The compact Atto 3 full-electric SUV, just launched on the European markets by China’s biggest EV maker, BYD, was elected by both the professional and the family jury ‘Family Car of the Year’ in the yearly contest by the Flemish mobility organization VAB.

With a total of 63 points, the Atto 3 preceded the Renault Mégane e-Tech, which got 53 points and the Nissan Ariya with 52 points.

There were ten contenders in the EV class, with prices ranging from €42 757 (Mégane) to €52 300 (Ariya). The full-optioned winner lists just in between with a price of €46 740, but the current best energy cost per 100 km: 11,22 euros.

Every year, VAB invites several families and a jury of professional car journalists to test drive a fleet of contenders to be elected ‘Family car of the Year’ in three categories.

Three categories

Two categories with classic combustion engines (up to €25 000 and €38 000) and electric cars (up to €52 300 in this case). Two Skodas pinched the title in the ICE categories: the three-cylinder Fabia 1.0 TSi and the Karoq 1.0 TSi.

In the ‘electric competition’, a total of ten EVs were tested, besides the three mentioned above, the Aiways U5, Citroën e-C4, Cupra Born, MG Marvel R, Seres 3, Ssangyong Korando, and the Volkswagen ID.3.

Becoming visible on European roads

Chinese EVs are becoming visible on European roads and were already well-represented with four out of ten contenders. The Atto 3, the first launched on the market here by Build Your Dreams (BYD), charmed the professional jury with its quality, full-featured equipment, and ‘refreshing’ design.

Chinese-built cars were confirmed once more in the latest scorecard of Euro NCAP, with the low-priced Atto 3  joining the five-star ranking. This proves that the Chinese don’t have any trouble matching up with or surpassing their European contenders.

Two factories in Europe?

In the case of BYD, this shouldn’t come as a surprise as it is China’s biggest EV (and bus and truck) manufacturer, which also produces e-bikes, solar panels, semiconductors, and its own batteries. BYD recently expressed an interest in building its own car factories in Europe.

This move would support its European expansion and overcome issues with getting the cars shipped to our shores in the long term. For now, China’s biggest EV maker will start by buying up to six car carriers to manage its own shipping.

The Atto 3 features the 60,48 kWh BYD Blade Battery, which gives the car an average range of 420 km (WLTP). This battery promises to be more compact and much safer regarding fire hazards. Tesla uses the BYD battery in its Model Y, made in China.

In the blade battery, single cells are ordered in a matrix and put together in a battery pack. The optimized structure allows a 50% space saving compared to conventional lithium batteries. The blade battery is essentially a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, but in a new approach to significantly increase safety and volumetric energy density and reduce costs.

Futuristic cockpit

For the family jury, the Atto came out best not only for its driving qualities, great seats, and spacy interior but especially with its ‘youthful appearance‘ and its even ‘futuristic looking cockpit’.

The latter is less appreciated by some of the older journalists, who would rather want to award it the price of ‘ugliest interior design’. Love it or hate it, but you can’t deny its originality with its ocean-wave-like dashboard.