BYD Atto 3

Yep, it really is the best EV you can get for the money. No questions asked. 

‘BYD, who?’. Build Your Dreams. This Chinese electronic components maker seems to have shot out of a black hole straight into the thick of the global EV scene. And what a way to arrive! BYD seems to have a more, let’s say authoritarian approach to making EVs. That’s to say it OWNS every little critical aspect that makes the Atto 3. Right from the Lithium that goes into the sci-fi ‘Blade’ batteries, to the semi-conductors and softwares — none of it is outsourced. The result is an EV that just works.

• The Atto 3 looks like it was billed out of a single block of aluminium. Lines are smooth and flow freely from the nose to the tail.

• Plenty of interesting details for you to admire here: blue elements in the LED projector headlamps, the closed-off grille, the ‘wavy’ finish on the C-pillars’ accent and the connected tail lamps (with cool dynamic indicators) form the highlights. 

• The 18-inch wheels have a crowd-pleasing dual-tone and a likeable turbine-style design. 

• The signature turquoise and red shade really elevates the sense of occasion. You can also choose from the sober squad: white-ish silver, and grey. 

• Sure, it’s not the most upright, butch or intimidating SUV out there. But it’s a large car and manages to stand out quite easily. Visually, It is only slightly larger than a Creta or a Seltos. 

• Looks like BYD saved all the funky Chinese quirks for the interior of the Atto 3. The design is a little over the top, a polar opposite to the sombre exterior. 

• Deep blue, off-white and brushed aluminium shades come together to make the cabin a lively place to be in. 

• A massive panoramic sunroof ups the sense of space. 

• The ‘inspirations’ run wild here: the armrest mimics a treadmill, the AC vents — dumbbells! White elements that run across the dash want to remind you of muscle striations. 

• Design might be subjective, but the quality, fit and finish and surfaces used are objectively top-shelf. For the price, you’d expect nothing less. 

Space and Practicality

• The front seats are comfortable buckets, both with electric adjustment. Only the driver seat is adjustable for height though. 

• There’s ample room here, but the prominent side bolsters might make the seat feel snug to those who are overweight. 

• With the front seat set up for a six-footer, there’s enough space for another in the rear seat. No real complaints with headroom, footroom or kneeroom. 

• Underthigh support is less than ideal since the seat base is flat. 

• Seating three average-sized adults at the rear is possible, albeit with a squeeze. Each occupant gets adjustable headrests and three-point seatbelts. Thumbs up. 

• Practicality is taken care of by spacious door pockets, two cupholders each in the front and rear and a storage compartment under the front armrest. 

Feature Fest

• Available in a single fully loaded spec, the Atto 3 has a whole lot to offer. 

• Essentials include: keyless entry, push-button start stop, auto-dimming IRVM, dual zone climate control, rear AC vents and a powered tailgate. 

• Infotainment duties are handled by an electrically-rotating 12.8-inch touchscreen and an eight-speaker sound system. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are available, but not wireless. 

• A tiny five-inch screen is your instrument cluster. The fonts might seem a tad tiny to some. A larger seven- or eight-inch screen would’ve been better here. 

• There are quite a few unique touches too: NFC on the mirror to unlock the car (using a keycard), ‘guitar’ strings on the door pads to hold your bottle/magazine in place, the front camera can be used to click pictures/record videos when stationary and there’s an in-built dashcam feature in this camera too. 

• What’s missing? Well, it could do with ventilated seats and sunblinds for the rear windows for sure.

• Safety package includes seven Airbags, ABS, electronic stability control and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

• There’s a 360° camera too that relays a 3D holographic image — very helpful to manoeuvre the Atto 3 in tight spots. 

• Level 2 ADAS suite includes adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking, blind spot monitoring system and rear cross traffic alert. All of these features work as intended in Indian driving conditions. 

• The Atto 3 scored a full five-star rating in the Euro NCAP and Australian NCAP crash tests.

• Open up the powered tailgate and you have access to 440 litres of boot space. 

• The 60:40 split and flat-folding rear bench adds a layer of flexibility. With the rear seats folded, there’s 1,340 litres of space to play with. 

• BYD’s ‘Blade’ battery technology seems to have real world benefits, even though the flowery marketing talk might make you feel like it’s mostly fluff. 

• With the Atto 3, you get a 60.48kWh battery pack — something we think should be the bare minimum for an EV to not be restricted to the city.

• Charge times: Nought to 80 per cent in 50 minutes using a DC fast-charger, and about 9.5-10 hours on regular household socket.

• Pushing out electric horses to the road is a 150kW (200PS)motor that delivers 310Nm max and drives only the front wheels. Yep, no all-wheel drive here. 

• Performance isn’t mind-boggling, but feels adequate. Yes, in absolute terms a zero to 100kmph dash in 7.3 seconds sounds quick, but the Atto3 manages to mask the sensation of speed quite a bit with its excellent noise insulation. 

• There’s ample snap-your-finger torque to let you pick gaps in traffic. However, the Atto 3 feels best when driven in a relaxed manner. 

• With three drive modes: Eco, Normal and Sport and selectable regeneration — you can tailor your experience too. 

• The best bit about the Atto 3’s drive experience is the efficiency. The battery-motor-software is so tightly integrated that the distance-to-empty (DTE) doesn’t cause anxiety anymore, it serves as reassurance. 

• It’s among the most accurate DTE read-outs we’ve experienced to date. Between the distance driven and range lost, the ratio is almost always 1:1, similar to what we’ve experienced with the BYD e6 MPV.

• On a relaxed 55km drive, it lost about 48km range and the battery charge dropped by 12 per cent, which seems fair. 

• Sure, switching to Sport, constantly going full throttle will take its toll on the range, but what’s to be appreciated is how quickly and accurately the system recalibrates the DTE. 

• BYD has numerous accounts of owners of the E6 MPV clocking around 450-480km on a full charge. 

• Now, the Atto 3 runs a smaller battery when compared with the E6 (60.48kWh vs 71.7kWh), but has a more powerful motor, so real world range should be in the 400-450km ballpark. 

• Needless to mention, driving the Atto 3 around is a calm experience. On silent EVs tyre noise and wind noise can get quite irritating. The Atto 3’s sound insulation is just right — it cuts out all the unnecessary noise. 

• To ensure you don’t nod off, it plays an artificial ‘engine’ sound from the speakers. You can also change this to a weird church-choir like string music. 

• Ride quality ticks the essentials: no unnecessary thudding or crashing, adequate cushioning over bad roads and a planted, confident feel at triple-digit speeds. 

• We couldn’t sample the handling abilities of the Atto 3 during our short stint with the car. For daily commutes and highway drives, the steering is quick and direct enough. 

Reasons to not buy the BYD Atto 3, surprisingly, have nothing to do with the car. The fact that it comes from a Chinese manufacturer might put some off. Others might be sceptical about shelling out close to Rs 40 lakh (on-road) for a brand that’s relatively new to the country with a skeletal sales and service footprint. 

For everything else — from design to features, from performance to range — the Atto 3 is nearly faultless. It’s THE EV to buy if you’re shopping for one in the Rs 4 million price segment.