2025 BYD Atto 2
Remember the BYD Atto 3? No, probably not. Nothing wrong with the Atto 3, of course — launched three years ago, it continues to be a good value mid-size electric SUV with notably decent range. It’s just been overshadowed by BYD’s other models, especially the super-rapid Seal saloon and the rather stylish incoming Sealion 07 electric SUV-coupe.
However, this is not the Atto 3, this is the Atto 2, and it comes as BYD looks to expand its more affordable range, away from the fishy-named lineup (yes, I know a Seal isn’t a fish…). The Atto 2, which goes on sale in the UK in the coming weeks, is a compact SUV designed to take on the likes of the Toyota Yaris Cross and Renault Captur, as well as all-electric rivals such as the Fiat 600e and Vauxhall Frontera Electric.
Test Car Specifications
Model: 2025 BYD Atto 2 Boost
Price: £TBC
Motor: 130kW electric motor
Transmission: single-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Battery: 42.4kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery
Power: 170hp
Torque: 290Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: 193 miles
0-62mph: 7.9 seconds
Top speed: 100mph
Boot space: 400-1,340 litres
Styling
The Atto 2, it's fair to say, is not BYD's most thrilling car to look at. That said, it's worth closer inspection than you think. There's a bit of Magpie-ing from Honda, Citroen, and Smart for some of the details, but if the overall look has a clear family resemblance to the larger Atto 3, then the Atto 2 does at least have surfacing and detailing that makes it look a little sharper and more contemporary than its bigger brother. Standard 17-inch alloys help, and the 'Hiking Green' paint job makes the Atto 2 stand out rather more than the default metallic grey. It's a smart-looking car, without being especially showy, and that probably suits the sort of buyer who goes for a downsized SUV such as this.
Interior
The Atto 2's exterior styling might be somewhat plain, but its cabin is truly impressive. Especially when you consider how hair-shirt the Vauxhall Frontera and Citroen e-C3 Aircross feel, the Atto 2's classy interior gives it a significant leg up on the competition. 'Vegan Leather' (they spelled vinyl wrong) upholstery for the seats comes as standard, and looks and feels nicely upmarket. There are plenty of high-quality materials and surfaces around, which neatly balance out the inevitable cheaper plastics, and the big digital screens look smart.
You could accuse the driver's ten-inch instrument screen of being overly busy, but the central infotainment screen is actually pretty praise-worthy. We're still not quite sure why it rotates from landscape to portrait orientation and back again, and it's still frustrating that when you're running Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you're stuck with landscape mode, but the screen's software has improved greatly as BYD's time in the European theatre has gone on.
The on-screen air conditioning controls now stay at the bottom of the screen, and are 'always on' no matter what other functions you're using. That bar of controls, and another drop-down menu accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen are both customisable too, and so you can set them up with the controls you need to use the most. Thankfully that includes disabling the speed limit warning that's as inaccurate (and as irritating) as in any other car.
There are other neat tricks, too. There's a new 'multi-touch' function which means that you can instantly adjust the cabin temperature with a three-finger swipe up or down, which works anywhere on the screen. Use the same motion, but going side-to-side, adjusts the fan speed. It's clever stuff, and it makes the screen easier and less distracting to use on the go.
There are also some new toys, such as YouTube and Zoom to keep you either distracted or productive when you're parked at a charger, and there's even a karaoke system. Yes, we did sing along to ABBA. Of course we did.
Practicality
The Atto 2 has plenty of storage space up front, with a deep box under the front seat armrest, and another open space under the centre console. There's a pair of cupholders, and decent door bins in the front too, not to mention plenty of legroom and headroom, and a fully adjustable steering wheel.
In the back, there's also good headroom and legroom (although the retracing sunblind for the standard panoramic glass roof robs a touch of head space for taller passengers) and useful multi-pocket seatback storage too. The boot measures 400 litres up to the luggage cover, or 1,340 litres with the back seats folded down.
Performance
The Atto 2 comes with a single 130kW electric motor, which sends 170hp and 290Nm of torque to the front wheels to provide reasonably brisk performance, with 62mph coming up in a decent 7.9 seconds. Both power and torque are delivered smoothly, with none of the overly-sudden 'instant torque' feel of some rivals. The electric motor is also notably refined, even at low speeds, and in the Atto 2's preferred milieu of downtown driving, it feels pretty well set-up. At motorway speeds, the motor runs out of puff just a little, but for a compact car like this, it's fine.
Initially, the Atto 2 will be available only with a 42.4kWh (net) battery, which gives it a range of up to 196 miles on the combined cycle. That's OK range, but perhaps a little short-legged for some. There will be a bigger-battery model later in the year (circa October) which will manage a claimed 269 miles on one charge.
That said, the standard model's 196 miles seems like a realistic figure. Our test drive took place in single-digit Celsius temperatures, and with a mixture of city, country, and motorway driving we were seeing a likely range of around 175 miles on a not-quite-full charge. It helps that the Atto 2 comes with an energy-saving heat pump for the air conditioning and heating, something that many more expensive rivals leave on the options list.
The other good news is that the battery is one of BYD's 'Blade' units, which use lithium-iron phosphate chemistry, rather than the more common lithium-ion packs. That means it's a little less energy-efficient than others, but the upside is that the battery is much more robust, can be charged up much more often without degrading as much, and is far safer. Indeed, it's so robust that BYD integrates the battery into the Atto 2's bodywork, improving its crash protection.
Ride & Handling
If you were hoping that the brisk 0-62mph time makes the Atto 2 a sort of warm-hatch in disguise... well, I hate to disappoint you, but... BYD is adamant that the Atto 2 is an urban SUV, and so it's been designed to work at its best on city streets.
That means you get light, slightly rubbery, steering and soft suspension, which is exactly what you want in town. The Atto 2 skips neatly over speed bumps and around potholes, and the steering means that it's a doddle to park, or to whip around a mini-roundabout (especially with its tight turning circle).
However, that does mean that on the open road, it's not very rewarding to drive. The Atto 2 corners fine and generally drives blamelessly, but the steering just removes you from the process, so don't expect any fun. It seems odd that, given BYD's enormous engineering resources, it still hasn't produced a genuinely fun-to-drive EV, but hopefully that won't last forever...
Value
We don’t know the exact prices for the Atto 2 yet, but it’s likely to be similarly priced to the existing Dolphin hatchback. That means it should be around the £26-28,000 mark for the basic Active model, which makes it considerably cheaper than a Kia EV3 or Skoda Elroq, but slightly pricier than a Vauxhall Frontera. However, the Atto 2 will be well-equipped, with even the basic Active version getting the ‘vegan leather’ seats, a 10.1-inch touchscreen, the panoramic roof, air conditioning, 17-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot monitoring. BYD offers an impressive warranty too — six years and 93,000 miles for the whole car, and eight years and 125,000 miles for the battery.
Verdict
The Atto 2 has the potential to really shake up the small SUV class. It looks and feels far classier than cheap alternatives such as the Vauxhall Frontera and Citroen e-C3 Aircross, and while it's not thrilling to drive, it's certainly good enough for most people. The slightly short range might hold it back a touch, but that will be fixed by the longer-range model later this year. All-round, this new BYD is a class act.
