A new name for the UK’s automotive market, but BYD is a huge global player with big plans for a fleet-friendly vehicle line-up. By John Challen.

BYD Atto 3

It’s an oft-used phrase, but BYD might just be ‘the biggest company you’ve never heard of’ – especially in the car world. Formed in 1995, Build Your Dreams (you can see why it chose to use the short form BYD) calls itself the world’s leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles. In 2022, the Chinese company – which employs over 600,000 people across 70 countries – sold more than 1.8 million passenger cars, an increase of 212.8% compared with 2021. Those vehicles were split relatively evenly between PHEV (946,000) and BEV (911,000), the latter leading the charge in the UK and other European markets.

BYD has extensive experience with lithium-ion batteries – its products are found in the vast majority of mobile phones on the market and other electronic devices. In fact, the Chinese company claims to be the only manufacturer to design and manufacture all of the core components in its electric vehicles, which means the electric motors, semiconductors and electronic control systems as well as the batteries.

The brand’s debut into the European market, Atto 3, is – unsurprisingly, some might say – a C-SUV. The car comes with a decent pedigree, having been the best-selling SUV in China every month for nearly a year and recently repeating that feat in Israel.

There is a nice mix of familiarity and also quirkiness about Atto 3. For example, there are physical buttons on the dashboard for the major controls and a full length sunroof – two elements that many drivers will welcome and appreciate. On the flip side – literally – the SUV’s touchscreen (12.8 or 15.6-inches) rotates, giving drivers the choice of landscape or portrait layout. Furthermore, there are other twists on the conventional (again, literally), with round door handles mounted on the speakers and guitar strings across the door bins, instead of a solid panel. It might be a bit too much for some, but at least BYD is daring to be different.

Underpinning the car is BYD’s e-Platform 3.0, which features BYD’s blade battery, an 8-in-1 electric powertrain and heat pump. The battery features lithium iron-phosphate as its cathode material, which offers safety advantages over conventional lithium-ion batteries, with thermal stability benefits, too. The technology is the result of BYD’s 27 years’ R&D involvement in batteries for vehicles. As well as safety advantages, it also provides an impressive range of 261 miles (WLTP) and up to 351 miles on the city cycle. The batteries work with a 204hp electric motor to propel the car to 62mph in 7.3 seconds and onto a top speed of 99mph.

Space-wise, the Atto 3’s boot boasts 440 litres and, with the seats folded flat, a total of 1,538 litres is available for storage. Vegan leather seats come as standard as well as a flat floor, Spotify and voice control. The quality of the interior is to be commended, too. BYD has clearly understood that to gain traction in the European market means obviously competing on price, but not at the cost of low-grade materials or build quality.

There are three grades of Atto 3 – Active, Comfort and Design – with one powertrain option that comprises a 204hp motor and 60.5kWh battery. Keeping things relatively simple, there’s a choice of just five colours: green; grey; red; white and blue.

Even in base ‘Active’ guise, drivers have a very decent spec in their Atto 3. Yes, there’s the smaller central infotainment screen, but there’s also automatic headlights, wireless charging, heated front seats, USB charging ports and voice control. Interestingly, the (long) list of safety tech is common across all three grades – and features the likes of lane keep assist, ACC and front and rear parking sensors. Active does come with a 7kW onboard charger, unlike the 11kW unit found on the Comfort and Design models.

There’s only a £500 price walk up to the Comfort model, which gets drivers the aforementioned upgraded charger, but also a three-phase charging cable.

In contrast, the extra £2,000 for the Design is money well spent. The larger infotainment screen comes in, as well as an electric tailgate, ambient lighting, an air purification system and an 11kW AC charging unit.

The driving experience is also impressive, with good ride quality, swift acceleration and responsive steering. It wouldn’t be described as a driver’s car, unlike some others in this segment, but the job it is designed to do, it does very well. The brakes don’t have as much feel as many would like and there is limited regenerative braking – certainly no one-pedal option, unlike other models on the market. Engineers say that such a setup is not welcomed by all EV drivers and it would prefer to have an alternative that offers a smoother driving experience. It certainly shouldn’t cloud any judgement of the Atto 3, which is an impressive debut into the UK market for BYD.

The firm has also understood the growth strategy and has forged partnerships with the likes of Octopus for salary sacrifice, Sixt for rental opportunities and Shell Recharge for easier access for drivers to a ready-made charging infrastructure. Visibility-wise, BYD is working with a number of dealer groups to ensure it hits its target of between 20-30 locations around the UK by the end of 2023, before getting up to 100 before 2026.

As for more BYD models in 2023, it’s a case of watch this space. At the launch event for Atto 3 there were a few other models on display, but no other cars have been confirmed for launch just yet.

VERDICT

BYD’s debut is an impressive one with the Atto 3. The SUV is an accomplished product and, even though it joins a crowded segment, it stands out by daring to be different with many interior elements. Expect to see plenty of new Chinese models on the roads in the near future.

IN BRIEF

WHAT IS IT?  C-SUV

HOW MUCH?  from £36,490

RANGE?  261 miles (WLTP)

CHARGE TIME FROM 30-80%?  29 minutes (150kW DC)

Key fleet model:  Design

Pros: Interior quality; driving range; screen

Cons: Brakes; Lack of brand awareness

Seven-word summary: An impressive debut with some interesting innovations

Also consider: MG4 EV / Renault Mégane E-Tech  / Volkswagen ID.3