BYD Atto 3 wins AA Driven BEV of the Year award

Not only did the BYD Atto 3 make it to the top three cars overall in the judging for the 2022 AA Driven Car of the Year, it also won the clean car category for the 2022 Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) of the Year.

The Tesla Model Y BEV was presented with the 2022 AA Safest Car of the Year award, and the Ford Ranger was the overall winner for 2022.

BYD New Zealand brand manager Warren Willmot believes this AA Driven accolade is quite possibly one of the first awards to be received by the Atto 3 outside of its home market in China.

“This is a significant milestone for BYD as New Zealand is one of the first right hand drive markets for the Atto 3,” Willmot says.

“We are thrilled that both the buying public and motoring press enjoy our first model and we look forward to bringing many more of them to our shores in the near future,” he says.

“With the market evolving to electric vehicles, it’s impressive to see that 80% of our finalists offer some form of electrification, and a viable choice for consumers considering their next car,” Driven general manager Natasha Callister says. 

“The finalists selected by AA and Driven reinforced the diverse and eclectic market that caters for almost any buyer,” she says 

“We are delighted to see the cutting-edge design of this year’s winner of the Safest Car Award, the Tesla Model Y,” AA Motoring Services general manager Jonathan Sergel says. 

“It’s a clear market leader, getting the nod from ANCAP testing, and packed full of technologically advanced safety features designed to keep both the car’s occupants and those outside safe. 

“Just as star-studded is a new entrant to the clean car categories, BEV winner, the BYD Atto 3, which also had a dream run by making it into the top three finalists overall. It’s great to see more options making their way into the market for Kiwi drivers looking to make the switch to clean car technology,” he says. 

The People’s Choice award was taken out by the Toyota RAV4, with more than 50,000 people voting for it. The RAV4 also won the People’s Choice award in 2019. 

2022 AA Driven COTY winners 
Small SUV: MG ZS 
Medium SUV: Kia Sportage 
Large SUV: Kia Sorento 
HEV: Toyota Highlander 
PHEV: Mitsubishi Outlander 
BEV: BYD Atto 3 
Passenger: Honda Jazz 
Sports & Performance: Chevrolet Corvette 
Light Commercial Vehicle: Ford Ranger 
Luxury: BMW iX 
AA Safest: Tesla Model Y 
People’s Choice: Toyota RAV4
Overall COTY Top 3: BYD Atto 3, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Outlander  
Overall COTY winner: Ford Ranger