BYD ATTO 3 RANGE TEST AND FAST CHARGING TEST

I will first test the range at higher average speeds on the highway. I want to know what the minimum range of this car could be. At the beginning of this part of the test, the battery is at 75%. I base my estimated range on the average consumption and the net capacity of the battery. I did the test in December and it was between 0 and -2 degrees.

For the first part of the test I drove from Brussels towards Namur for a total of 60 km. The battery dropped to 50% and the estimated range based on a consumption of 22,4 kWh was 270 km. I left the highway for some sporty driving on country roads. After that, the battery had dropped to 41% and the estimated range increased slightly to 304 km.

Now it’s time to drive all the way back to Brussels on the motorway. Let’s take a look at my results. I have drained the battery to 16% and consumption has increased slightly during this ride. The range on the highway amounted to 279 km based on an average consumption of 21.7 kWh.

Now let’s do a charging test at a fast charger. The BYD ATTO 3 is equipped with a combined charging system. This system allows ATTO 3 to be charged with both AC and DC. For this test I will charge the car on a DC fast charger. The ATTO 3 can fast charge at a speed of up to 88 kW. BYD says it takes 29 minutes to charge from 30% to 80% at 88kW.

At the start of the test, the battery is only 16%. It’s 0 degrees outside. The car indicated that it would take approximately 57 minutes to fully charge the battery. I’m going to do a 30 minute charging test. In the beginning the car charged at a speed of around 60 Kw. After 10 minutes I was charging at a rate of 55.8 kW. The battery increased to 33% and we gained about 17% battery charge. After 20 minutes I noticed that we were charging at a rate of 59 Kw. I gained another 15% battery charge and the battery is now at 48%. After 30 minutes the battery is at 64%. The charging speed is still at 59 kW. So we went from 16% to 64% in 30 minutes, in short you charge the battery for half.

I have not done an AC charging test on this car, but let’s look at some theoretical information. The charging speed of the on-board charger is 11 kw. The AC charge time from 0% to 100% is 6.5 hours at 11 kW.

In the video you will also see information about the &Charge app. Hereby also my referral link for the &Charge app. By using my link, you already get a starting credit of 20 km: https://and-charge.com/#/invite-friends?code=LPVKKG 

Now let’s test the range at lower city speeds. I want to know what the maximum range of this car could be. At the start of this part of the test, the battery is at 64%. The temperature was between 1 and 3 degrees. I made a test drive of 50 km, first in Brussels with a lot of stop and go driving. Then I left the city and drove on small city roads. It was in an urban area, sometimes a bit more rural, but with lots of opportunities to drive continuously, usually between 50-70 km/h.

Let’s take a look at my results. After a test drive of 50 km in total, I drained the battery to 52%. The average consumption eventually amounted to 14,6 kWh and the estimated range is 414 km.

In conclusion, I can say that the range of the BYD ATTO 3 is somewhere between 279 km and 414 km, based on comparable driving conditions and measured at fairly low temperatures between -2 and +3 degrees. I suspect you’ll probably get more range at much higher temperatures. With a battery of only 60 kWh, this car will certainly not become the range champion on the highway, certainly not in winter, but for city driving an average consumption of 14.6 kWh/100 km is actually quite good in winter.

Fast charging with a speed of 88 kW is not best in class, but good enough.

What I liked about this car was that it is quite luxurious and very well equipped. It feels premium, yes even “German premium”, and this for a budget of 46k. Inside, it’s bigger than it looks in photos and probably in this video. The parking camera is exceptionally good and I like the mood lighting.

What I didn’t like about this car was the wind noise at higher speeds. The range on the highway is not that great and fast charging could be a bit better.

But overall I was pleasantly surprised by this car. It may not be well known in Europe yet, but I would certainly consider this car.

In the video you will also see information about the &Charge app. Hereby also my referral link for the &Charge app. By using my link, you already get a starting credit of 20 km: https://and-charge.com/#/invite-friends?code=LPVKKG