BYD Atto 3 EVO (2026 – ) Electric review

At the time of writing pricing is yet to be confirmed but from the ballpark figures we’ve seen BYD’s reputation for affordability under threat. True, you get tons of kit and impressive tech. But on starting price alone everything from a Vauxhall Grandland to a Skoda Enyaq or Citroen ë-C5 Aircross can be bought for less. More generally the cost advantages of running an electric car are still there, especially if you have facility to install a home charger and cash in on cheaper off-peak energy rates. The net is closing but company drivers still score Benefit In Kind savings even if these will in due course need to be weighed against pay-per-mile taxation coming for electric cars.

BYD is still too new to British roads to really have established a reputation for reliability one way or the other, but its signature Blade battery tech is well-proven and its wider electric expertise has powered technical collaborations with Mercedes, Toyota and others. This and the standard six-year warranty build confidence and helped secure BYD the Most Loved Brand prize in the 2025 Autotrader Drivers’ Choice awards.

Since we last reviewed the Atto 3 BYD has revised the model line-up so all the safety systems are now standard, these ranging from the annoying like the over-sensitive face-scanning drowsiness detection and speed alerts to the genuinely useful like blind spot detection and warnings for unseen traffic crossing in front or behind you. At least you can easily disable the former from a swipe-down shortcuts menu. The new integrated battery design is also said to improve overall strength and therefore safety.

The Atto 3 EVO is a good size, being roomy enough inside for most family needs but not so big on the road as to be a pain when it comes to parking and manoeuvring around town. Front seat passengers get plenty of space while the flat floor in the back means even the middle passenger gets somewhere to put their feet. Mechanical changes to this updated EVO version have released more boot capacity and space for a ‘frunk’ up front big enough for your charging cables and other clutter that would usually rattle around in the back. On the road the Atto 3 EVO is built more for comfort than speed, wallowing a bit on twisty roads but dealing with lumps and bumps better than before thanks to redesigned rear suspension. To be fair the smooth Spanish roads we tested it on would flatter any car, some road noise on rougher surfaces spoiling what is otherwise a very peaceful and refined ride.

BYD keeps it simple, with just two trim levels, both of which are very well-equipped. As in many Chinese-built cars the screens dominate the cabin, the central one absolutely massive and your main point of interaction with the car. At least the menus and graphics aren’t as fiddly as some, the new Google-powered operating system reassuringly familiar to those running their lives through an Android phone and fully synced with Google Maps, Google Play and Hey Google voice control. Changes include a repositioned gear selector – now moved to the steering column – a revised steering wheel design and a spec ‘realignment’ that sadly means the previously standard panoramic roof is now reserved for the higher of the two trim levels. The novelty of the wavy interior design may wear off, though for us the ability to play the hook for Another One Bites the Dust on the elasticated strings on the rear door pockets most definitely didn’t.

Without wishing to get too bogged down in technicalities the engineering changes for this Atto 3 EVO are more significant than those to the appearance. These include a bigger 72.8kWh battery, which is good for just over 300 miles by official figures for the single-motor version. This has been swapped round and now drives the rear wheels rather than the front, which helps the handling as well as creating space for that front luggage compartment. This was the one we drove and at no point did the performance have us craving the new and more powerful twin-motor version for the fact the last thing anyone really needed was a BYD Atto 3 capable of hitting 0-62mph in less than four seconds. But you can now have one if that’s what you really want, this extra performance coming at some cost in range even with the bigger battery, standard heat pump and other efficiency boosting measures. It’s a pass from us.