BYD Atto 3 Review – Right Hand Drive and made for Australia

They are producing australias, cheapest, electric car and i think youre going to see a lot more of them on the road for a couple of reasons. One value – oh my god, youre getting so much for the price, but two supply theyve got it theyre pumping these things out and theyre ready to sell them, and that is going to make this a very exciting year for electric cars. I can clearly remember driving the first tesla in australia in late 2017. Im going to say it was. It was a signature red color and i remember writing in my review at eftm.com at the time that you needed to rethink everything. You knew about motoring. You know it still stands true of a tesla. This byd addo3 well similar in some ways, look a big touchscreen, although this one turns its actually much more like a normal car and i think thats its appeal now straight out of the box. The 803 here in right hand, drive ready for australia built on an australian dedicated production line at the byd factory is the cheapest electric car you can buy in australia, 44. 3. 44 9, depending on where you look, but at ev direct, its actually 44 3. Even though they say its 44 9. 44 3 is an unbelievable price for an electric car, and this is a reasonably sized electric car. This is not a small car. Theyve got one of those coming later in the year.

This one would easily fit four adults and yeah. You could fit three people in the back uh if you really needed to, but itd be cozy back. There lets just say unless youve got small passengers in the back, but its actually and look ive been driving. The tesla model y this this week as well the feel the ride. The steering the handling actually feels so much more normal to me, theres something artificial about what i was getting with the tesla. Now it doesnt have netflix and disney on this screen or games and karaoke. The screen is an infotainment screen, as you would expect it to be radio, bluetooth, digital radio, all those kinds of things – and it will im told later in the year through an over the air, update, support apple, carplay and android auto. But at the moment thats. A big negative for me. I really think those are an important feature of any new car, let alone a new electric car, but you know design wise this things different right. Look at these these kind of weird lines and shapes, and the this door handle its all strange, ish, but familiar ish as well, so to get out of the car you kind of this is you know where this is its a door handle, as opposed to being A button on a tesla or something like that, the usability, the the drivability, its all pretty standard, everything i expect to be on this car is where i want it to be cruise control.

Um. You know, track and and volume selections all here, indicators and wipers. You know the things are where theyre meant to be. This little screen here shows me way more information that i need to be honest. Its probably a bit cluttered in my mind that i think theyre trying to fit too much on one screen and condensed as well, but its got everything from speed, sign recognition um through to you know your cruise control and lane keep assist and again im not trying To compare it to a tesla but driving on the motorway, i found this to be a much more comfortable drive with lane keep assist guiding me through the corners than the rigorous feeling of control that the tesla has when its in autopilot mode. You know you youre not meant to be touching. Youre not meant to be doing anything more than touching the steering wheel. Youre not meant to have any input, otherwise it disengages, but forget the tesla comparison lets compare this to the mg. I dont know why, by the mg, this is a better fit and finish its a better infotainment screen. Its got great range at over 450 ks and its 44 000 um. The design is, is unique. Someone referred to these as looking like cd stackers or something to me, but its actually all very familiar as well on the road. This thing handles and drives just like any other car youd expected to pop the the charging hood and plug it in and itll charge.

Now it doesnt charge as fast as other evs on the road today, so its going to do the full in 45 minutes at a super fast or ultra fast charger, because it doesnt do the highest speed charging. But this things gon na get charged at your house. Every night, when you get home thats how its going to be charged thats, what the byd addo is all about: im, not hearing any creaks or rattles in the cabin im, seeing a really nice fit and finish all the way through and im, im still very bullish About the potential for byd in australia, now let me address the elephant in the room because youre all thinking it byd chinese cant be very good. Can it every tesla model, 3 and model y sold in australia is made in china and byd have been making cars for a very long time, so actually the fit the finish. The quality, the productions pretty bloody awesome and the last thing id say about it is: do you know anyone with an mg? Ask them whether they think thats, an english car, because its not 100 chinese company? They just bought the mg brand. Smart move. Dont. Get me wrong. Imagine this with a holden badge on it. People would believe it, but its a its a chinese company theyre, making these cars in china no shine away from that, but theyve got a dedicated australian production line where these things are coming off in big numbers and thats.

What makes it so exciting? The fact is, this is like taking hyundai from 30 years ago. You know theyve grown to become one of the biggest brands in australia. Byd, theoretically, dont need to take that long. They could do it much faster because they have something. No one else have supply theyre, making these things at a rate of 1500 odd, a month for australia, and so just in this year they could easily sell five to eight thousand of them and make them easily the second best selling electric car in australia. Behind the model 3 and when their full dreams to come to fruition, with several other models that are going to come in the next 12 months, you know they could be a top 10 player in the in the market, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. Lets just consider people that have bought this car. If you bought this car, i think youre going to be happy. I think you are, i think, theres definitely going to be improvements to the infotainment over time, its basically an android tablet thats what im getting the feeling its like an android tablet just there, but other than that. I i dont know what youd be complaining about its a lovely drive great on the road and i think theres going to be some very happy. Byd owners taking delivery over the next few months. Just simple the gear selector is quite normal. Reversing camera is out of this world.

Fantastic at forty. Four thousand dollars were getting lets. Just look at ill show you here again wheres the camera this one at 44, 000 youre getting 3d um views of the car uh. You can see under the car. Look at that there ive poorly parked, but ive done that intentionally so that you can see the line under the car. I mean its its, not a bmw in terms of its overall quality of the 3d modeling here, but holy gyros. This is forty four thousand dollars. Bang for your buck, this is outrageous, its unbelievable and i dont think anyone that put their money down and will soon be getting uh delivery notifications. I dont think youre going to be unhappy at all the interesting thing about this. Is i dont think the design is that stark, its, not a glaring design thats going to blow your mind like an ev6 kia or even a tesla theyve gone for a more traditional look. This just looks like any other car and thats. What will sell it? It looks like a good normal car inside it drives like a normal car, just happens to be fully electric and it happens to be the cheapest in australia, im not saying its the best electric car, but bang for your buck, its. Where id be putting my money, i just think that the money youre being asked to spend on electric cars today at the top end is almost insane compared to what youre actually physically getting this well equipped.

Well featured all the mod cons. I think theyll do very well.