Used BYD Atto 3 2023-present review

Need a car to lift your spirits? The BYD Atto 3 might be able to do just that, because the BYD element of its name stands for “Build Your Dreams”. The Atto 3 element, on the other hand, takes inspiration from one of the smallest measurements of time – the attosecond. The 3 part denotes the size of the car, because there’s a smaller BYD Atto 2 available.

Confused? We hope not, because there’s more to the BYD Atto 3 than just inspirational and, arguably, slightly odd names. That’s because it’s built by one of the biggest electric car manufacturers in the world. BYD, a Chinese car company, is one of the fastest-growing brands in the UK too, having officially launched here in 2023 with the Atto 3.

Motors and batteries: To keep things simple, there’s only one version of the Atto 3 to choose from. This means all versions have a 201bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels. In our tests, it took 7.3 seconds to go from 0-60mph, which means acceleration is roughly on a par with the Kia Niro EV.

As for range, all versions come with a 60.5kWh usable capacity battery that delivers 260 miles on a full charge officially. This trails most of its rivals, including the Hyundai Kona Electric (up to 319 miles), the MG ZS EV (up to 273 miles) and the Niro EV (285 miles).

In our real-world range test on a warm summer day, the Atto 3 managed 215 miles on a full charge. All Atto 3s come with an EV heat pump, which helps warm the interior more efficiently in cooler weather. Don't expect the range to be much more than 180 miles in winter, though.

Ride and handling: The Atto 3 has a soft suspension set-up. This is good at low speeds, where it takes the sting out of large imperfections reasonably well, but it does become increasingly fidgety as you build speed. At high speeds, you’ll wish things were more controlled. That soft set-up results in a noticeable amount of body bounce over undulations. There’s plenty of lean in the corners, too. A Smart #1 has a better ride and handling balance.

The steering is very light, which is great for driving around town, but it doesn’t add much weight at speed. This means you don’t get a huge amount of feedback from the front wheels, making it hard to place the car precisely in a corner. Again, a Smart #1 has more accurate steering.

Interior and practicality: You wouldn’t describe the Atto 3’s interior as dull, because it has plenty of neat details to catch your attention. For example, the dashboard has a swooping line that breaks up two contrasting colours, and door handles that wrap around the speakers. There’s also a grab-handle gear selector and air vents with double silver slats. It’s definitely distinctive, but the materials feel cheap compared with those of a Smart #1 and Volvo EX30.

Behind the steering wheel, there's a small 5in digital driver's display. It’s similar in size to the displays in the Skoda Enyaq and #1, but the graphics aren’t as good. A Jeep Avenger Electric has a bigger, crisper display.

The 15.6in infotainment touchscreen in the range-topping Design is very impressive. It can rotate itself from portrait to landscape orientation via an icon on the screen. The resolution of the screen impresses too, as does the response times. It’s better than the systems in the #1 and Avenger Electric, thanks to a larger screen and bigger icons. We just wish it had some physical climate controls to minimise distraction while driving.

As for the driving position, it’s easy to get comfortable, with plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel. That said, the seats could offer more lower back support.

Other than the thick front windscreen pillars, all-round visibility is good, a matter helped by the standard-fit front and rear parking sensors and 360-degree reversing camera.

Space up front is decent – there’s no shortage of head or leg room on offer. In the back, it’s not quite so generous. While there’s enough room for two six-footers to sit comfortably, the #1 and Niro EV offer more head and leg room.

Fortunately, boot space is more impressive at 440 litres. That’s more than the #1 and Avenger Electric offer, but less than the Niro EV. We managed to fit seven carry-on suitcases inside.

For carrying longer items, the rear seatbacks split and fold in a 60/40 arrangement. However, there's no ski hatch for poking longer items between your rear passengers, like there is in the #1. There’s also no front boot for the charging cable, but there is some underfloor storage in the boot for this instead.

Trims and equipment: The Atto 3 has just two trim levels: Comfort and Design. Comfort is very well equipped and includes an opening panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, faux-leather upholstery, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and vehicle-to-load charging (which allows you to charge an appliance off the car with a three-pin plug). Top-spec Design trim adds a bigger touchscreen, a powered tailgate and a better filtration system for the air-conditioning.

“My favourite feature on the Atto 3 is the elastic string door pockets. While that might sound a bit odd, they’re actually tuned so you can play them like a guitar.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

If you're interested in finding a used Atto 3, or any of the other electric cars mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

Prices for a used Atto 3 start from around £18,000. This will get you a Comfort model from 2023 or 2024 with low mileage. Top-spec Design cars cost a bit more, with prices starting from £20,000. For a 2025 car, expect to pay upwards of £22,000 for a Comfort car and £23,000 for a Design model.

To keep up to date with used Atto 3 prices, use our free valuation tool to make sure you are getting the best deal.

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Charging

All Atto 3s have a maximum charging speed of 88kW, which means you'll be waiting around 45 minutes for a 10-80% top-up. That’s pretty poor, because rivals like the #1 and EX30 have higher maximum speeds of up to 150kW and 153kW respectively, meaning they can do a similar charge in less than half an hour.

Road tax

From 1 April 2025, electric cars lost their exemption from road tax. As such, the Atto 3 is subject to the standard flat rate fee of £195 per year, after the initial £10 fee for the first year after registration.

Insurance and servicing

A Comfort-spec Atto 3 sits in insurance group 37 and Design in group 38. That’s higher than most of its rivals, including the #1, Avenger Electric and Niro EV, which means it will cost more to insure.

For servicing, we were quoted £99.25 for a basic 12-month service, which includes labour, a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter change and a screen wash top-up. A 24-month service is more expensive, at £276.52, but includes brake fluid, gear oil and filter and tyre rotation. A 48-month service costs £372.57; this includes the same elements as the 24-month service, but adds a change of the drive motor coolant.

Warranty

From new, every Atto 3 comes with a four-year, 70,000-mile warranty. That’s better than the average for the class, but it doesn’t come close to the seven-year, 100,000-mile offering that Kia gives you. The battery comes with its own eight-year warranty.

If you buy a car from an authorised dealer, BYD has its own certified pre-owned scheme. This includes a 179-point inspection and battery health check of the car, along with a warranty of at least one year for up to 12,500 miles (for cars out of warranty) and two years of 24/7 European roadside assistance.

Safety

The Atto 3 was awarded a full five-star safety rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2022. All versions come with plenty of safety kit, too, with automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring and traffic-sign recognition offered as standard.

Reliability

The Atto 3 is still a very new model, so it hasn’t appeared in the What Car? Reliability Survey yet. Likewise, BYD doesn’t feature in the brand rankings, since it only entered the UK market in 2023. We’ll revisit this once the relevant data becomes available.

Find out more about used BYD Atto 3 reliability, including updates as owner data becomes available, on our dedicated reliability page.

Motor and battery

There’s only one version of the Atto 3 available. It has a 201bhp electric motor and 60.5kWh usable capacity battery.

Specification

We’d go for the entry-level Comfort version, because it's cheaper than Design and there are more of them available. It’s also very well equipped.

Our favourite BYD Atto 3: 60.5kWh Comfort

The Smart #1 is a great buy. It has a plush interior, a generous kit list and decent charging speeds. It’s also good to drive, with surprisingly quick performance. Used prices are similar to the Atto 3.

The Volvo EX30 is another good choice. It’s well-priced, spacious in the back and comfortable, with a supple ride. In Single Motor Long Range form, it has a long official range between charges. The infotainment system can be frustrating, so we’d recommend trying one before buying.

The Hyundai Kona Electric isn’t as plush as the Atto 3 inside, but it does have more user-friendly controls, thanks to more physical buttons and dials. It’s also well-priced, spacious and practical.

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