BYD Atto 3 driver assist absolutely bombs safety tests

It’s thumbs down on the BYD Atto 3, at least from Europe’s leading car safety agency EuroNCAP when rating the BEV’s driver assistance system. Meanwhile, Mercedes’ i5, along with other European models, receives top scores.

When testing the popular vehicle’s driver assist, European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) offered up a dreadful score of zero on driver monitoring features, with its Adaptive Cruise Control coming up short on tests at speeds higher than 90 kph (56 mph), among other failings, according to a report in Automotive News Europe.

The agency said that the vehicle’s driver assistance system “failed to meet the minimum standards” to manage critical situations to avoid accidents, with the system overall getting a “not recommended” rating.

The Atto 3 also showed some problems with its camera detecting speed limit signs, with the system not able to differentiate between fixed, variable, and temporary speed limit signs. Also, it didn’t adjust for speed on bends or junctions, and in the case of an unresponsive driver, the Atto 3 was shown to disengage the lane centering function while keeping the adaptive cruise control up and running.

“There is no speed adaptation for upcoming road features such as curves and junctions,” Euro NCAP says in its report. “The ATTO 3 responds to avoid a collision in some of the ACC test scenarios. The driver is supported through the S-Bend, but the car is kept fully in lane only at the lowest test speed.” 

In 2023, the Atto 3 received a five-star safety rating – which will remain intact, although this original score didn’t include an in-depth analysis of its latest assisted driving system.

Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz i5 received top scores on its driver assist system, with the i5 doing a good job of monitoring the drivers who keep their hands on the wheel, balancing driver attention and steering input with lane guidance, “promoting co-operative driving,” the report said.

EuroNCAP gave high ratings on the driver assistance systems used in a handful of European models, including the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz C-class scoring the highest possible rating of “Very Good.” The Volvo EC40 and VW ID.7 scored just below with a solid “Good” rating each.

BYD hasn’t commented on the rating, but Chinese automakers have leaned in heavily on high ratings from EuroNCAP to win over European consumers, who rely on these rating systems in their purchase decisions. BYD has been aggressively pushing into Europe, with nine-month sales up by more than 200% to 29,786, Reuters reports. The Atto 3 is considered one of the safest Chinese EVs on the market when it won an overall five-star rating by EuroNCAP last year. What effect these new results will have on consumers, we’ll have to wait and see.