► BYD’s new B-segment BEV
► No UK price yet
► UK gets 50kWh battery and 200+ mile range
This is the Atto 2, BYD’s all-new B-segment electric SUV. It follows the much larger Sealion 7 and is pointed at one of the largest growing – and competitive – sectors in the electric car market. In the last three months alone, we’ve driven the Renault 5, Citroen e-C3 and Fiat Grande Panda to name a few…
So what does the Atto 2 have to offer? BYD calls itself a technology company first, with a mission to bring as much of it as possible to the customer – and for as little as possible. With that in mind, the Atto 2 promises to pack in all the ADAS and other creature comforts you could need. There’s no UK price yet, but we’ll get to that.
So have BYD’s 120,000 plus engineers done a decent job? We drove the Atto 2 on the streets and motorways around Madrid to find out. As with all our reviews, we’ll update our driving impressions and verdict when we’ve driven it on UK roads.
At a glance
Pros: lots of standard kit, innovative infotainment, enjoyable to drive on all roads
Cons: boring looks, not cheap, slow charging
What’s new?
Like the Seal and Sealion 7, the Atto 2 uses BYD’s e-Platform 3.0. That means it benefits from safer lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) Blade batteries, improved cell to skateboard integration and a heat pump. The latter can have a big impact in winter; BYD estimates the pump could give you a range of 10-20% more in colder temps.
The Atto 2 measures 1675mm high, 4310mm long and 1830mm wide, and despite a few flourishes of detail such as the ‘knots’ in the rear lights, it’s very conservative looks-wise. BYD calls its Shenzhen design hub ‘the Black Crystal,’ but it’s not done much for the Atto 2.
In person it’s not got much road presence either – not uncommon in this class – and its 17-inch alloys and skinny tyres make it look rather top-heavy. Again, not a disaster for a B-segment SUV, but not great compared to rivals like the bold-looking Grande Panda for example.
What are the specs?
BYD is still in the process of confirming all the pricing and details for the UK version of the car, but here you’ll find the specs of the car we tested – with the UK specs mentioned where possible. The car we drove used 45.12kWh battery paired to a 130kW motor on the front axle. That makes for 174bhp, 214ft lbs of torque, a 0-62mph sprint of 7.9 seconds and top speed of 99mph.
In the UK we’re getting the same motor and a larger 50kWh battery as standard. As a result, performance figures will stay the same, but it’ll go for longer than 194-miles of the European version. Later on in the year we’ll also get a range-topping version Comfort version, which will cover around 260 miles.
Things get a little less premium when you look at the charging time of the lower two models. In these trims, the Atto 2 can only do 11kW AC and 65kW DC charging. That means getting from 10-80% battery capacity (the smaller battery quoted here) takes 37 minutes. That could improve in the forthcoming Comfort trim though…
Still, despite the slow charging speed the Atto 2 is happy to share; it has V2L technology so can put out 3.3kW of juice to small appliances and other tech.
How does it drive?
The Atto 2 might not look particularly athletic, but it’s surprisingly fizzy behind the wheel. It manages to feel taut without being stiff, feeling poised whilst soaking up much of the drains and cracks in central Madrid. Its 0-62mph sprint time of 7.9 seconds translates better than expected, with enough punch to make weaving through city traffic easy. The only stressful things come from the car itself; I found the indicator sound particularly annoying, but it’s possible to choose between a few different effects. Take note, Jeep Avenger.
As we leave the capital and head towards the mountains, the Atto 2 remains composed. Despite having 174bhp on tap, acceleration is positive on the motorway, with the Atto 2 never feeling breathless on higher speed overtakes. It’s here that we encounter most of the bongs, klaxons and alarms, which tell me to ‘keep my eyes on the road’ even when I’m messing with the infotainment. Other than that, there’s very little noise other than wind around the wing mirrors and the occasional whine of EV motor.
BYD is heavily pitching the Atto 2 as an urban second car, but it doesn’t unravel on the twistier, more demanding roads above Madrid. The steering feels precise enough and weightier than you’d expect. It’s keen to stay centred which gives it sporty feel, but it gets lighter the more lock you feed in. The result? The Atto 2 is isn’t jittery when you’re enjoying more scenic roads, but quick to fling around in tighter spaces.
The brakes form the third surprising element to the Atto 2: BYD’s engineers have nailed the transition from motor regeneration to friction brakes, and the result is a left pedal that is both predictable, easy to modulate and therefore fun. The response is linear throughout and it benefits you in town, but also when driving on more exciting roads. It’s an important area so many EVs get wrong, but not so in the Atto 2.
What about the interior?
A spoiler: the BYD’s interior is a microcosm of the car itself, as it looks a bit boring but is impressive in places. There’s not much style to speak of, with black and silver textures working as a mundane backdrop to a pair of screens. Like many cheaper cars, everything at an arm’s length feels fine – but everything you have to stretch to feels less premium.
It doesn’t feel hugely spacious either; a ‘transmission tunnel’ makes the car seem more snug than you’d hope, and the dark interior of our test car didn’t help matters.
It’s on this pretty dull backdrop that BYD deploys some truly innovative tech. You’ll find a 12.8-inch touchscreen in the centre (with BYD’s usual rotating gimmick) but you can’t knock the quality of the panel. It’s quick too, with 8GB of ram and 8-cores ensuring we had no lag. The driver gets an additional 8.8-inch cockpit screen which is sharp, though could have an easier to read, higher-contrast UI.
BYD’s infotainment UI is also geared towards customisation, so it’s easy to create a personalised dock of apps or a page of shortcuts. This was handy when it came to quietening many of the BYD’s bongs, beeps and warnings.
But the best feature? BYD engineers have included multi-touch technology so you can adjust the A/C by using three fingers – just like a MacBook. Swipe them up or down to control the temperature and left or right to control fan speed. Unlike hit-or-miss haptic buttons, this worked every time and feels like a genuine innovation.
The steering wheel makes do with physical buttons for adaptive cruise and the 360-degree camera, but that’s no bad thing, as they’re easy to use too. Look around and you’ll find a wireless charger for a smartphone, as well as lots of storage space, and a decent amount of room for rear passengers too.
Boot space is 400-litres, extending to 1340-litre with the seats down.
Before you buy
In Europe the Atto 2 will come in three trims: a basic Active version for €29,990, a Boost trim costing €31,990 and a range-topping Comfort weighing in at €37,500. The UK won’t get the baseline Active trim because it doesn’t offer enough value in leasing and PCP deals. CAR understands it’s a lesson BYD has already learned with the entry-level Dolphin.
UK prices aren’t confirmed, though a straight conversion suggests the UK model will start at £27,000 with the Comfort clocking in around £31,000. That places the BYD further up in the market than you’d expect: the Atto 2 sits somewhere between Citroen e-C3 (£22,900), Fiat Grande Panda kicking off at (£20,975) and the Skoda Elroq (£38,650). BYD will argue that the Atto 2 packs in more standard tech than the cars above – but we’ll have to compare them directly to find out which is best.
Verdict
The BYD Atto 2 might not be big on character, but it’s solid performer where it counts. The spec list does most of the talking, with a strong infotainment and ADAS offering putting it in the mix ahead of cheaper competitors. BYD is pitching this as an urban-centric second car, but we’d still have liked to see faster charging at this price.
The most surprising part of the equation is the BYD’s nicely weighted and predictable controls, and positive straight-line performance. It’s not athletic by any means, but you can have some fun with it.
First impressions then are good, but we’ll know more when we test the UK-spec car on UK roads.
Specs are for European Boost model, price estimated.