BYD Atto 2 review

Another all-electric car from Chinese manufacturer BYD – or Build Your Dreams, to give it its full name – in its continued attempt at worldwide automotive domination. It’s called the Yuan Up in its homeland, but over here it’ll be called the Atto 2, where it’ll sit below the Atto 3 crossover. 

You’ll likely be familiar with BYD by now: it’s no less than the largest manufacturer of electrified vehicles these days, and alongside the Atto pair we’ve also got the Dolphin Surf supermini, Dolphin hatchback, Seal saloon and Sealion 7 crossover-coupe thing. And make no mistake, this is just the start.

The bigwigs at BYD clearly thought there was something missing, because they've now decided to introduce a compact crossover in the shape of the Atto 2 here too. Plenty of strong competition already, including the Renault 4, Kia EV3, Ford Puma Gen-E, Jeep Avenger, Fiat Grande Panda, Volvo EX30, and Smart #1 to name but a few.

SO WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS ONE?

Right, let’s start with the powertrain. The launch Atto 2 pairs a 174bhp electric motor with a 51.1kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery, for a range of up to 214 miles. Maximum charging speed is 82kW on a DC charger.

Later this year there will be a 201bhp version paired with a bigger 64.8kWh battery that’ll do a claimed 261 miles of range. It also supports charging speeds of up to 155kW. So if you’ve got your heart set on an Atto but are prone to range anxiety… 

All versions do at least get a heat pump as standard, which BYD reckons can extend your range by 10-20 per cent in winter. 

JUST US THAT’S SEEING A HONDA E:NY1 FROM THE FRONT?

A what? Oh yes, we’d forgotten that exists. And this isn’t exactly any more memorable. It’s a mini-clone of its bigger Atto brother, only with a slightly boxier shape. There’s lots of plastic body cladding, which will likely please any urban types. 

Speaking of size, it’s exactly 14.5cm shorter and 4.5cm narrower than the Atto 3, which should help it squeeze down any narrow streets and within any width restrictors too. It feels quite small to drive too. And from the rugged exterior traits to the dimensions, it feels like it’s been tailored to the city.

Design highlights – if we can call them that – include LED headlights and slim daytime running lights, a full-width light bar (2025’s must have) that splits the ‘Chinese knot’ tail-lights, and 17in alloys on each corner.

WHAT ABOUT THE CABIN?

A quick look at the picture above tells you everything you need to know: tech dominates in here. Did you expect anything else from a Chinese car?

Directly in front of the driver sits an 8.8in display, while dominating the dashboard is the 12.8in rotating touchscreen, as seems to be BYD’s party piece. That aside there are few other gimmicks, and the operating system fees pretty well sorted and easy to navigate. Which is good news given the absolute dearth of any proper physical buttons.

There’s a good amount of space too, thanks to the 2.6-metre wheelbase, which lends itself to comfortable levels of room in the rear, and you still get a 400-litre boot too.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Prices start at £30,850 for the launch version, and £34,950 for the bigger motor, battery and faster charging version that’ll arrive later this year. Which isn’t quite the bargain bucket, rival-undercutting figure you might have been expecting…

The compact crossover sector is one of the most heavily congested markets on our shores, which means to stand out you’ve got to have some kind of USP, some kind of differential to every other car out there. The Atto 2… doesn’t.

Completely forgettable to look at, lacking in dynamic talent and thoroughly uninspiring to anyone who has even the slightest interest in cars, if this is the future for our automotive world we don’t want it. Even if we will begrudgingly admit it does at least have a spacious cabin and generous kit levels.

We don’t doubt BYD will sell a few though, purely because people will have their heads turned by the cheap lease deals available. But it’s going to take a lot more than that to tempt us into one of these over its more charming - and cheaper - rivals.