BYD Atto 3 gets hot hatch power, a bigger battery, more range and rear-wheel drive to scare off 2026 MG S5, Geely EX5 and Kia EV3

BYD has given its fully-electric Atto 3 small SUV a massive overhaul with a larger battery, faster charging, more power and a switch from front- to rear-wheel drive.

There is a catch - this Atto 3 is only available in the United Kingdom, for now. But the good news is with the UK being a right-hand drive market, it's very likely the same vehicle will be sold in Australia, possibly soon.

The overhaul is much needed for the Atto3 which was BYD’s first vehicle to go on sale in Australia when the brand arrived here in 2022.

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Until now the UK and Australia have had the same Atto 3 - a front-wheel drive-only SUV with a single 150kW motor, and a driving range of up to 480km (WLTP) from the larger 60.48kWh battery variant.

But the new Atto 3 in the UK - dubbed the Evo - has been hugely improved.

For starters battery capacity has been upped to 74.8kWh for a range of up to 510km and its electrical architecture beefed up from 400V to 800V allowing 220kW fast charging and 10-80 per cent refilling in 25 minutes.

Another welcome change is the switch from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive with a more powerful 227kW motor improving 0-100km/h acceleration time from 7.3 to 5.5 seconds. A two-motor all-wheel drive variant with 325kW is also available in the UK.

2026 BYD Atto 3 Evo

The bump in grunt takes the Atto 3 into seriously quick hot hatch territory, outgunning rivals such as the Kia EV3, Geely EX5 and MG S5.

The new configuration also allowed BYD to make changes to the Atto 3’s multi-link rear suspension for better handling, upgrading it from a four- to five-link arrangement.

The new BYD Atto 3 in the UK now has a bigger 490-litre boot - up 50 litres and it's scored a 101-litre front boot.

2026 BYD Atto 3 Evo

Interior changes include the repositioning of the Atto 3’s gear selector from the centre console to the steering column.

CarsGuide has contacted BYD Australia to ascertain if and when the updated Atto 3 will come to Australia.

Since the Atto 3’s local launch in 2022 BYD has rapidly rolled out nine more models including the Shark 6 ute and Sealion 7 large SUV, those two by far the most popular in the brand's range.