quite flat, but also quite long. The big advantage is the layout of the battery. The Nail Penetration Test – considered the “Mount Everest” of battery safety tests – this battery passes with no problem. A lithium-ion battery quickly catches fire with piercing, BYD’s battery does not.

Excellent performance in winter as well

The cobalt-free Blade Battery uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) as the cathode material, which offers a much higher level of safety than conventional lithium-ion batteries. LFP also has very good thermal stability. Even in winter, the Blade Battery performs excellently. We drove the car with an outside temperature of 4 degrees and were able to cover 385 kilometers. With a factory reading of 420 kilometers (WLTP), that’s an excellent score!

8-in-1 electric powertrain

BYD also makes its own powertrains. BYD likes to mention the 8-in-1 electric powertrain in which the Vehicle Control Unit; Battery Management System; Power Distribution Unit; Drive Motor; Motor Controller; Transmission; DC-DC and On-Board Charger are all housed in one unit. Saves space and works efficiently.

Standard heat pump

A heat pump is standard, so the car can also be heated or cooled via preconditioning. The heat pump utilizes residual heat from the environment, powertrain, passenger compartment and even batteries, and operates over a wide temperature range.

BYD Atto 3 battery pack

The BYD Atto 3’s battery is 60.48 kWh in size. A 204 hp (150 kW) and 310 Nm electric motor drives the front wheels. The 0-100 time takes only 7.3 seconds and the top speed is 160 km/h. There are four driving modes: Economy Mode, Normal Mode, Sport Mode and Snow Mode. The load capacity is 11 kW AC 3-phase. Thanks to an 88 kW DC charger, the battery can be recharged from 30% to 80% in about 29 minutes.

Unfortunately, no one pedal driving for BYD Atto 3

The regenerative braking system is not very active. You can see on the display that the car is braking on the electric motor and thereby taking back power, but the deceleration is not very impressive. You therefore drive this BYD Atto 3 somewhat like a conventional gasoline-powered car. Even in the High mode of energy recovery, you always have to apply the brakes yourself. The car then brakes even more strongly on the electric motor before the brakes become truly active. To this, as far as we are concerned, BYD could add a true one-pedal-driving mode where the car really comes to a complete stop by letting out the gas pedal. On the other hand: now the switch from a gasoline car to an EV is very small. The feeling is the same.

Conclusion BYD Atto 3 review

Then it’s time to conclude this BYD Atto 3 review. Feeling BYD is just around the corner in car land, but of course that is not the case. The company has many years of experience with electric cars. From the BYD Atto 3, this is easy to see. It is immediately a serious competitor to the Kia Niro EV, Hyundai Kona Electric, Cupra Born and Volkswagen ID.3. In some ways, it is even the better and nicer car. Well done BYD. A neat electric car. And much more importantly, an original EV. In some respects, the BYD Atto 3 may be a bit run-through – the display literally is – but the product itself is excellently executed.