2026 BYD Atto 3 Premium in Gemilang Blue in Malaysia – new colour, two-tone wheels, 510 km WLTP, RM125k

Besides launching the Atto 3 Performance, BYD has also showcased the midrange Premium variant in the new Gemilang Blue. The vibrant azure hue was introduced late last month, ostensibly to tie in with Malaysia’s Merdeka celebrations.

Of course, the Chinese EV specialist hasn’t formulated a new colour just for us. No, this is simply a renamed Iris Blue, the hero colour for the Atto 3 Evo (Premium and Performance over in Malaysia) in Europe. Despite being a regular paint option over there, here it remains exclusive to the Premium, with even the brand new Performance missing out. Other hues include Ski White, Atlantis Grey, Harbour Grey and Cosmos Black.

Anyway, the Gemilang Blue version is said to cost RM14,000 less than the regular RM138,800 Premium at RM124,800 nett, even cheaper than the base Ultra (RM125,800). However, BYD likely arrived at this figure by taking into account the launch package, which includes a free wallbox charger and RM10,000 in overtrade support; this promo is also offered on the Ultra.

No change to the mechanicals, the Premium maintaining its comprehensive under-the-skin Evo overhaul. This included a switch from the Ultra’s front-wheel drive to a rear-drive setup, with the single motor itself producing more power at 313 PS (230 kW) and 380 Nm of torque. So equipped, the car gets from zero to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds – not as quick as the Performance, sure, but still plenty for everyday driving.

The Blade LFP battery has also been made larger at 74.88 kWh Blade LFP battery, resulting in the most range of any Atto 3 at a respectable 510 km. We should point out that in Malaysia, BYD continues to use NEDC range figure (600 km) to market the car.

Elsewhere, the electrical architecture has been upgraded to 800 watts, enabling up to 220 kW of DC fast charging, topping up the battery from 10 to 80% in just 25 minutes. It can also accept up to 11 kW of AC charging (up from the Ultra’s 7 kW) 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.

Beyond the new colour, the Premium is the same as before, still with the facelift’s revised front and rear bumpers with twin “tusks”, redesigned D-pillars, “looping” full-width taillights and “pause” third brake lights. The previously grey 18-inch turbine alloy wheels now come in a two-tone finish (same with the Performance) for a more, ahem, premium look.

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 (the latter being exclusive to the Premium and Performance), faux leather upholstery, a panoramic glass sunroof, heated side-view mirrors, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 360-degree camera system.

The boot measures 490 litres, 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 thing of note is that the Premium still loses out on the sliding tonneau cover added to the Performance; even the Ultra gets a hard cover.

In terms of safety, the Premium gets the centre airbag that was deleted from the Ultra, for a total of seven airbags. There’s also a full suite of driver assists, including 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 and Performance-exclusive front cross traffic alert with auto brake, traffic sign recognition and speed limit assist.

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