BYD Atto 2 review

Chinese giant tries its hand at an ultra-lucrative, ultra-competitive market segment

It is difficult to underestimate the importance of the BYD Atto 2 to its maker.

Slotting into the range between the Dolphin and Atto 3, it’s a midsize crossover/SUV 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, Volvo EX30, Hyundai Kona Electric, MG 4, Jeep Avenger, Mini Aceman and Peugeot E-2008. The list goes on.

Built primarily for urban families looking for a dose of practicality, the Atto 2 promises "class-leading" interior technology and practicality, as well as 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

Complications from China mean the Atto 2 strays from the brand’s revised nomenclature in not being named Sealion, as its SUVs were due to be called.

From launch, you can only have a 45.1kWh battery (of usable capacity) that provides a range of 194 miles, however UK-specification cars are due to get a slightly larger 50kWh unit with a bit more range, but that figure isn’t confirmed yet. The battery is mated to a 174bhp electric motor driving the front wheels. 

Two specifications will initially be available: Active and Boost. We won’t see Active models in the UK, meaning Boost cars will become our entry-level model. A longer-range Comfort version, with a larger battery and more powerful electric motor, will join the ranks at the end of the year.

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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 display, while Boost and Comfort get a 12.8in unit which can be rotated from portrait to landscape depending on your preference. 

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

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DESIGN & STYLING

BYD Atto 2 review side

As with the Seal and Atto 3, the Atto 2 sits on BYD's e-Platform 3.0, and it gets MacPherson strut front suspension at the front with a torsion bar at the rear that has been strategically positioned to maximise boot space, says BYD.

Styling-wise, it is 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 alloys 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 it's actually slightly taller. Compared with rivals, it's a little shorter than a Volvo EX30, MG 4 and Hyundai Kona Electric but no bigger than a Cupra Born. Its 2620mm wheelbase is also shorter than the Born, but usefully longer than many of its other rivals. This should pay dividends for legroom.

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 Aceman, the Peugeot E-2008 and the forthcoming Renault 4, 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, be 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 is bested only by the 466-litre Kona Electric. With the seats folded (they only 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 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 is far more subdued compared with 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, vegan leather that gives a decent impression of the real thing and doors that close with an authoritative ‘thud’. What’s more, the unpleasant chemical smell that plagues other BYDs is not present.

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 mode, which is exactly how it sounds - you get a microphone and lyrics will 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 system both have an excellent resolution, but the latter takes some getting used to. The rotating screen itself has a great resolution, is responsive and suffered no glitches during our time with it. The Android-based UI has soft, light-coloured graphics and small, rounded fonts, but the menu structures are a bit hap-hazard and the individual icons 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 inside the touchscreen. There are a number of physical buttons on either side of the gear selector, such as the HVAC on/off switch, a volume knob and the windscreen de-mister. 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 which 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 car offers four drive modes: sport, eco, normal, or 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 midsize-SUV (1570kg kerb), which means the 174bhp electric 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 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 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.

If you’re not pushing it, however, it’s a pretty average car to drive; not exciting but not unpleasant.

You can choose between two modes of regen: normal or high. Normal is very faint but high strikes a good balance between intuitiveness and effectively reducing speed without the 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. And being 145mm shorter and 45mm slimmer than the Atto 3, the Atto 2 is very obviously geared towards small city streets.

Indeed, 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 dual carriageways, motorways or 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, a Frontera or Kona Electric might be a better choice.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

BYD Atto 2 review lead

Prices have not yet been finalised, but BYDs are often cheaper than their rivals. Expect it to cost from around £27,000, rising to around £31,000 for the range-topping Comfort version. Orders are due to open in July, with deliveries from 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. Around a mixture of driving roads, taking in a congested city, motorways and country roads, we averaged 3.3mpkWh, which is about the same as a Mini Aceman but slightly less than a Vauxhall Frontera. Having said that, the 194-mile claimed range of the entry-level model and the 65kW maximum charging speed isn’t exactly competitive. In fact, these are some of the lowest figures in the class.

As standard, the car gets a six-year/90,000-mile warranty, while the battery gets an eight-year/120,000-mile warranty - better than the MG 4 and Cupra Born’s offering, and while the Mini Aceman’s includes unlimited mileage, it only spans three years.

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, quite comfortable, and 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 the side down. Out on the open road, its drivability is quite a long way off the class standard because 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 electric range (as it stands) is uncompetitive, and, when you consider the alternatives, it’s not especially interesting to look at or sit in. 

We’ll 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 electric range UK 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.