Euro NCAP, Europe’s new car safety assessor, has advised drivers of the BYD Atto 3 against using the car’s driver-assistance systems after handing down its worst rating in the testing criteria yet.
The Atto 3’s assisted driver system was handed a ‘Not Recommended’ rating, with the safety body citing particular concerns over the car’s underperforming driver intervention and driver monitoring systems. The poor marks haven't altered its pre-existing five star safety rating handed down by Euro NCAP.
Testing found that traffic sign detection technology did not react to temporary and/or conditional speed limits as though they were primary limits.
BYD Atto 3 2025 review
New plug-in hybrid BYD Sealion 6 scores five-star safety rating to help it battle Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail
New Chinese car hit with three star safety rating: 2025 MG MG3 petrol and hybrid small hatchback gets three star ANCAP score in blow for Toyota Yaris and Mazda2 rival
There was also no speed adaptation to bends or junctions in the road, and in the case of an unresponsive driver, the Atto 3 was found to disengage the lane centering function but keep adaptive cruise control active.
Additionally, if the radar or camera is blocked the car provides a warning but does not disengage, while a lane change assist system is not provided.
The report’s comments read: “The BYD Atto 3 provides modest levels of driver engagement and vehicle assistance. However, it is in the area of safety backup and, specifically, the lack of action which is taken in case of an unresponsive driver, that the car performs poorly.”
"Overall, the system is Not Recommended for highway assistance."
It was rated alongside the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz C-class, both of which scored ‘Very Good’ – the highest possible rating in the field. The Volvo EC40 and VW ID.7 also received a ‘Good’ rating.
The results will not impact the Atto 3’s ANCAP rating in Australia, which is currently rated at five stars according to 2022 testing standards.
ANCAP, which is closely aligned with Euro NCAP, has begun a pilot program to test how driver-assistance systems perform in real world conditions. These tests could be part of the next round of safety testing protocols for 2026 to 2028, which would have an effect on a car's overall safety rating.
CarsGuide spoke to ANCAP’s CEO, Carla Hoorweg, earlier this year and asked whether it was disappointing to see automakers providing driver-assistance systems that underperformed in the real world.
“Yeah, absolutely. I mean as a manufacturer you’re trying to sell to consumers. You want them to be happy, you want them to enjoy the product. I can’t answer why they are doing it, whether it’s a lack of appreciation of what consumers want, or whether it’s a lack of fine-tuning for the Australian and New Zealand driving context,” she said.
Hoorweg said that she believed some car brands weren't taking the performance of these systems as seriously as others.
“There are some newer market entrants that probably haven’t refined these systems as much as they could have. That might be a learning experience.”
“We’re trying to encourage these systems to be in cars and that consumers use them and feel comfortable with them. So I think that's certainly disappointing when that happens.”
BYD has been contacted for comment.
.jpg)
