2026 BYD Atto 1 owner review
The Don family share their experience after purchasing a BYD Atto 1 Premium as a daily runabout to join their Sealion 7, dubbing it a "no brainer" to become a two-EV family.
Why did you buy an EV?
We needed a second “run around” car. Something small for city driving now that we use the “family” car for our 1 year old. We already have the BYD Sealion 7 and have a charger installed at home so getting an electric car for our second car was a no brainer!
Why did you buy the BYD Atto 1 Premium?
We have had a positive experience with the BYD Sealion 7 in terms of value for money and the Atto 1 ticked most of our boxes and was very affordable. We also liked the look of it and interior more compared to other cars we considered.
What were the BYD Atto 1’s rivals?
We considered the MG4 and the BYD Atto 2 but ended up going with the Atto 1. The MG4 didn’t tick as many boxes with the tech but we did like the look of it. The Atto 2 ticked the boxes with the tech but we didn’t like the look of it as much as the Atto 1. We also preferred the smaller hatchback style.
How has driving and charging the BYD Atto 1 been? Is the car’s charging rate fast enough for how you use the car?
Driving it has been great. It's not as “luxe” feeling as the Sealion 7 but it is also half the price. It’s a great little city car to zip around in. The Premium is the one to get even for the extra power and range. As it has a small-ish battery, it charges quite fast which has been great.
How does the car drive overall? Is its performance and handling adequate?
It's quick enough for what it's intended for. It’s not a rocket by any means but it feels super zippy at city speeds and the instant torque you get from an EV is always great. Again, I recommend the Premium for the extra power and torque. We test drove the Essential first, but when we test drove the Premium it wasn’t even a competition. We have been happy with the handling and the turning circle is amazing as well; one of the best turning circles I’ve had in a car.
Has range been an issue? What kind of real-world range do you find you’re getting?
I have it in sports mode constantly, so I have access to the full throttle response and I’m averaging around 10.8 kwh/100km at the moment which is translating to around 300-310km of range. This is fine for us, and we haven’t had any issues with it being a second back up car used for small trips to the shops or to and from the office.
Has the BYD Atto 1 represented value for money?
100% Yes. Things like [faux] leather seats, seat heating, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charger, electric adjustable driver and passenger seats, a 360 degree camera, a big enough central screen and digital driver display plus all standard safety tech etc. A lot of this is unheard of in a ~$30k car these days!
Has the car been reliable? Have you had any issues maintaining it?
So far so good. No issues. That said, we’ve only owned it for around a month so far so time will tell. We have been happy with BYD in general with the Sealion 7 so hopefully that follows suit.
What have running and repair costs been like? More or less than you expected?
It has not needed repairs yet and running costs are as expected really. The vehicle is on a novated lease so all running costs and repairs are bundled into the deductions. We recommend this if you have the option through your employer!
What do you think about the BYD Atto 1 tech and styling?
Great tech for the price and I think it looks nice on the inside and out. You can tell inside that they’ve cut some costs using plastics etc but the seats are [faux] leather and there are some soft touch materials on the inside too. But hey, for the price you’d expect them to be saving costs in some aspects! Exterior styling is great: LED headlights, tail lights and DRL’s come standard and it looks sporty but also a bit quirky to keep with the EV theme.
Are there any standout features?
Standout features for us would have to be wireless Apple CarPlay. This is such a great feature that helped sway us. Once you have this, you’ll never go back to plugging your phone in! We also love the seats; they are super comfy, and it's great that they electrically adjust too. Coming from the BYD Sealion 7 which ticks pretty much all the boxes, it doesn’t feel like you’re stepping down that much jumping in the Atto 1. It’s still packed with features and the value for money is great. You also get access to the BYD App which lets you lock, unlock, turn A/C on and off, etc, remotely which is a great bonus!
Room for improvement?
I think the only things I would change so far would be adding LED indicators at the front and rear. It’s a small thing but for longevity it really should be a standard inclusion in most, if not all cars now. It does have an LED indicator on the wing mirrors though which is good. Other things that spring to mind for us would be a slightly bigger battery, a sunroof (even a small one) and a grey paint option. We love having a sunroof in the Sealion 7 and we’d pay extra for it.
