A German buyer returned his BYD Atto 3 EVO after repeated repair visits left the electric SUV at a workshop for much of his four months of ownership. Rainer Müller, a pseudonym used in the report, bought the car in May for €38,575, expecting an EV to need less routine workshop attention. Instead, an over-the-air software update could not be installed remotely, and technicians were also unable to load it using a USB drive.
After several visits, the workshop said a control unit needed replacing. The part was not in stock and, according to the account, could not be brought in by air, leaving Müller waiting. Nine weeks later, with the car still at the workshop, he hired a lawyer to seek cancellation of the purchase. BYD agreed to take the vehicle back and refund him. Between May and October, Müller had driven about 2,000 km; roughly one-third of that distance came from trips to and from the workshop. He has since ordered an electric Mercedes-Benz GLC, described as considerably more expensive.
The Atto 3 EVO is an electric SUV offered with outputs ranging from 313 to 449 hp, depending on version. BYD told FOCUS online that it regarded the case as isolated. The article also cites a US J.D. Power survey in which 58% of respondents said OTA updates had not fixed their problems, 27% reported improved vehicle functions and 14% said an update had introduced further issues.