Modest start to electric SUV journey

The Seres 3 is an interesting alternative to the popular BYD Atto 3

- Lee Nian Tjoe

In the first nine months of 2024, every third new car registered was an electric vehicle (EV). Among the 9941 new EVs registered was this very Seres 3. The grey test car is the only unit registered in Singapore.

Seres is an EV-maker from Chongqing, China, and the 3 is a compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) aimed at competition like the BYD Atto 3 and MG ZS. Seres owns DFSK, which is among the most popular brands for electric vans sold here. In that sense, the brand is not a complete unknown.

Both Seres and DFSK are imported by the same distributor here.

At 4385mm long, the Seres is 70mm shorter than the BYD Atto 3, but 30mm longer than the Honda HR-V hybrid.

The Seres 3's design is inoffensive, with the sealed front grille being the only real hint that the car is an EV.

You will be glad to know that the very large stickers on the test car are not standard. Emblazoned on the bonnet is a bulleted list of the car's features, which include an eight-year or 250,000km battery warranty, LED lighting, 360 panoramic parking, and "Apple and Android Carplay", in Seres' own words.