Megumi First Car – BYD ATTO 3 EV

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Megumi is turning 18 this June. Going to have her car license this year, and will be going to university to further her study.

She will drive by her own when going to uni, so we decided to get her a new first car. Was searching up and down for a suitable car. Among the models that we have considered are:

Mazda 3 – Love the design, the hatchback, but find the interior very similar to my wife’s CX8, hence it looks boring.

Mazda CX30 – Drove this in our recent Japan trip, a rented car. Auto gear change was rough, so we decided not to consider this, besides the same reason as the Mazda 3 above.

Mazda MX5 – Megumi’s preference, but we find it a too fancy sports car as her first car, though in my own heart I would love to try out one for myself too. However, it seems too similar to my Peugeot RCZ as a sports car, so no no.

Toyota Cross Hybrid -This is the model that my wife and I are really pleased with. Not only that the Toyota brand is reliable, we also find the car to be quite nice looking, higher ground, and good price point (RM148,800.00). Personally I really like this car, finding it the perfect first car for Megumi, but she said no. She said the interior is boring, and she does not like the exterior as well. Generation gap I guess…

Tesla – We started considering EV, and Tesla is the one that came into our view. Went for the roadshow of the newly launched Tesla Model Y, quite spacious inside, it is more like a SUV than a sedan. My wife and I quite like it, but Megumi finds it too big. She wanted Model 3, but we find it too small and low, and if we were to spend so much money (RM200k), better get the Model Y latest design and tech.

BYD – We then go see BYD, since this is an EV car company that is quite popular too. First we check out the amazing BYD SEAL, which is a sports sedan that can go from 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds! Really fast! Their Performance model has promotion from RM190+k to RM160+k, which is quite a good discount. We have set our eyes on this.

Few weeks later, we decided to go for a test drive. We actually wanted to visit Tesla for a test drive too, but didn’t find the time yet, so we decided to try out BYD first. I was driving the BYD SEAL, while my wife and Megumi was sitting at the back. Just one short trip, and their response was that the car is too fast and scary. Megumi also commented that the eye view is too low, can’t see far when sitting inside. Personally I don’t think the car is suitable for her as well, as it is just too powerful.

We decided to look for some other models in the BYD showroom. We saw the BYD ATTO 3, BYD Sea Lion, and BYD Dolphin. Sea Lion is a big SUV, newly launched in Malaysia. Too big, so is out. BYD Dolphin size is nice, but looks cheap inside and we don’t like the exterior look, so is out as well. Then there is his newly launched BYD ATTO 3 Ultra edition, which has a new colour scheme and some on-going promotion at a discounted price. On the Road price (exclude insurance) is RM113,612.00. This seems to match our price point and expectation of a small, tall, and nice looking car.

After some discussion and consideration, Megumi decided to take this BYD ATTO 3 Ultra. We did some paparwork, paid RM1k deposit and deal sealed. Megumi wants Black colour. Our BYD salesman, Mr Takuya Royce serves us well. You may contact him at +60 11-5699 2024. He took our photo below on the booking day (27th April 2025, Sunday).

The Day has come! I think I am more excited than Megumi. Takuya contacted me on Friday, said the car was ready (6th June 2025), but we were busy, so we only went and collect the car on Sunday. He even prepared some nice ballons for us, but by Sunday the air inside no longer able to float. Still appreciating his effort.

Some free gifts and angpow from him too! Thank you Takuya!

Did you noticed the MK 14 car plate? Megumi Koh, birthday on the 14th of June. That’s another story of acquiring my first classic plate number. Oh, the white colour EV plate will be installed later.