BYD has given its best-selling small SUV a serious overhaul. The BYD Atto 3 Evo opens at $41,990 before on-road costs in Dynamic trim, with the Premium at $46,990. First deliveries start this month.
The pick of the range
The Dynamic keeps front-wheel drive with a 150kW motor and a 420km WLTP range. The Premium is the one to watch. It switches to rear-wheel drive with a single 230kW, 380Nm motor, a larger 74.8kWh Blade battery, 510km of WLTP range and a 0 to 100km/h time of 5.5 seconds. An 800V architecture allows 220kW DC charging, so 10 to 80 per cent takes about 25 minutes.
Cartell Assessment
This is a lot of electric SUV for Hyundai Tucson money. Rear-wheel drive, 510km and quick charging in a car from $41,990 shows how fast the value goalposts are moving, and it explains why BYD keeps climbing the sales charts.
AU Outlook
BYD is now a fixture near the top of the market, and a sharper Atto 3 only strengthens that. Expect the established small SUVs to feel the pressure, and expect more Chinese brands to answer with rear-drive and bigger batteries of their own.
