BYD ATTO 3 vs Nissan LEAF

The BYD ATTO 3 costs £2,991 more than the Nissan LEAF. For that premium it adds 70 kW faster peak rapid charging, 70 kW more power and a 2.1s quicker 0-62mph time. The Nissan LEAF is not just cheaper - it also offers 58 miles more WLTP range. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Nissan LEAF comes out ahead overall.

The Nissan LEAF is £2,991 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £136 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Nissan LEAF comes out roughly £3,111 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 263 miles for the BYD ATTO 3 and 313 miles for the Nissan LEAF - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Nissan LEAF goes roughly 49 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 30-35 minutes.

The Nissan LEAF is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 65 mm narrower than the BYD ATTO 3. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 590 mm of total clearance for the Nissan LEAF and about 525 mm of total clearance for the BYD ATTO 3. The BYD ATTO 3 also turns in a 0.4 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the BYD ATTO 3 and 84% for the Nissan LEAF. 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 Nissan LEAF's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use.