BYD’s Atto 3 Evo is here, starting at £38,990 with a massive boost in tech and range.

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Now badged as the Atto 3 Evo, the new edition of the electric family SUV goes on sale from 2 April, with more power, a bigger battery, longer range and faster charging.

The starting price for the entry-level Design trim has increased by £2,500 compared to the outgoing 2023 version. BYD describes this as a “modest” step up given the significant technical upgrades included as standard.

Two trim levels are available; the Design uses a single motor with 313hp, while the Excellence, which is priced at £42,730, utilises a dual motor with 449hp, offering a fully electric range of up to 316 miles

Design versions come with a new 8.8-inch digital instrument panel, a 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system with integrated Google features including Google Maps, Google Assistant and Google Play Store, four USB-C ports, wireless smartphone charging with cooling, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree surround-view camera, a heat pump, 18-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable heated front seats and ambient cabin lighting.

The Excellence bumps this up with head-up display, heated rear seats and a panoramic sunroof with electric sunshade.

Both versions also get a higher rated towing capacity (1,500kg braked) and BYD’s Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology, which can power external devices at up to 3kW.

Beyond the equipment upgrades, the Atto 3 EVO gets a massive power boost. Moving to the E-Platform 3.0, it swaps front-wheel drive for a more dynamic rear-wheel (Design) or all-wheel drive (Excellence) set-up. Both deliver massive increases in power and performance.

The entry-level single-motor Design version offers 313hp and 380Nm of torque, enabling a 0-62mph time of 5.5 second. Meanwhile, the dual-motor Excellence delivers a supercar-rivalling 443bhp and 560Nm – slashing that sprint to just 3.9 seconds.

Both range and charging have been significantly improved over the original Atto 3, which launched in 2023.

Thanks to a larger 74.8kWh battery featuring BYD’s proprietary lithium iron-phosphate (LFP) tech, range now stands at up to 316 miles. The Atto 3 Evo’s charging speeds have doubled compared to its predecessor; a 220kW maximum rate means that a 10% to 80% charge takes 25 minutes.

BYD’s Cell-to-Body construction integrates the Blade Battery directly into the chassis for superior structural rigidity. This rock-solid foundation, paired with a new five-link rear suspension, transforms the Atto 3 EVO’s handling, delivering a more composed and refined ride.

In addition to the uprated driving experience, Cell-to-Body enables the Atto 3 Evo to offer more storage space than its predecessor. This comes in the form of a boot which, at 490 litres, is 50 litres larger than before, plus a new ‘frunk’ which offers a further 95 litres of capacity under the bonnet.

As with the rest of the BYD lineup, the Atto 3 Evo gets a six-year, 93,750-mile warranty, plus a battery cover of up to eight years or 155,350 miles.