BYD Australia reveals shorter warranty window and higher service costs than initially expected

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As one of the most hotly anticipated EV entries to Australia for the year, the BYD Atto 3 promised to cause a stir in the market with its cut-price promises, but not all has gone to plan.

That’s because just recently BYD Australia had to go back on its seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty promise, cutting it instead to a six-year/150,000km deal.

It’s worth noting that exceptions regarding this warranty have cut/extended cover periods on individual parts of the Atto 3. 

For example, the battery has risen from seven years/160,000km to eight years/160,000km, whilst the infotainment display and suspension system is down to just three years/60,000km.

In comparison, to the rest of the EV market, BYD still doubles the warranty of the Tesla Model 3, which is only covered for the first four years/40,000km, but is nowhere near what’s offered by the likes of Hyundai or Kia.

Kia will cover the EV6 for seven years/unlimited kilometres, with the battery being covered for the same time period, but capped at 150,000km. 

Hyundai and Polestar fall into the same category of covering the Ioniq and Polestar 2 for unlimited kilometres over a five-year period. 

The other gremlin recently uncovered with the Atto 3 is the service pricing that was revealed to be higher than initially thought.

A figure of $3092 is what an owner will spend over eight years or 160,000km to keep the Atto 3 on the road, which is a decent amount more than its closest battery-powered rival – the MG ZS EV. 

Over the same time period, owners of the MG can expect to spend just $1611 on servicing, or $2415 for 140,000km.

Currently the BYD Atto 3 is offered in two specs locally, starting from $44,381 for the ‘Standard’ model. $47,381 will get you into the ‘Extended Range’ model, which offers a claim of up to 480km of driving range off a single charge. 

According to the BYD website, orders placed now can be expected to arrive early next year.

2023 BYD Atto 3: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Standard: $44,381
• Extended Range: $47,381