Better Than You Think

BYD — short for Build Your Dreams — may not be a well-known brand in India, but it is one of the biggest EV players in the world. In fact, it surpassed Tesla to be the top EV manufacturer in the world in 2022 by volume (Battery EVs + Plug-in Hybrid EVs). Its lithium-ion battery — the Blade — is also regarded as the most technologically advanced car battery in the world. With that pedigree, BYD is gunning to have a strong presence in the Indian EV market, and while the Atto 3 may not end up being a best-seller here, it will leave a lasting impression on buyers.

The Atto 3 sits in its own class and faces no competition, with the closest EVs on offer in India being either a segment above or a segment below. Does it pack enough for you to stretch your budget and get one instead of say, an MG ZS EV? Let’s find out.

BYD Atto 3 Pros and Cons 

BYD Atto 3 Exterior Design 

BYD calls its design language ‘Dragon Face 3.0’, and while that might be a stretch, the Atto 3 does have a reptile-esque face. The chiselled yet flowing facia of the Atto 3 is sleek. But despite the absence of a grille or an air-dam, the front still looks rather natural, thanks to large faux fog lamp housings. The sleek LED headlights get small blue inserts signifying the electric nature of the car, and are separated by a thick brushed chrome strip which houses the BYD logo.

Atto 3’s silhouette is along the lines of a sporty crossover SUV. The shape is flowing and aerodynamic, and no design element sticks out like a sore thumb. There are some interesting details though, like the C-Pillar which gets a brushed chrome insert with a scaled finish, and the intricately designed 5-spoke aero-wheels. The design seamlessly flows into the back, which has connected wraparound tail lights. The light bar also has a body width-long chrome insert, and ‘Build Your Dreams’ lettering sits atop the strip. The lettering does look over the top, but it gives the car a very distinctive identity. The bumper gets thick cladding with a pseudo-diffuser to complete the sporty SUV look.

BYD Atto 3 Interiors 

BYD has gone all out while designing the interiors of the Atto 3. It has one of the most unique interiors of any car in India, and the polarising looks will not appeal to everyone. BYD says that the interior design is inspired by ‘Gym and Music’. Why? Now that's food for thought. The interiors have a dual tone, light grey and dark blue finish. All the lighter coloured elements on the dash and door panels are finished in a soft touch material, and are sculpted to appear like muscles. Then there are the chrome-shod AC vents that are supposed to replicate dumb-bells. The gear selector looks like a kettle-bell, the long door handles — which have a small grip — appear like a lateral pull-down machine’s bar, and the finishing on the centre armrest for the front passengers is reminiscent of a treadmill. So the gym inspiration is clear.

As for the ‘Music’ bit, BYD has added certain other elements to the cabin. The tweeters in all doors for example, are not camouflaged, but instead stick out and house an interesting door lever. We wish you luck explaining how to open the door to every new passenger in your car. There are strings to hold water bottles in door pockets, and are supposed to replicate bass guitar strings. The top of the dash is finished in a deep shade of blue, and has a curvy shape which makes it appear like an aquatic animal’s skin. This element doesn’t really fit into the ‘Gym and Music’ design theme, and sticks out. 

Apart from the quirky bits — which cover almost everything — the interior has a rather sporty theme. The seats, with their fixed headrests, look like they were lifted off a performance car, so does the centre console with its array of shortcut buttons. The dual tone upholstery also gets red stitching, and the steering wheel — sans some uber premium level materials — would not look out of place in a hypercar. But despite all the visual drama throughout the cabin, there’s one rather ‘normal’ element which still stands out — a 12.8 inch touchscreen infotainment display, which rotates! More on that in our ‘Technology and Infotainment’ section below.

BYD Atto 3 Comfort 

The Atto 3 gets large sporty bucket seats up front, which feel a tad too big for the cabin. However, the seats provide great support for the back as well as the thighs. The front seats are electrically adjustable, and finding a comfortable driving position is easy. Thanks to the long wheelbase, space at the back is more than adequate. The seats have soft cushioning, so longer journeys will be comfortable. However, since the batteries are under the floor, it is a tad high and taller passengers will sit in a slightly knees up position.

BYD has also tuned the Atto 3 to provide a balanced ride. While it looks and feels like a sporty SUV, it isn’t as tightly sprung as one, handling most bumps and potholes with ease. The larger ones filter through, but the overall ride quality is good.

BYD Atto 3 Performance and Handling

The BYD Atto 3 looks like a performance SUV inside and out. However, it is tuned to be a family crossover, and it drives like one. Don’t take this to mean that it is a slouch. Under your right foot is access to 201 bhp and 310 Nm of torque. However, the power is built in a linear manner, rather than the smack-in-the-face instant acceleration that EVs usually deliver. In many ways, this drives like a combustion engine vehicle, and for anyone who’s upgrading from an ICE vehicle to this will feel at home driving it. The claimed 0-100 km/h time is a respectable 7.3 seconds, and the acceleration is brisk, if not rapid.

The Atto 3 isn’t the most fun to drive car in corners, but throw it into one and it won’t complain. The steering is very direct, and the Atto 3 responds well to even small inputs. You can also change the steering feedback based on your preference. However, the weight of the car moves rearward when driven hard, and in such cases the steering may feel a bit aloof. Drive it in a relaxed manner though and it stays planted.

BYD Atto 3 Battery, Charging, and Range

BYD is the leader in Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery tech globally, and the Atto 3 gets BYD’s best LFP battery yet — the Blade. The battery gets its name from the design of its cells, which look like blades. While getting into its details will probably require an article of its own, the battery pack is tested to be the safest EV battery in the world, passing tough tests like nail penetration, induced short circuits, and many more. In fact, it also passed tests where the battery was put in a 300 degree celsius furnace. 

The battery pack in the Atto 3 has a capacity of 60.48 kWh, and BYD claims that it can be charged from 0% to 80% in 50 minutes on a public fast charger. Charging to full at home on an AC charger would take about 10 hours, and a full charge returns an ARAI certified range of 521 km. This should translate to about 400 km in real world driving conditions.

BYD Atto 3 Key specifications 

BYD Atto 3 Safety Features

Safety is one of the key areas where the Atto 3 excels. Apart from being equipped with what’s regarded as the safest battery pack in the world, the Atto 3 also packs a bunch of safety features. It gets a 5-star Euro NCAP crash test rating, and level-2 ADAS which includes features such as automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, door open warning, lane departure warning and prevention, as well as adaptive headlights. Other safety features include seven airbags, 360-degree camera, ABS, ESC, traction control, hill descent control, and seat belt reminders for front as well as rear passengers. 

BYD Atto 3 Technology and Infotainment

Despite having one of the most radical looking interiors of any car on sale in India, the attention is drawn towards the infotainment screen. And for good measure, because not only is the screen one of the largest in the segment, but it also rotates! Press a button and you can turn the 12.8 inch display from landscape to portrait, giving you the versatility of choosing how you want your information to be displayed. Yes, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is built in, and there is an expanse of other features that the screen packs. You can customise a slew of settings from the display, and it also has built-in navigation, as well as Spotify. The infotainment screen is paired with an 8-speaker audio system. 

The display twins with a tiny five inch digital instrument cluster which has no analog dials to support it. The display looks like it has been lifted off of a motorcycle, and a larger screen here would have definitely furnished a better experience. Wireless phone charging, an NFC card key, 360 degree parking camera, electrically operated tailgate, panoramic sunroof, and a heap of other features are also packed into the Atto 3.

Is the BYD Atto 3 for you?

BYD has allocated only 1,200 units of the Atto 3 for the Indian market, which indicates that the purpose of the Atto 3 is only to establish the BYD brand in India. It is unique inside and out, has a bunch of unique features, and has great EV credentials too. It sits in its own segment with no direct electric competitors, making it a great bridge between the mass market EVs and premium EVs. Yes, the interiors may drive you towards or away from considering it, but apart from that — and the limited dealership and service network — there are no real drawbacks in the Atto 3. It gives a hint of what is to come from the Chinese manufacturer, and the future looks promising.