As my Volkswagen Jetta (2015) was reaching its end of 9-year, I was contemplating giving up on car ownership due to high COE. But after much consideration, I have to agree that owning a car will improve our quality of life. Assuming we take private hire or taxis for all our trips, we probably save low hundreds of dollars a month, but we forgo convenience. Since we are now in full-time employment, we think we can still afford a bit of luxury expenditure. While it may seem like a 10-year throwaway, I reckon that we could sell the car any time to cut our commitment.
My VW Jetta was showing signs of wear that would require some major repairs. Already I spent close to S$5000 over the past 2 years to replace some parts, some of which were barely 6 months old. I was prepared to use it till the end of 10 years, and seriously considering to renew the COE. But there are also higher annual costs of owning an old car. Road tax would increase 10% every year till Year 15, PARF value would become zero, and it just feels silly to pay nearly S$100K to continue using an old car.
During casual conversations, my friend suggested that I start shopping early for a new car instead of waiting at the last minute. So in late January I started doing the sums and reading reviews of the few shortlisted cars based on my budget.
Why EV
I was never an EV advocate and was also never a fan of internal combustion engine (ICE) either. I actually disliked operating the engine, the noise, the wear and tear. I had some unpleasant experience with the Jetta – a broken gearbox, “low engine oil” warning issue every 9-12 months, a weak fuel pressure that stalled my engine even when the fuel gauge is above the red line. And finally, it’s the guilt of driving a petrol car that spew carbon monoxide at the exhaust, generate lots of heat and noise from the engine, polluting the environment with every drive I take.
After working out the real cost of ownership (factoring annual road tax, motor insurance, cost of fuel, cost of servicing), I would have to pay more to own a respectable European-brand sedan over 10 years. While the annual fixed cost for ICE is lower (i.e. lower road tax and insurance), the variable cost for EV is much lower (i.e. fuel cost, servicing cost).
And since EV is still a relatively new product, it would be safer to go with an established and reliable brand with lots of market feedback. If there are any issues, at least I am not alone. Fortunately, the BYD ATTO 3 is packed with features, and its bold interior design is acceptable by my family. My first choice was the BYD M6 because it was the same price as ATTO 3 with a more conventional design and larger cabin space, but the road handling is poorer and the design is dated. My second choice was the MG ZS EV or MG4 as they are almost $20K cheaper, but my family did not like some parts of the design, the models are older and features are slightly outdated.
I have no issue about battery charging compared to petrol filling because of the availability of charging points at both my workplace and near my home. And now that I have driven 1000 km, I find that the drive range indicator is very accurate. Unlike smartphone battery indicator, the EV car indicator would not suddenly drop in value. So it gives you confidence in planning your trip and make sure you reach your destination without charge anxiety. Most of my headache is not about finding available charging points but to find cheaper charging providers.
The final big reason to go for EV is the keenness to experience new technology. For all I know, this may be the last vehicle I am going to buy, so I might as well try out an EV.
What I Liked About EV
True to what my EV-owner friends shared, driving an EV offers a new user experience. Apart from the fact that there is no more engine noise, no more vibrations, the EV feels effortless to operate. Once I enter the car, press the start button, then shift gear to “D”, then you can drive off. No need to crank engine or worry about driving with cold engine.
Whether you step the accelerator hard or not, the car will just move without engine sound, no mechanical gear shift for different torque response. I no longer feel guilty letting the car run idle for long periods, or to drive the car at short distances, because there is no heat generated, no carbon gas produced, no engine noise.
As for the car handling, I find the ATTO 3 offers similar brake and acceleration response as my Jetta, that is, not too over-sensitive. But as the SUV is taller than a sedan, I find the road holding is not as firm, and I don’t feel as confident driving higher speeds – at least for the initial period. I guess I need more time to feel confident about the car before I try anything aggressive.
The other advantage of EV is that there are fewer engine parts, and so in theory there are fewer components that could cause wear and tear. It does not mean that EV is more durable than ICE cars, but given the ATTO 3 offers 6-year car warranty, 10-year battery warranty and servicing, the maintenance cost is expected to be lower. And for sure that the daily usage cost of an EV is so much lower, it makes financial sense to chauffeur my family instead of taking public transport. For instance, on a work-from-home day where I chauffeur my wife two times (60km), I spend less than S$6 on electricity, but with Jetta, it would cost about S$14 on petrol.
Speaking of fuel consumption, each full charge can drive about 420km, and there are two charge modes. AC charging supports up to 6.6kW, while DC charging supports up to 88kW. To charge in AC from 10 to 100% would need about 9 hours, while charging in DC will take just one hour. It may seem like an inconvenience, but since my workplace has a charging point, I can just park and charge the whole day while I work. Secondly, most car owners in Singapore drive short distances, and there are a lot of charging points available, so owners can just charge more frequently whenever they park the car and run errands. The benefit of a slow charge is that you can park at the EV lot for longer hours. If you charge at the DC point, you would have to drive off within an hour.
Nice Features of the ATTO 3
Let me list down the features I like about the ATTO 3 that are not related to the fact that it is an EV, as these features can also be found in ICE cars – except the first point.
- 3-Year charging discount: This is not an ATTO 3 feature, but rather a benefit from BYD. Each owner gets to select their preferred charging point operator (Shell, SP, Volt, CDG, Charge+), enroll through BYD, and then enjoy 20-25% discount for 3 years. I signed up with Volt because they operate the charging points near my office and home. Upon enrolling, on top of the 20% discount already reflected on the app, I get 3x S$10 sign-up credits that I can use when I spend S$20 for each charge.
- Intelligent and Adaptive Cruise Control: it automatically keeps a distance from the front vehicle, accelerates and slows down, stops and drives accordingly, provides feedback when car is not keeping in lane. It’s not as accurate as LIDAR system so I use it only for slow traffic situations and not for high-speed freeway driving. Now, I no longer feel tired driving in slow traffic.
- Sunroof and Sunshade: I have always wanted a car with sunroof. ATTO 3 also comes with motorised sunshade which I always open to let in more light into the car. But I cannot really enjoy it because only the passengers at the back get to enjoy the view.
- 360 Panoramic Camera: lets me see objects all around the car, helps me in adjusting my parking or check for blind spots when navigating tight spots.
- Built-in front-facing car camera: It records all the driving operations like speed, drive mode, brake, but it does not record audio. Requires separate microSD card to be insert and data is stored in the Android-based car infotainment system.
- Built-in air purification system: it reduces PM2.5 particles in the cabin.
- Customisable Interior Lights: you can change the colours of the interior lights, even flash with music. I can designate different colours for front and rear seats.
- Door Open Warning (DOW): the lights at the door will turn red when the car detects approaching vehicles. But the light is not so obvious, and passengers are not likely to notice that enough to stop them from opening the door.
- Turn off daytime running light when parking. The car keeps daytime running light on when driving, but once the car is in Park position, you can go to the Light menu to turn off, so that you can keep the car running when you are stationary for long periods. There is also a “Camping” mode that turns off interior lights and locks the doors, you can literally sleep in the cabin with air-con on without worrying about pollution or carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Remote Access Control via Smartphone App. I can access and monitor the car stats from my app, lock/unlock, pre-cool the car, check tyre pressure.
- Gearshift Lever. I prefer the “normal” gear lever compared to the knob type.
- Touch-enabled interior light switch. It’s a gimmick, albeit cool, cutting down on physical button placements.
- Voice control: Another gimmick which is surprisingly useful, though I seldom use it.
- Tire Pressure Monitoring: saves me trouble of manual checking of tire pressure.
- Ventilated Car Seats (Only 2025 version). My version does not come with it, but if you buy the new 2025 version, it does, and will be immensely helpful if you park your car under the sun as it will cool down the seats faster.
- Third Party Accessories: Thanks to its immense popularity, there are hundreds of accessories in the market that you can buy to personalise the car, including protective covers on almost all surfaces on the ATTO 3.
Negatives About BYD ATTO 3
After spending more time on the ATTO 3, I get to appreciate my old Jetta more. After all, Volkswagen is in the car business for decades, and there are more well-thought hardware features. Here are some features I think the ATTO 3 is lacking, and that I would have to adapt.
- Overall build. ATTO 3 uses mostly plastic panels and finishing, the operating buttons are made of consumer-grade (as opposed to industrial) quality, the moving parts do not feel as durable. It does provide a good first impression, but once you use the car longer, you will feel the difference. It would require very careful use to prevent panel scratches, wear and tear. On my Jetta, even though there are plastic parts, I feel they are thicker and more durable, which has proven over the years that can stand casual abuse. For instance the ATTO 3 charge port door feels less solid compared to the Jetta petrol door.
- Door Unlock Sensor. ATTO 3 requires user to physically press a button on the driver door to unlock the car. On the Jetta, the handle has a sensor that unlocks once I place my hands around the handlebar and pull to unlock at the same time. To lock, I simply touch the sensor without the need to press physically. The Jetta passenger door also has the unlock sensor but not on the ATTO 3. I even read on the car owner chat group that someone broke the unlock button. To think that all the sensors on my Jetta are not faulty after 9 years, it really says something about quality.
- Trunk door obstable sensor not sensitive. When the trunk door is closing automatically and it encounters obstacle, the mechanism does not stop but will slow down and will continue to close once obstacle is clear. Confirm this will fail the “banana-test”.
- Stiff signal and wiper levers. The levers are stiff and requires wider distance to push. It also requires more effort to push them compared to Jetta.
- Stiff Remote Key Buttons. Quite surprised that it can be tough to press some of the buttons on the key.
- No wiper rain sensor. There is no rain-sensor mode to auto-adjust swipe interval.
- Small Instrument Cluster. Honestly, most drivers will not be staring at the cluster while driving, so I would say it is not a deal breaker. However, if the display is larger, then there are opportunities to display more information, for instance, navigation instructions.
- Centre console layout is left-hand drive. BYD did not swap the position of the buttons on the centre console. Buttons like hazard warning lights are now at the passenger side, making it a hassle to press it, so I ended up using it less during hazard situations, which defeats the purpose.
- Anti-glare rearview mirror cannot be disabled. It dims automatically at night and it reduces my visibility of rear vehicles. On the Jetta, the feature can be disabled from a button on the miror.
- Trunk Lighting is dim. There is only one trunk light on the left side.
- Inside bottom car door accumulates debris. The bottom of the inside car door is not sealed, so road debris like leaves and soil can get trapped there.
- Weak FM radio antenna. Reception drops frequently.
- Music player does not support gapless playback. There is a brief gap when it changes track.
- Music player does not auto-pause when volume is zero. My VW Jetta infotainment system does that.
EV Safety Record?
One of the biggest detracting factors for owning the EV is its battery safety. I agree that the ICE technology is far more mature than battery EV. However, EVs have already been operating in many countries for more than 10 years, and battery technology has improved, especially when BYD demonstrated its Blade battery does not combust when punctured. On top of that, there are statistically more fires on petrol cars compared to EV, though it does not stop people from buying petrol cars.
I have to admit that there might be a different behaviour when EV breaks down compared to petrol cars. For instance, if there are mechanical issues, the car may still run, but if there is an electrical or software issue, the whole vehicle may stop working entirely. And since the EV components are different from petrol engines, I would not have car-expert friends to turn to for help.
The Best-Selling EV in Singapore
Being the early adopters, there are always risks and unknowns that need to be experienced and learned. Any mechanical or electrical product will be subject to breakdowns and wear. Ultimately, I believe in destiny – some owners have good fortune while others have bad luck, be it petrol or battery cars. By buying the most popular EV car, I have joined a large community of ATTO 3 owners with collective voices and experiences to share about problems, solutions, know-hows, fixes, tips.
Among all the costs, the only “unreasonable” cost about buying an EV in Singapore is that LTA imposes an additional flat fee on the road tax because EV does not pay fuel excise duties. So, while my Jetta’s road tax was S$620, I have to pay S$1502 for my ATTO 3. What this means is that I better drive my ATTO 3 more frequently due to higher annual fixed cost and lower usage cost.
In summary, my first 1000km drive on the BYD ATTO 3 has been great. The drive is smooth and effortless, I am getting the hang of the size, improving on my reverse parking, managing well with parallel parking thanks to the 360 camera, and enjoying the charging savings where I spent less than S$100 on “fuel” on my first 1000 km drive. I enjoy driving the ATTO 3 more than the previous cars, and I am more than happy to chauffeur my family for errands and activities.
I hope I will receive good after-sales servicing experience, which I will be getting once I reach 5000km drive or 3 months. Currently there are three service centres in Singapore run by different authorised distributors, open to all owners regardless which distributor you buy from. BYD HQ is keeping tabs on the local operations closely to make sure the owners are well taken care of, although I did hear horror stories of long waiting time for spare parts, obviously due to the huge demand for BYD cars.
