EV customers say they may cancel BYD Atto 3 orders after servicing schedule revealed

Numerous aspiring EV owners awaiting the arrival of their BYD Atto 3 have expressed their disappointment at the revelation of a rigorous servicing schedule, which includes a number of items under a shorter warranty.

Some have even said they will cancel their orders, comparing the service schedule to that of a new combustion engine car.

BYD importer EV Direct is due to commence deliveries of the Atto 3 later this week. The Atto 3 compact electric SUV is currently the most affordable new electric vehicle in Australia, starting at $44,900 for its Standard Range variant and $47,900 for the Extended Range version.

The China-based carmaker is a new entrant to Australia, and to assure potential customers of its trustworthiness has cut deals with established networks for servicing, handovers and maintenance.

These include with Mycar to train technicians at 30 workshops to conduct logbook servicing, and with Eagers Automotive to develop a collaborative approach to experience centres, maintenance and parts. In total, there are now around 50 locations that will act as service centres, with more to come.

Many of the more than 4,000 customers have ordered the Atto 3 almost sight unseen, and none to date that we are aware of have taken a test drive, at least in Australia.

It has now been revealed that the vehicle and battery warranty terms differ from previous statements on the company’s website.

In July, the evdirect.com.au website stated that the Atto 3 came with a seven year warranty for both the vehicle and battery, and that conditions and exclusions apply.

That URL now redirects to bydautomotive.com.au, and a tab on the servicing page states that “BYD is proud to offer Australian drivers a robust Traction Battery Warranty – 8 years or 160,000 kms, whichever occurs first and Vehicle Warranty – 6 years or 150,000 kms which ever comes first.”

Many items have far shorter warranty periods however, including a three year warranty for the multimedia system and other items as listed below.

The servicing schedule for the Atto 3 released by the company reveals one complimentary service at 5,000km or three months, and then a rotating minor and major service every twelve months or 20,000km.

The minor services are priced at $190.37, and the major services range between $504 and $661, totally around $3,100. There has been no service schedule published yet that we have been able to source, and we will update this article if this emerges.

Often, a selling point of an electric car is the reduced servicing costs because the car has far less moving parts than a combustion engine car. However, the above costs have been compared by drivers to that of a combustion engine car.

Waiting customers took to social media to express their surprise and disappointment on a number of Facebook group threads, at least three of which garnered several hundred comments each.

“It’s pretty outrageous. I think this is a deal breaker for me,” said one.

“Ouuuchhh … someone’s making $$$ on servicing,” said another.

“I would have thought service charges would have been way less than ICE cars. Looks like a bit of a rip off to me,” said a third.

Some said they would be cancelling their orders.

“These prices are out of all proportion to the service required for BEVs,” said one Atto 3 customer. “It is the result of the need to reimburse a third party servicing agent, something no other EV vendor needs to do. We’ll cancel our order.”

EV Direct managing director Luke Todd responded to The Driven’s enquiry as to the servicing price and change in warranty terms.

He response: “What’s really important to know is that at the moment, what EV Direct and Eagers and Mycar have done is invested in Australia’s largest EV qualified servicing network – we’ve done something that’s never been done before.

Adding that the network of EV-trained Mycar stores will expand to over 300 sites over the next five years, he said “we want people to have premium quality servicing – it’s a strategic plan that’s been in place for some time. Its all about getting the customer the best possible experience.”

“That’s a very good thing – we think in time people will realise how valuable that is,” he said.

“The servicing works out to around $350 a year, which is actually a very reasonable rate. Yes it’s true there’s not as many parts but safety and quality still remains our number one priority.”

In regards to the change in warranty, Todd says that since the EV Direct site was launched, BYD Global launched its regional warranty policy.

“It made sense for us to align with the regional policy for BYD – that’s the main reason – and probably the one that is most important is that it gives an extra year warranty on the battery.”

Other legacy carmakers also have service schedules for their electric cars. The MG ZS EV has a capped price service schedule that costs $268 every 20,000km for 140,000km or 160 months, with a $807 service at 96 months/80,000km.

Not all electric cars come with a service schedule, but still require checking and servicing.

Tesla for example does not set out a servicing schedule, but recommends changing the cabin air filter every two years for its Model 3 and Model Y, and every three years for the Model S and Model X.

It also recommends changing the HEPA filter if one is fitted every three years, rotating tyres at 10,000km, replacing air conditioning dessicant at certain intervals and lubricating brake calipers every 12 months or 20,000km in cold weather regions.

Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.