I’ll ‘fess up, I’d never heard of BYD (which stands for Build Your Dreams) but the Chinese firm is one of the world’s fastest growing car manufacturers, recording a massive 658% increase in sales since it launched in the UK in March 2023. With around 65 BYD dealerships across the UK, including BYD Taunton (from where I borrowed the car that I test drove), if you’re in the market for a new electric car, or looking for an affordable family car, BYD is definitely a brand to have on your radar. There are three versions of the BYD Atto 3 – Active, Comfort & Design. I drove the BYD Atto 3 Design.

THE LOOK

Dynamic. It’s sleek and aerodynamically shaped, with sloping LED headlights and a grill reminiscent of a Chinese dragon’s eyes and moustache.

The look’s echoed round the back.

It comes in five vibrant metallic colours: Surfing Blue (the car I drove), Climbing Grey, Skiing White, Parkour Red, and Exploring Green. The BYD Atto 3 looks ready for action.

INSIDE

A bit quirky, fun and seems huge for a mid-size SUV. There’s good head height and masses of leg room – even in the back which has a completely flat floor so all three back seats are equally comfortable for three adults or very long-legged teens.

Cup holders and USB ports all round will keep everyone happy (though you can only use in the back when seating two).

The BYD Atto 3 has got a sporty vibe going on, with gym-themed features – door handles like barbells; the gear selector, a kettle bell; the air vents, free weights (though I kept thinking they were CDs); the central armrest, a treadmill – you could do full a workout here – and there are elasticated guitar strings in the doors to hold your stuff.

I enjoyed changing the multi-coloured mood lighting around the cabin – from purple to green to pink and more – or you can set it up to respond to your own music. Is it a bit gimmicky? Yes but it’s fun.

Covered in ‘vegan’ (quite convincing) leather with a snazzy red stitching, the seats can be easily adjusted in every way possible – six ways for the driver, and four for the front passenger – with a series of buttons. The steering wheel, covered in the same, looks premium.

Loved the automatic panoramic sunroof with a electric blind, and with two-zone climate control and air purification, it’s all very cool – literally.

THE BOOT

Massive. It’s 440 litres (which means nothing to me) but I could fit in at least eight big bags of shopping or around 6 cabin bags or several large suitcases; the floor adjusts to the level of the door to allow you to easily lift heavy stuff in and out. If that’s not enough space, fold down two of the back seats to create a whopping 1,338 litres for when you want to take all your kid’s junk up to university or transport a wardrobe (as you do). An all-weather mat and liner help keep everything clean.

THE TECH

You can’t miss the touchscreen on the dashboard – at 15.6cm it’s bigger than my laptop screen – which rotates to portrait (which I found best for SATNAV maps) or landscape (for all the music, radio, What’s App and other apps).

It felt almost too big at first but I soon got used to it. It’s easy to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to link your phone to the car’s media system – and there there’s an eight-speaker stereo (it’s almost surround-sound).

The voice control for various functions like climate control, sunroof and using the heated seats is useful. There’s lots to explore with the tech and I felt I barely scratched the surface with the time I spent with the car.

THE DRIVE

Smooth as silk. No key to unlock or in the ignition, you just keep it in somewhere in the car – there’s little dip for it in the arm rest. When you set off or drive at low speeds they’ve added a slightly weird purring sound to alert others that you’re around – good idea. I cruised along the A303 – accelerating from 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds as promised – with adaptive cruise control and an automatic lane keep assistance to guide you back into your lane if you start veering out of it, which feels slightly odd the first time it happens. I took the car through its paces up and down some of Somerset and Dorset’s very twisty-turny, narrow country lanes – a piece of cake. Steering is super easy, the brakes responsive, with suspension that bounces you up and down a bit. Choose from three driving modes: normal, eco and sport (I mainly used the eco), and regeneration mode which recharges the battery when you take your foot off the accelerator or step on the brakes. Unlike some EVs, there isn’t isn’t a one-pedal driving option (which always feels a bit like driving a bumper car to me anyway).

THE RANGE

BYD advertise a range of 260 miles but I’d say it was nearer 240 in real world driving. When you do need to charge, you just grab the charging cable that comes in its own bag in the boot, and plug it in either to a public charger or, with their 3-pin plug cable, to your own domestic electricity supply. You should be able to charge from 30–80% in 29 minutes but that’s with a rapid charger. You can download Zap-Map to find all the public chargers near you. Overnight charging takes around 6.5 hours. Very handily, you can also charge other devices from the car.

BYD have pioneered and led the market in EV batteries for decades, and the BYD Atto 3’s innovative ‘blade’ battery helps deliver an enhanced range as well as being much safer than most other EV batteries. A heat pump allows the car to still do the miles even when it’s cold.

SAFETY

The BYD ATTO 3 scored five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test, with 91% cent score in the adult occupant protection category, and 89% for child occupant protection. The high driving position meant I could see well especially to the front and sides (rear visibility isn’t quite as good), and the camera system warned me when people and gate posts became too close to the back of the car. There are masses of other safety and driver assist tech, from automatic emergency braking to cutting edge lighting technology to help with driving at night.

The car emits all sorts of warning sounds, which can get quite confusing. It can be hard to tell if the beeping is because you’ve accidentally crept over the speed limit or because you’ve wandered out of your lane, or something else entirely.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: The BYD Atto 3 is a roomy, safe and smooth-to-drive family car with a sense of fun – and the sort of bells and whistles that normally only come with a more expensive vehicle.

Not for: Is it the most thrilling car to drive? Probably not. But is that what you want with a family car anyway?

The damage: Depending on the model: Active, £36,490; Comfort, £36,990; Design, £38,990. Warranties: six years for the whole car and eight years for the battery, with a mileage limit of 125,000 miles.

Book a test drive at BYD Taunton, Toneway, Taunton TA1 2EJ. taunton.sales@bydsouthwest.co.uk 01823 214 626.

Car review: Muddy test drives the BYD Atto 3

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