Living with a BYD Atto 3 Evo: did this electric SUV really need an extra 250hp? 

This is my new family car: a BYD Atto 3 Evo. That last bit doesn’t mean it’s a Japanese rally car, this is still a sensible, affordable Chinese electric SUV, but it does denote that it’s the updated version of BYD’s first ever UK model.

We actually ran the first Atto 3 as a long term test car when it came out back in 2023, but the Evo has been given updated tech, a revised interior and, confusingly, a 450hp option.

I say confusingly because the handling was never one of the Atto 3’s strong suits, so putting that much power through it is a pretty ballsy move. To find out what this car is like to live with, I’m going to be spending the next six months with it. Let’s take a closer look at the specs.

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Living with a BYD Atto 3 Evo: an introduction to my new car

My BYD Atto 3 is the Excellence version, which is the top-spec model. It comes with heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a head-up display, a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera.

It also has two electric motors which put out a combined 449hp. The old Atto 3 only had 204hp, so this one is much faster. It’ll do 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds, down from 7.3 seconds in the previous car.

It also has a larger 75kWh battery than before, but the claimed range in this dual-motor car is still a distinctly average 292 miles. You can also get a single-motor model with up to 316 miles of range, but a Skoda Enyaq can do up to 373 miles on a charge.

Unlike the Enyaq though, choosing the right Atto 3 doesn’t involve traipsing through endless trim levels and option packs. There are two versions to choose from, Design and Excellence, and you pick your favourite colour. I’ve gone for Atlantis Blue, which costs an extra £750.

And that brings the total cost of this car to £43,480, but if you go to Carwow you can save over £4,400 on this exact model at the time of writing. That makes it about the same price as a Tesla Model Y, but should you buy the Atto 3 instead?

First impressions of my BYD Atto 3 Evo

In my first few weeks with the BYD Atto 3 Evo, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. There’s no denying that it’s stupidly fast, but the vague steering and wallowy suspension don’t give you much confidence to drive it especially quickly. It’s best driven at a steady pace, because it’s quite a comfortable car when you take it easy.

I like what BYD has done with the interior as well. It still has some of the quirky features our old Atto 3 did, such as the guitar string door pockets and the funky-shaped dashboard, but it’s moved the gear selector up to the steering column to free up space in the centre console for a wireless charging pad.

The Evo also has a massive front boot, something the old Atto 3 did without, and overall it’s quite a practical family car.

The range has been pretty decent as well. I’ve been seeing around 250 miles on a charge, which is around 86% of its claimed figure. I just wish that claimed figure was a bit higher, because I do quite a lot of long journeys and charging an EV in a house with no off-street parking is pretty tedious.

So far then, the BYD Atto 3 Evo is proving to be a decent family car which just has too much power for its own good. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for updates on what it’s like to live with.

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