BYD Atto 2 review

EV to start. There are two versions in the UK: Boost (174bhp/51.1kWh/214 miles) starts from £30,850, and Comfort (201bhp/64.8kWh/267 miles) from £34,950.

The biggest kick in the teeth though? Similarly specced, pretty much all of its more established (and better driving) rivals can be had cheaper. In some cases by a couple of grand. Which makes this a hard sell.

But BYD is hoping that its lease deals will tempt buyers: you’re looking at monthly repayments of £339 a month after a deposit of £339 over four years with 0 per cent APR. The Comfort versions cost only £30 quid extra a month, again with a £0 extra down payment, and all versions get five years’ free servicing.

To anyone who simply wants a car to get them from A to B, that’s pretty tempting. But its rivals drip in charm alongside it.

What about hybrid pricing?

That’s more tempting, actually. It's £26,995 for the Active with its 24-mile WLTP electric range, and £29,995 for Boost where that number jumps to 55 miles.

Plus, as a proper plug-in hybrid it doesn’t really have many rivals of a similar size and persuasion. BYD reckons it’ll do 1,000km (620 miles) on a single tank with a full battery. No range anxiety here, then.

On finance it's a £1,999 deposit and 0 per cent interest over 49 months for both, with £269/mo for the Active and £299/mo for Boost, on 6,000 miles a year… which is a low mileage given the hyped long-distance advantage of the DM-i system.

If you do more than 30 miles most days and can charge on cheap overnight electricity, it might be worth springing for the higher monthly payment of the Boost to unlock more cheap electric miles. If you use public chargers, there's no cost advantage to a PHEV anyway.

Are there any other differences between the trims?

Well, they alter the powertrains for starters, but there are also slight differences in kit too. The EVs are available in Boost and Comfort trims, while the plug-in hybrid arrives in the UK in Active and Boost. Yep, only slightly confusing.

In the EV, Boost is your entry-level trim. That gets LED headlights, the full suite of screens, the 360-degree camera, heated and electrically adjustable front seats, a heated steering wheel, 17in wheels, wireless smartphone charging, panoramic sunroof, a heat pump and vehicle-to-load capability. Plenty of kit, but it only gets 65kW fast charging and 214 miles of range. Not great.

So, if you’re going all-electric you’ll probably want to upgrade to the Comfort trim with its bigger battery, bigger boot and faster charging. Just bear in mind that it doesn’t actually come with a huge amount more kit – we’re talking electrically folding door mirrors, privacy glass in the rear and adjustable lumbar support for the driver’s seat.

As a PHEV, the Active trim (with its smaller battery and lower power output) includes the 12.8in infotainment screen as standard. It also gets 16in wheels, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, a rearview camera, metallic paint, LED lights and plenty of USB-C ports including a 60W one that'll juice your laptop.

Boost trim then adds a large panoramic roof, 17in wheels, a 360-degree parking camera and heated front seats and steering wheel. It also brings the bigger battery and more powerful motor, plus it unlocks vehicle-to-load charging to power things like fridges or coffee machines while camping. Neat.

Oh, and final thing to note: all Atto 2s get a six-year/90,000-mile warranty, which is pretty good. But the battery gets an eight-year/120,000-mile warranty to 70 per cent state of health which isn't too great at all.