2023 BYD ATTO 3 100kW Review : Playing on a lower chord

Singapore - Like the many car brands who had been affected by the issue of high-trending COEs, the BYD ATTO 3, a “bread and butter” car, has not been spared. To make matters worse, there have been many models from different brands of late, which have found themselves needing a Category B COE to get their vehicles registered. And because Category B COEs tend to add a significant amount of coin to the price tag of these cars, brands have then resorted to importing lower-powered versions of the models initially brought in. 

A few good examples of cars which now fly below the Cat B radar are the Peugeot 5008, Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia, Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Citroen C5 Aircross… Category A cars, which could have been better versions of themselves.

So, now that I have gotten that out here it is! The BYD ATTO 3, now with 50kW less. Are there any changes since we took the car out for a spin? Well, apart from obviously less power, the ATTO 3 has gotten its much-needed infotainment system update.

Even if it has less power, the motor which drives the front wheels, produces the same amount of torque as the 150kW car. For sure it is noticeably slower when overtaking, but for most buyers, this would not be much of a deal breaker.

If you are not one who is interested in squealing the front wheels at the lights, the 100kW car drives largely the same. Its ride is set almost entirely for comfort, so this means that if you were to try to lean the compact electric SUV into a corner, much like how you would an MG4, things might not look so good for you very quickly. But while I say this, having that plush suspension truly pays off, especially if comfort is what you want. Overall, the ATTO 3 rides well, and most things road manners are generally decent.

As with the previous car, build quality on the inside is pretty good, though I am not at all a fan of BYD trying too hard with all that dashboard sculpting. However, there are a few things which I note that could be improved on. The instrument cluster is too small, and as with the previous car we tested, it also is tilted slightly to the left. Also, the “Comfortable Parking” function which has been lost in translation, has got nothing to do with the said action, or any other you might think of, but rather it is there to make braking less aggressive. 

While I do speak about these few misses, the ATTO 3 is over-all well-equipped. The recent over-the-air update has added Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the infotainment system; it also now has voice assistance capabilities. While the latter still needs a little bit of learning, it isn’t half bad. It even is capable of picking out if it is the driver or front passenger who is making a voice request. Like before, the 12.8-inch screen can rotate from a horizontal to a vertical orientation at a touch of a button. I also appreciate that there is an air purification function, which came in handy, as I passed some roadworks. Check out the values below!

As-mentioned earlier, apart from less performance, both the 150kW and 100kW cars are largely identical. They both share the same 60.5kWh battery, which charges from 20 percent to 80 percent in 42 minutes, with a DC 50kW fast charger; while a full charge from empty will take 9.5 hours with an AC 6.6kW charger.

With less power, but with just about all the good features you’d find in the 150kW car, the lower-powered ATTO 3 also costs about $20000 less. But for qualifying to be a Category A COE car, it still does not come cheap.

TEXT & PHOTOS Clifford Chow

2023 BYD Atto 3 100kW

Battery 60.5kWh, Li-Ion
Electric Motor 134hp, 310Nm
Electric Range up to 565km
0-100km/h 9.7secs
Top Speed 160km/h (electronically limited)
Efficiency 16kWh/100km
VES Band A1