There might be some discontent in Australia over revelations about warranty and servicing costs, but one New Zealand customer has shared on Youtube the experience of picking up their BYD Atto 3.
The smart electric hatchback has gained a lot of attention since its local launch in February. Not least is its price: starting at $44,900 in Australia for the Standard Range version, which makes it the most affordable electric car available on the local auto market.
Deliveries to Australian customers are due to launch this week, but it seems New Zealand has beaten its cousins over the pond to the punch.
New Atto 3 owners Richard and Sally, who run the EVs & Beyond channel on Youtube, shared the video on Wednesday including a fairly comprehensive handover from the carmaker’s operations in Auckland, New Zealand, where it is distributed by Ateco Automotive.
“I’m Richard from EVs and Beyond and next to me is my wife Sally and this is little Maeve,” says Richard. “Now you might remember Maeve being a little bit smaller because … somewhere we picked up a little while ago our MG ZS EV so she’s grown up in the back of that.”
“But it’s time to try something a little different so we are here to pick up our first BYD Atto 3,” he says.
A little disclaimer comes next – this is not actually a brand new vehicle, he says: “This car is a long-term (demo) vehicle owned by BYD Auto New Zealand but we’re pretty sure we might have a crack at buying it so let’s go before she breaks – check it out and get on the road with the BYD.”
“We get a brief run-through of key features, and learn the basics. This is not a comprehensive walk through, that will come!” says Richard (in the video description.)
The nine-minute video shows what new Atto 3 owners are likely to experience in their handover – enjoy.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.