How safe are the 2023 BYD Atto 3 and Volvo C40 electric cars? Two Chinese-built EVs score highly, but there's a catch with one...

The BYD Atto 3 has scored a top five-star safety rating in New Zealand, but the Chinese-built electric SUV is still awaiting an Australian rating.

As part of the latest Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash test results, the Volvo C40 EV achieved a five-star rating in Australia and New Zealand.

It is unclear why ANCAP has not rated the Atto 3 for Australia, but could relate to slightly different specification levels in the two neighbouring countries.

The BYD did however achieve a full five-star rating from Euro NCAP.

It is likely that BYD will provide ANCAP with further data that will then allow ANCAP to publish an Australian rating. But timing on this is also unclear.

CarsGuide has contacted both ANCAP and BYD Automotive Australia for clarification.

The Atto 3 scored highly across most testing criteria, including Adult Occupant Protection (91 per cent), Child Occupant Protection (84%), and Safety Assist (80%), but for Vulnerable Road User Protection, it got a slightly lower score for head and upper leg impacts.

The Atto 3 is one of the most affordable EVs available in Australia, priced from $44,381 before on-road costs for the Standard Range and $47,381 for the Extended Range.

It comes with auto emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, active rear cross-traffic alert and safe exit alert as well as seven airbags.

The Volvo C40 scored top marks in the test.

Both single and dual-motor versions of Volvo C40 achieved a top score from ANCAP, matching the rating for the mechanically related XC40 Recharge Electric SUV.

The C40 - which is essentially a cope-style version of the XC40 - achieved a score of 92 per cent for the Adult Occupant Protection tests and 89 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, as well as a high 91 per cent for Safety Assist.

As with the Atto 3, it lost points in Vulnerable Road User Protection tests for head and upper leg impacts, but did well in auto emergency braking (AEB) testing.

The Australian-market C40 is sourced from Volvo’s factory in China and deliveries for the swoopy SUV kick off at the start of November.

Pricing for the C40 starts from $74,990 for the single-motor Pure model with a driving range of 434km, while the dual-motor Twin Pure with a 420km range is priced at $82,490.

The Volvo comes standard with AEB, a lane support system with lane keep assist, lane departure warning and emergency lane keeping, blind spot monitoring and speed sign recognition system among other safety equipment.