BYD Atto 2 review

Chinese giant tries its hand in the ultra-lucrative, ultra-competitive electric compact crossover class

It's difficult to overestimate the importance of the BYD Atto 2 to its maker.

Slotting into the range between the Dolphin and Atto 3, it’s a mid-size crossover looking for a slice of market share from an ultra-competitive segment.

Rivals are flooding in from all corners of the globe, including the Vauxhall Frontera Electric, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia EV3, Peugeot e-2008, Renault Megane... the list goes on.

Built primarily for urban families, the Atto 2 promises class-leading interior technology and practicality, generous levels of standard equipment and a competitive price tag. Let’s find out if it can hold its own.

The BYD Atto 2 range at a glance

Known in China as the Yuan Up, the model’s name links it to the Atto 3 – despite BYD having said all its future SUVs would carry the Sealion name. But let’s not worry about that for now...

The cars at the European launch event in Spain were fitted with a 45.1kWh battery that officially can take you 194 miles, but UK-specification cars will get a 50kWh pack for a bit more range (the WLTP figure isn’t confirmed yet, though). The battery is mated to a single 174bhp motor on the front axle.

There will be two specifications at launch, but we won’t be offered Active in the UK, meaning the better-equipped Boost will be the base model here. A Comfort version with a larger battery (and thus a longer range) and a punchier motor will join the ranks at the end of 2025.

All cars get an 8.8in digital instrumentation display, which is accompanied by an infotainment touchscreen of varying sizes depending on which specification you choose. Active cars get a 10.1in unit, while Boost and Comfort get a 12.8in unit that can be rotated from portrait to landscape depending on your preference. 

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Elsewhere inside, every model supports over-the-air updates and is equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice command, seats upholstered in faux leather, heated seats, a crystal-effect gear selector and a panoramic glass roof.

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DESIGN & STYLING

BYD Atto 2 review side

Like the Seal saloon and Atto 3, the Atto 2 sits on BYD's e-Platform 3.0. It features MacPherson-strut suspension at the front and a torsion bar at the rear that has been strategically positioned to maximise boot space.

Styling-wise, it's designed to mimic its big brother. There are standard-fit LED headlights and slim daytime running lights, along with 'Chinese knot' rear lights incorporated into a full-width light bar, as well as standard-fit 17in alloy wheels with a unique design.

Overall, the Atto 2's profile looks plain but not unrecognisable as a BYD. To this tester's eyes, however, many of its rivals are more interesting to look at.

Measuring 4310mm long, 1830mm wide and 1675mm tall, it's 145mm shorter and a little slimmer than the Atto 3 but actually slightly taller. Compared with rivals, it's a little shorter than the Kona but no bigger than the Megane.

Its 2620mm wheelbase is usefully longer than many of its rivals', which should pay dividends in leg room.

INTERIOR

BYD Atto 2 review dashboard

Which brings us to the Atto 2’s interior. When you’re going to battle with cars like the e-2008, an eye-catching design will always help.

But aside from being interesting to look at, it has to be tough enough to withstand multiple school runs, free from infotainment glitches, easy to use and practical.

Let’s start with that last bit, because there’s a good amount of space on offer. The boot offers 400 litres with the rear seats in their normal position, beating almost all of its main rivals. It's bested only by the 466-litre Kona. With the seats folded down (they split 60/40), you get 1340 litres, and there’s an adjustable boot floor fitted as standard.

Space in the rear is very generous: occupants over 6ft tall will be more than happy on long journeys. The seating position, however, is not the most comfortable, because of the high floor. You seem to sit slightly too upright and there isn’t that much under-thigh support.

Up front, the cabin feels light and airy because of that panoramic windscreen and the sparsely featured dashboard gives it a clean but forgettable look. Aside from the diamond-lookalike gear selector, it's far more subdued inside than the zany Atto 3, which is a shame - especially since some of its alternatives have a more interesting design.

Perceived material quality is okay, with soft-touch plastics, faux leather that gives a decent impression of the real thing and doors that close with a reassuring thud. What’s more, the unpleasant chemical smell that has plagued other BYDs isn't present here.

BYD has promised unrivalled standard equipment levels, with features that are either cost options elsewhere, or “new to the segment as a whole”. The latter includes a karaoke system, which is exactly how it sounds: you get a microphone and song lyrics appear on the infotainment display. It’s a gimmick, of course, and we would be surprised if any owners make use of it beyond day one. 

Multimedia system

The large instrument display and infotainment display both have an excellent resolution, but the latter takes some getting used to.

The rotating touchscreen has great resolution, is responsive and suffered no glitches during our time with it. The Android-based software pleases the eye with soft, light-coloured graphics and small, rounded fonts, but the menu structures are a bit haphazard and the individual icons are too small. They also look very similar to each other, making it more challenging to use while driving.

Thankfully, BYD has resisted the temptation to put every secondary control on the touchscreen. There are a number of physical buttons on either side of the gear selector, including for the air-con, audio volume and windscreen demister.

There’s also a voice command system that can respond to multiple demands at once, and it’s pretty good at understanding different accents.

There’s also a ‘swipe’ function that means you can control the fan speed and air temperature by swiping three fingers on the screen. This is a bit more intuitive than hunting around in the menus, but physical dials would be more welcome.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

BYD Atto 2 review front

The Atto 2 offers four drive modes, Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow Fields, each slightly changing the steering mapping and throttle response.

Generally, it’s a pretty easy and agreeable car to drive, although it’s one that much prefers progressive throttle, steering and braking inputs.

It’s relatively lightweight for an electric mid-size SUV (1570kg at the kerb), which means the 174bhp motor does the job of hauling it from A to B at a credible pace. A 0-62mph time of 7.9sec is, indeed, not to be sniffed at.

It mostly accelerates smoothly and progressively and its torque is evenly metered out across the motor's rev range, as it should be.

In its natural habitat, the city, it’s well suited to modulated, gentle inputs and the undistracting interior makes it a pretty good companion in heavy traffic. 

Out on the open road, it’s a pretty average car to drive: not exciting but not unpleasant. Its throttle and steering response could be better, but it’s quite easy to drive smoothly. You could take it on an economy run without having to think too much about the positioning of your right foot.

If you’re too enthusiastic with the throttle, however, the front wheels will scrabble around as the traction-control system tries its hardest to keep everything in check, which can jar. 

There’s also a slight but noticeable delay between you pressing the throttle pedal and anything actually happening, which is frustrating if you want to zip around town. For something with a more authoritative and controlled turn of speed, look at the Cupra Born or MG 4.

You can choose between two regenerative braking strengths: normal or high. Normal is very faint, whereas high strikes a good balance between intuitiveness and effectively reducing speed without the friction brakes.

The brakes themselves are strong and progressive, although the pedal feels vague.

RIDE & HANDLING

BYD Atto 2 review cornering right

BYD’s engineers pride themselves on the Atto 2’s manoeuvrability in tight spaces, and with a small turning radius of 5.2m, they have a point - that’s better than even cars from the class below.

Around town, it has a calm, slightly wallowy ride, which holds well enough for body control, because you’re never travelling fast enough to really flummox it.

Its steering is typically light and feels indirect by the standards of the class, even in Sport mode.

You don’t really notice this in town and below 40mph, but on motorways and faster country roads, things take a bit of a turn. The steering becomes too remote and disconnected, the ride becomes unsettled over long undulations and there’s a heavy-handed awkwardness to the way it pitches and rolls around tighter bends, almost as though it weighs more than it does.

It seems ride comfort comes above body control in the BYD hierarchy, but the Atto 2 doesn’t always deliver on both.

Wind noise is also a major issue at higher speeds. The large door mirrors seem to create more aerodynamic drag than the engineers bargained for. Road noise is quite well subdued, though. 

All in, if you want something that behaves with more consistency and predictability on different types of road, the Frontera or Kona might be a better choice.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

BYD Atto 2 review lead

UK prices haven't yet been finalised, but BYDs are often cheaper than their rivals. We expect the Atto 2 to cost from around £27,000, rising to around £31,000 for the range-topping Comfort version.

Order books are due to open in July, with deliveries starting in September.

BYD claims the Atto 2’s powertrain is 89% energy efficient and that the standard heat pump will extend its range by 10-20% in winter months. On our mixed test route, taking in a congested city, motorways and country roads, it averaged 3.3mpkWh, which is slightly less than a Frontera managed.

Having said that, the 194-mile claimed range of the entry-level Atto 2 and the 65kW maximum charging rate isn’t exactly competitive. In fact, these are some of the lowest figures in the class.

As standard, the Atto 2 gets a six-year/90,000-mile warranty, while the battery gets an eight-year/120,000-mile warranty - better than some rivals' offerings.

VERDICT

BYD Atto 2 review verdict

Does this new player have what it takes to succeed in such a saturated market, then? It certainly has some strengths to give it a fighting chance. Its levels of equipment are generous and its warranties competitive, it’s practical, it's quite comfortable, it’s easy to drive around town and, if its price point is anything like our estimates, it could prove to be a credible consideration for urban dwellers.

But there are some things that let it down. Out on the open road, its drivability is quite a long way off the class standard the neatness of handling response and ride composure are just not there. It’s not that refined at higher speeds or efficient at any. Its range (as it stands) is uncompetitive. And when you consider the alternatives, it’s not especially interesting to look at or sit in. 

We will have to test one in the UK to find out more about how it behaves on roads that aren’t glass-smooth and wait to see how much range UK-spec cars will get. But if you want a small city runabout in the here and now, there are plenty of established rivals that you may want to consider first. 

Jonathan Bryce

Jonathan Bryce
Title: Social Media Executive

Jonathan is Autocar's social media executive. He has held this position since December 2024, having previously studied at the University of Glasgow before moving to London to become an editorial apprentice and pursue a career in motoring journalism. 

His role at work involves running all of Autocar's social media channels, including X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn and WhatsApp.