Three months on from the debut of the facelifted Atto 3, BYD has launched the Performance variant, as teased two weeks ago. The C-segment electric SUV now offers all-wheel drive and a scintillating amount of, well, performance to go with the earlier mechanical upgrades.
Want one? You’ll have to hurry, as only 69 units will be offered in Malaysia, ostensibly to celebrate Malaysia’s 69th year of independence. Priced at RM149,800 nett (RM151,165 on-the-road without insurance), the Performance is RM11,000 more expensive than the Premium (RM138,800) and RM24,000 more than the base Ultra (RM125,800). As usual, you get a six-year/150,000 km warranty and an eight-year/160,000 km battery and motor warranty.
Buyers of the range-topper get an exclusive launch package worth up to RM10,000, including a free wallbox charger with installation and RM6,000 in overtrade support. Those who don’t want the charger or live in strata property can instead opt for a six-year standard service package and slightly reduced overtrade support of RM5,000. The amount of overtrade support here is decidedly less than the RM10,000 offered for the Ultra and Premium at launch.
The Performance has undergone the same comprehensive under-the-skin Evo overhaul as the Premium, maintaining that car’s more powerful rear motor making 313 PS (230 kW) and 380 Nm of torque. New here is a second motor on the front axle producing 136 PS (100 kW) and 180 Nm, resulting in a heady total system output of 449 PS (330 kW) and 560 Nm.
So equipped, the Performance gets from zero to 100 km/h a second and a half quicker than the Premium, taking just four seconds flat. Equipped with the same 74.88 kWh Blade LFP battery, its WLTP-rated range is trimmed by 40 km to 470 km. We should point out that in Malaysia, BYD continues to use NEDC range figure (530 km) to market the car.
With an 800-volt electrical architecture, the Performance supports up to 220 kW of DC fast charging and is able to be topped up from 10 to 80% in just 25 minutes. It can also accept up to 11 kW of AC charging for a full charge in eight hours. Other far-reaching changes shared with the Premium include new dual-jointed MacPherson strut front and five-link (four on the front-drive Ultra) rear suspension.
The increased power comes with a heavy penalty in terms of road tax. You’ll be paying RM665 in annual road tax for the Performance, nearly double that of the Premium’s RM335 – and more than four times that of the Ultra’s RM160.
Aside from the added power, the Performance looks identical to the Premium, with the exception of the AWD tailgate badge. You still get the revised front and rear bumpers with twin “tusks”, redesigned D-pillars, “looping” full-width taillights and “pause” third brake lights. The 18-inch turbine alloy wheels are shared with the Premium, now with a two-tone finish that’s been extended to the lesser variant.
Inside, the Atto 3 gets a more sober all-black cabin with its dashboard ripples smoothened out, although it still has pull-back door openers and the “guitar strings” on the door pockets. Also fitted is a new steering wheel from the Atto 2, a much larger 8.88-inch instrument display and a 15.6-inch non-rotating infotainment touchscreen.
Meanwhile, a new column-mounted gear selector replaces the kettlebell-inspired centre console-mounted one, freeing up space in the middle for twin smartphone holders. These incorporate a more powerful 50-watt Qi wireless charger with integrated cooling.
Standard kit is carried over from the Premium and includes LED headlights, roof rails, keyless entry with an NFC key card, push-button start, auto air con, six-way power-adjustable front seats with ventilation and driver’s side lumbar adjustment, faux leather upholstery, a panoramic glass sunroof, heated side-view mirrors, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 360-degree camera system.
As per the Premium, the boot measures 490 litres, which is 56 litres more than the Ultra thanks to the removal of the dual-level boot floor and side storage nets, plus thinner rear seat backs with dual-position recline. One change is that the Performance finally receives a sliding tonneau cover, not offered on the Premium.
In terms of safety, the Performance retains the Premium’s centre airbag for a total of seven airbags, plus a full suite of driver assists. This includes autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, rear collision warning, a door opening warning and the Premium’s front cross traffic alert with auto brake, traffic sign recognition and speed limit assist.
The Performance is available in the same colours as the Ultra – Ski White, Atlantis Grey, Harbour Grey and Cosmos Black. Unfortunately, the car misses out on the Premium’s more vibrant Iris Blue, renamed Gemilang Blue in Malaysia to tie in with the Merdeka celebrations.
GALLERY: 2026 BYD Atto 3 Performance official photos
The post 2026 BYD Atto 3 Performance in Malaysia – AWD, 449 PS, 560 Nm, 0-100 km/h 4.0 secs, 470 km WLTP, RM150k appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.
