New BYD Atto 3 EVO gets punchy new 443bhp power option and four-wheel drive

On sale Spring Price from £42,000 (est)

BYD has firmly planted itself into the UK’s car industry, having finished in the top 10 biggest-selling brands last year thanks to its wide range of electric car offerings. And now, there’s another one to add to the lineup: the new BYD Atto 3 EVO.

Based on the regular Atto 3 electric SUV, the Atto 3 EVO receives a new, larger 74.8kWh battery, up from 60.48kWh in regular versions. This new unit can charge at speeds of up to 220kW, which is a significant improvement on the 110kW regular versions can accept. As such, a 10-80% top-up should take around 25 minutes.

You can have your Atto 3 EVO in rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive form. The former has a single rear-mounted motor pumping out 309bhp, allowing for a 0-62mph time of 5.5sec. That outpaces the entry-level Smart #1, and it’s just 0.2sec slower than the Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range.

For even more punch, you could opt for the four-wheel-drive (AWD) version, which adds a motor to the front wheels for a combined output of 443bhp. A 0-62mph sprint takes just 3.9sec – that’s as fast as an Audi RS3. For reference, the performance-focused #1 Brabus completes the sprint in the same amount of time.

Naturally, the rear-wheel-drive variant of the Atto 3 EVO offers more range, at 317 miles, while opting for the AWD variant drops the range to an official 292 miles – but both of these are an improvement on the regular Atto 3’s maximum of 260 miles.

Like in the regular Atto 3, the new battery is equipped with vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology, which allows you to charge up external devices using the car.

Visually, the Atto 3 EVO doesn’t look too dissimilar from the regular version, but it does get some subtle tweaks to the front and rear bumpers, new 18in alloy wheels and a roof spoiler at the rear.

Inside, the gear selector has been moved from the central column to the steering wheel, and the digital instrument display behind the wheel is larger, at 8.8in instead of 5in. Other than that, it receives the same 15.6in infotainment touchscreen available in range-topping versions of the regular car, with integrated Google systems such as Maps and Google Assistant. We find the system in the regular car to be responsive and easy to use, thanks to its big icons that are simple to operate on the move.

The boot has gained an additional 50 litres of space, beating the Kia EV3 and Hyundai Kona Electric at 490 litres. There’s also a brand new ‘frunk’ storage space under the bonnet, which adds 101 litres.

Two trim levels will be available: Design and Excellence. Design models will be exclusively rear-wheel-drive, and come with wireless smartphone charging, a 360-degree parking camera, a heat pump, electrically adjustable heated front seats and ambient interior lighting.

Excellence models are exclusively four-wheel-drive, and come with a head-up display, heated rear seats and a panoramic sunroof.

The BYD Atto 3 EVO will arrive in showrooms in spring. No prices have been revealed yet, but we’d expect them to start at around £42,000, which would make it more expensive than most versions of the Kia EV3, Smart #1 and Volvo EX30.

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