BYD Atto 3 vs Hyundai Venue

What's the difference?

BYD hasn’t made dramatic changes to the Atto 3 for 2024, but has it done enough to lure in more buyers? 

The additional equipment, namely the larger infotainment screen and new tyres, will certainly help make the Atto 3 more appealing. And the technology behind EVs is more understood by the average motorists, so the barriers to making the switch to electrification are dropping.

But the single biggest factor is likely to be the price. At a time when inflation (and other reasons) is driving the cost of new vehicles up, having your updated model go in the wrong direction will only help make potential buyers take notice.

Especially when you consider Toyota’s closest rival to the Atto 3, the bZ4X, starts at $66,000, while the Tesla Model Y is priced from $55,900, making both significantly more expensive propositions. Heck, the cheapest Toyota RAV4 hybrid model starts at $42,260, only marginally cheaper than the Atto 3 Standard Range.

So, if BYD can make its value argument strongly it will help lure more new buyers to take the plunge into the world of EVs.

The Hyundai Venue Elite is a sweet-looking, compact SUV that should suit drivers who only need an A-to-B sort of car in the city. Or an empty nester who doesn’t want to feel flustered by any high-end tech and wants knobs and dials where they expect them to be.

Some elements of the safety set could be better though and that’s something to consider. However, for an urban landscape, you can practically fit it anywhere. With its engine specs, it's also happiest in the city - don't consider this a road trip car.

In a couple of words, not really. At least when it comes to the exterior design.

In fact, the biggest design change for 2024 is actually the colour of our test car, the new Cosmos Black. Apart from that, the rest of the Atto 3 is unchanged visually, which is becoming something of a trademark for EVs, at least from newer brands like BYD and Tesla. 

Instead of worrying about adding a new grille, different headlights or an alternative alloy wheel design, brands like BYD are focusing on updating batteries, the technology and other software enhancements to keep their models fresh.

The only exterior change is at the rear, where the previous 'Build Your Dreams' lettering has been replaced by a simple 'BYD' badge.

As for the interior design, kudos to BYD for not following Tesla down the cost-saving-disguised-as-minimalist-design path, but personally the design aesthetic and the variety of colours and trims used aren’t to my taste, but I can see why others may love it. The ‘guitar string’ door pockets are likely a particularly polarsing design choice.

BYD has added a new interior option, with a black/blue trim for the examples finished with grey and black exteriors, while white and blue painted cars get a blue/grey interior.

Cute is the adjective that comes to mind when you look at the Venue’s compact styling. And it is compact with its wee 4040mm length. The benefits of its dimensions means that you should be able to tuck this away in most garages or apartment car spots!

The Venue does have a boxier shape than I ordinarily like but because it’s small, it manages to get away with it and still feel sharp.

Our model’s paintwork and roof colour has been finished in Atlas White but you can customise the Venue with a two-tone roof job (either black or white, depending on main body colour), to add some more personality.

You just lose the sunroof with that option, which I actually think adds a lot of oomph to the interior and stops it from looking too plain inside.

Speaking of, the interior is pleasing but simplistic.  There are a lot of traditional design elements from the gear shifter and handbrake to the easy-to-access buttons and dials. This is a no-fuss interior that is banking on having a no-fuss sort of driver.

There is some cool cred with the white painted metal accents around the air vents and gear shifter. Plus, the contrasting piping and stitching on the cloth seats adds some fun, too. 

The Atto 3 remains classified as a ‘Medium SUV’ but blurs the line between mid-size and small in terms of dimensions, especially inside. It’s not in the same size game as the Toyota RAV4 or Mitsubishi Outlander, but is close in size to the likes of the Honda ZR-V and Mazda CX-5.

While there’s a few key practical storage spaces, there aren’t as many as some newer rivals, which does suggest the Atto 3 design is starting to date or just wasn’t well thought-out enough in the first place; such as putting all the switchgear in the centre console rather than on the dashboard.

This was probably done, at least in part, to accommodate the rotating touchscreen, which seems like a poor design and practicality choice to me. Especially the new one, which at 15.8-inches when rotated to the portrait mode it starts to interfere with your vision and the layout is more user-friendly in landscape mode - both when using the native multimedia system or your smartphone connection.

Space is respectable in the back seats, and there’s both a USB-A and USB-C port for charging devices. While out the back the boot measures 440 litres, which is a respectable amount of space for an SUV this size, but there’s only a tyre repair kit instead of a spare wheel.

It ain't a people mover. Period.

If you plan on having regular passengers and they’re tall, look elsewhere because they won’t find much comfort (especially in the back seat).

On the back seat, I barely fit with my 168cm (5’6”) height and had to accommodate my driving position by spreading the ol’ knees apart. So ladylike.

However, kudos to the clever high roofline because headroom isn’t an issue. The 170mm ground clearance also makes this a super easy car to get in and out of.

Front passengers definitely enjoy the most room and amenities but you will be jostling for the premium position on the armrest. The storage is good for this size SUV with a glovebox, middle console, two cupholders and a cute little storage shelf in front of the passenger.

There’s also a dedicated phone tray that has the wireless charging pad, a USB-A and C port plus a 12-volt port too.

The tech is simple to use and it was easy to get my iPhone connected to the Bluetooth and wired Apple CarPlay (there’s Android Auto, too for those users). The new-for-2023 4.2-inch digital instrument panel adds some pizzazz but unfortunately, isn’t customisable.

The boot is a solid size for this class at 355L. You can adjust the floor to sit a little lower and there is a space-saver spare tyre.

No Venue grade has a powered tailgate but honestly, you don’t need it.

Even though the Elite is the top model for the Venue line-up, it’s just $28,500 before on-road costs.

That puts it on par with the Mazda CX-3 in Maxx Sport guise, but about $4500 cheaper than the Toyota Yaris Cross Urban.

The Elite has an okay spec sheet but is a few items short of feeling like a top model should.

For example, this has wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, whereas the lower grades enjoy wireless.

This is a common trait in Hyundai and Kia products due to a quirk with the vehicle architecture. It also just makes do with halogen headlights but they stand out against the rest of the LEDs on the road.

However, the other standard equipment for the Elite still makes it a competitive player, like the tilt and slide sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, temporary space-saver spare tyre, steering wheel-mounted controls, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system and wireless charging pad.

As with the design there isn’t much to say about what’s powering the Atto 3 because it’s the same as the 2023 model. Both the Standard and Extended Range use the same front-mounted electric motor, which makes 150kW/310Nm and drives the front wheels through a single speed transmission.  

With 0-100km/h times of 7.9 seconds and 7.3 seconds respectively for the Standard and Extended Range, the Atto 3 won’t shove you back in your seat, but it has adequate performance for a mid-size SUV. 

All Venue grades share the same engine – a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol drivetrain with a maximum output of 90kW and 151Nm of torque. Which sounds as gutless as it feels.

The six-speed auto transmission and under-powered engine can feel a bit rough on the open-road when you need to put your foot down.

Basically, you’re not going to do Daytona 500 in this. Think the odd bit of shopping, taking your small lap dog to get trimmed and going for a coffee with your friends. 

The Standard Range has a rated driving range of 345km (WLTP) from a 49.92kWh ‘Blade’ lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery while the Extended Range’s bigger 60.48kWh unit increases that to 420km.

Charging is capped at 70kW (DC) for the Standard and 80kW (DC) for the Extended. 

One of the major hurdles for EV brands is convincing people that they won’t run out of charge every day. At 420km the Extended Range Atto 3 will get most people through multiple days of commuting, so even with public charging you shouldn’t worry about range anxiety. 

Those drivers with commutes longer than 420km per day should be looking at something other than an electric car (and probably a job closer to home).

It earns back some points with the fuel efficiency, especially considering how hard you have to drive this to wring out its power.

The official combined fuel figure is 7.2L/100km and I achieved the same according to the trip computer. Not too shabby but there are hybrid versions for the Venue’s rivals now - like the Yaris Cross - so it would be good to see one for this as well. 

It has a 45L fuel tank and based off the official combined figure, you should be able to get around a 625km driving range, which means you should be able to go a couple of weeks without filling up if you’re doing shorter commutes.

Driving the updated Atto 3 feels… fine. Nothing special or class-leading, but within the expectations buyers should look for in a mid-size SUV. Which is meant as a compliment to BYD, as it is still a relatively new brand in this very competitive market and there are certainly some noticeably worse rivals in this same segment. 

The Atto 3 may not be the most comfortable, most powerful or most dynamic mid-size SUV, but it’s a perfectly nice thing to drive and it will get you from Point A to Point B quietly and smoothly.

Another of the major changes for 2024 is BYD’s decision to ditch the fantastically named, but not very good Atlas Batman tyres, replacing them with Continental rubber. The Atlas tyres were a major drawback on the old model, lacking grip and detracting from the driving experience, with the new ‘Contis’ solving those problems. 

This is an urban dweller for sure. It’s happiest going under 70km/h but it handles that range very well. You have enough kick to cross traffic without too much fuss and the steering feels direct.

Those feelings disappear on the open road where it’s a struggle to maintain your speed and the engine complains so loudly, I was nervous it was going to conk out.

The cabin also gets loud at higher speeds with wind and road noise, which just reaffirms that this is a city car. At lower speeds, it’s fairly quiet and you can chat without interruption.

There’s some roll when you tackle corners but once you get used to how to drive it, it won’t bother you. The ride comfort is good until you hit bumps and then, you probably feel more connected to the road than you might like but it’s short lived because of the short wheelbase.

I really like the 10.2m turning circle and compact size - it made navigating around tight city streets an absolute breeze. Parking? Hurrah for a small car. I got into spaces that would ordinarily elude me. I just would have liked a clear reversing camera, it’s a bit blurry for a top-spec model.

This little SUV has some good safety features that come as standard, like: blind-spot monitoring, auto emergency braking (AEB) with forward collision warning - car, pedestrian and cyclist detection (operational from 5.0 – 60km/h), rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors, driver attention warning, check rear occupant alert, lane keeping aid, rear view camera with dynamic guidelines and tyre pressure monitoring.

However, the Venue was awarded a four-star ANCAP safety rating back in 2019. It missed out on that extra star because of the forward collision system, which had a lower ability to avoid rear-end impacts with vehicles in front. That dropped the Safety Assist and Vulnerable Road User scores down to just 62 per cent. That’s something to consider for the sort of traffic you’d get in an urban setting.

It only has six airbags but that does include curtain airbags covering the back row.

BYD offers a six-year/150,000km warrant for the vehicle, with eight years/160,000km coverage for the batteries.

Service intervals are every 12 months of 20,000km and while a minor service is only $165, every second visit is more expensive, ranging from $498 to more than $600. There may be less oily bits under the bonnet but there’s still a cost to owning an electric car.

Ongoing costs are great as the Venue comes with Hyundai’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is a standard term for the class.

You can pre-purchase servicing plans for up to five-years or 75,000km (whichever occurs first). The five-year plan averages $315 per service, which is very competitive! 

Servicing intervals are reasonable at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.