Battery size: 50 kWh
E-Rating™: A
WLTP range: 260 miles (est)
Max charge rate: 65 kW
Introduction and Model History
Have you STILL not heard of BYD? This Chinese manufacturer is an enormous company globally, and it plans to sell more cars in the UK this year than MINI and Renault. It’s neck-and-neck with Tesla for global sales of electric cars (and BYD actually makes the batteries that go into the shorter range Tesla Model 3 so, ya know, they’re kind of winning that race already).
Anyway, the Atto 2 is BYD’s latest model; a compact b-segment SUV-hatchback kind of thing, which in the UK will get a 50kWh LFP Blade battery. The range hasn’t been confirmed, but if the 194-mile WLTP range achieved by the smaller 45kWh battery that will be available in Europe is anything to go by, expect around 250-ish miles. At 4.3-metres long, the Atto 2 is smaller than the Atto 3, and is spot on for rivals like the VW ID.3, Renault Megane E-Tech, Ford Puma Gen-E, Kia EV3, MG4, Hyundai Kona, Volvo EX30 and Smart #3. And there are probable some others that I’ve forgotten, but you get the picture; there are lots of cars in this class and the Atto 2 has a lot to prove.
Range, Battery and Charging
As I mentioned, BYD hasn’t confirmed the WLTP range that we’ll get from the 50 kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery that’s coming to the UK, but expect the BYD Atto 2 to manage around 250 miles on official WLTP numbers, or I’d estimate that it’ll be more like 200 miles in the real world. Very similar to the range you’ll get in the Peugeot E-2008, then, although the Kia EV3, MG4 and various other rivals offer much longer range. Mind you, that’ll change towards the end of 2025, when BYD has said it’ll add a bigger battery option to the Atto 2. Sadly, we don’t know the specifics but it’d make sense if the 60kWh battery from the Atto 3 made an appearance for a range of around 300 miles.
We’ll come back to you with exact figures and a proper idea of the BYD Atto 2’s real-world range, when BYD themselves have figured it out – and when we’ve had the UK-spec car in for a full test.
By the way, don’t worry about LFP battery tech. It’s very common in Europe and around the world in lots of EVs, and the cobalt-free BYD ‘Blade’ battery tech in the Atto 2 is very well tried and tested. You can read all about the pros and cons of LFP batteries vs lithium-ion NMC batteries, right here.
Charging in the Atto 2 is up to 65kW, which is… Well, a bit disappointing? A 10-80% rapid charge will take around 40 minutes, or a 100-mile top up will take some 20- to 25 minutes. The bigger battery is going to have faster charging, but again, we haven’t got details.
For a bit of context, most of the BYD’s rivals have 100kW rapid charging, at least, if not more, and are capable of doing the same 100-mile top-up in closer to 15 minutes.
Still, you get 11kW three-phase charging as standard, which means that you can make the most of those 11kW AC chargers that you normally find in supermarket car parks, kerbside chargers in cities, or in industrial chargers. To fully charge the BYD Atto 2 from a standard 7kW home charger will take around eight hours.
It’s not all mediocre news, though; the BYD Atto 2 gets a heat pump as standard, which should help with cold weather efficiency and range. And vehicle-to-load (V2L), too! So you can charge or power your electrical devices from the car’s high voltage battery, at speeds of up to 3.3kW. Not bad, eh?!
Practicality and Boot Space
The BYD Atto 2 gets a 400-litre boot complete with a variable boot floor, which is not bad at all. That’s bigger than the VW ID.3, but not as big as the boot in the Vauxhall Frontera.
There’s loads of space in the back seats, too, so even a couple of average-sized adults (I proudly class myself in that ‘average’ category) will be very comfy. There’s no centre armrest, though, which is annoying, but the very smart-feeling materials, two USB charging ports and fancy ambient lighting that even the basic BYD Atto 2 Boost will get goes some way to make up for that.
There’s loads of space up front for the driver, too, not to mention a digital speed readout behind the wheel, which you don’t get on the Volvo EX30.
Interior, Design/Styling and Technology
The tech in the BYD Atto 2 is really impressive. Of course you get the screen that spins from landscape to portrait, but more importantly the 12.8-inch touchscreen is entirely configurable. So, if you want to move the heated seat button to be closer to you, you can! And you can change everything on the swipe-down ‘favourite’ shortcuts, too. Just hold and drag, as you do on an iPhone. Simple, but brilliant, no? The three-finger ‘swipes’ that you can do to change the climate temperature and fan speed are also quite effective, and the voice control one of the most responsive and effective I’ve tried.
I honestly don’t care about the screen swivelling, to be honest; landscape is fine for me. But I do really like the software and how configurable it all is. And don’t worry; you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, too.
Talking of standard stuff, the heated seats and steering wheel, the sunroof, wireless phone charging, and a weird crystal gearshifter are all included. And karaoke! Yup, you read that right. A karaoke system as standard.
Motors, Performance and Handling
The Atto 2 gets a 174bhp electric motor that powers the front wheels, and will get it from 0-62mph in 7.9sec. It feels more than quick enough and has decent feel through the steering, so you can swing it gamely through corners and round roundabouts. It’s also very comfy and impressively refined, but I have to say that the brake regen’ could be a bit better. There’s no one-pedal brake mode, and the two modes that there are seem very similar. You’ve certainly not got the clever, widely variable regen’ that you get in the Kia EV3 and Hyundai Kona.
Even so, I really like the way the Atto 2 drives. It feels really grown up and confident, and just nicely set up for everyday driving.
Running Costs and Pricing
The Atto 2’s UK pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it’s likely to start at around £30,000, with prices going up to something like £35,000 – roughly in between the Dolphin and the Atto 3, basically. As we’ve said, that means that it’s got an abundance of competition, and more to come in the shape of the Renault 4 E-Tech, but the equipment levels, interior quality and practicality in the Atto 2 are impressive enough to even take on the Kia EV3. You also get a six year, 93,000 mile vehicle warranty, while the battery is covered for eight years and 125,000 miles.
We’ll have to wait for confirmed pricing and monthly finance deals before we can say more, to be honest, but the Atto 2 certainly looks like good value to us with the information we currently have.
Verdict
The BYD Atto 2 might just be the best UK model yet, from the Chinese maker. And that’s saying something, as the BYD Seal is really rather excellent. But the Atto 2 is a lot more accessible than that on price, it feels worlds apart from the underwhelming Dolphin in terms of quality, it’s a pleasure to drive, it’s stuffed with great tech and it’s a genuinely usable family car in terms of the space available. The only issues are the charging speeds, and the range is a bit middling next to alternatives like the MG4 and Kia EV3. That may all be resolved when BYD introduces the bigger battery at the end of 2025, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Like the BYD Atto 2? Try these...
6
