BYD ATTO 3 (2023-2026) vs Ford Explorer

The BYD ATTO 3 costs £1,805 more than the Ford Explorer. For that premium it adds lower energy use, 147 versus 164 Wh/km. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BYD ATTO 3 comes out ahead overall.

The Ford Explorer is £1,805 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £160 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Ford Explorer comes out roughly £1,725 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 213 miles for the BYD ATTO 3 and 183 miles for the Ford Explorer - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The BYD ATTO 3 goes roughly 30 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 35 minutes in the BYD ATTO 3 and 25 in the Ford Explorer, so the Ford Explorer loses less time at each stop. So the BYD ATTO 3 stops less often while the Ford Explorer stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The two are within 3 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 528 mm of total clearance for the Ford Explorer and about 525 mm of total clearance for the BYD ATTO 3. The BYD ATTO 3 also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 92% battery health for the BYD ATTO 3 and 84% for the Ford Explorer. That gives the BYD ATTO 3 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The BYD ATTO 3's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Ford Explorer's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.