The BYD Atto 3 (in China known as Yuan Plus) has positively surprised us in the recent round of Euro NCAP safety tests, ahead of its European market launch later this year (in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany).

The Chinese C-segment crossover/SUV received the top 5-star safety rating with pretty good occupant protection results (91% for adults and 89% for child) and a decent Safety Assist score of 74%.

Euro NCAP noted that "The budget friendly EV is performing well in Euro NCAP crash tests and comes fully equipped with latest ADAS technologies."

If the BYD Atto 3 is good enough for five stars, then we should expect that the other two larger models (Han and Tang) - also set for launch in multiple European countries - also will get the maximum results. That's because they are larger (more space to amortise the hit) and more expensive (usually means more safety systems as standard).

The BYD Atto 3 will start in Germany at around €38,000 (£33,000), including VAT tax and will offer a WLTP range of about 420 km (261 miles) using a 60.48 kWh Blade Battery (LFP).

There is a big chance that the BYD Atto 3 can become a serious competitor to some of the other BEVs in the hot crossover/SUV segment.

2022 BYD Atto 3 Euro NCAP test results:

  • Adult Occupant protection - 91 percent
  • Child Occupant protection - 89 percent
  • Vulnerable Road Users protection - 69 percent
  • Safety Assist - 74 percent

See all details here.

Crash tests include:

  • Frontal impact test - 50% of the width of the car is striking an oncoming deformable barrier (both travelling at 50 km/h/31 mph)
  • Frontal impact test - the car impacts a rigid full-width barrier at 50 km/h (31 mph)
  • Side impact test - a mobile deformable barrier impacts the driver's door at 60 km/h (37.3 mph)
  • Pole test - the tested car is propelled sideways into a rigid pole at 32 km/h (20 mph)