BYD folk talk about speed a lot. Not the performance on offer from their cars, but the speed with which the company moves. In just two short years, BYD has launched five new cars in the UK, with this – the Atto 2 – the sixth and due to arrive in the UK around September time. It could be beaten to showrooms by the seventh, the small Dolphin Mini, though.
So BYD has made the rest of the car industry sit up and take notice, but buyers are a little slower on the uptake. They shouldn’t be – the Atto 2 is an excellent car that deserves attention, as long as BYD prices it competitively.
With the likes of the all-electric Fiat Grande Panda, Vauxhall Frontera and the capacious Citroen e-C3 and even bigger e-C3 Aircross all offering family-friendly space and all the kit you really need with starting prices in the low £20,000s, those same BYD folk are sticking to their guns with a possible UK starting price for the Atto 2 of around £30,000.
Sure, you do get a step up in quality and a big kit upgrade, but it’s not as though the advanced battery tech will give you a big jump in range. In our view, an Atto 2 starting at under £30,000 will be much more attractive.
In every other respect, the Atto 2 is a winner; it’s spacious, looks good (not unlike a Mercedes SUV to our eyes), is well made, drives nicely and has loads of high-tech kit on board.
How we tested
The BYD Atto 2 is most likely to be used in and around town, so we spent plenty of time driving around the city of Madrid where the roads are as busy and bumpy as they are in cities and towns in the UK. We also went out on the motorway and up in the hills, while testing the space in the front, the back and the boot.
BYD Atto 2: Price TBD, BYD.com
Independent rating: 8/10
Battery, range, charging, performance and drive
The cars we drove in Spain came with a 45.1kWh battery that has a claimed maximum range of 194 miles. Given BYD’s claims about the high-tech nature of its blade batteries, its third-generation electric car platform and its advanced eight-in-one electrical architecture (which includes numerous efficiency-boosting features including a standard heat pump), we’re surprised the Atto 2 doesn’t have a longer range or charge faster. The 44kWh battery in the larger and cheaper Citroen e-C3 Aircross will run for a claimed 188 miles.
By the time the Atto 2 gets to the UK, the battery pack will have grown to 50kWh, which will probably boost range to around 214 miles. And later in the year, an even bigger battery version will be available (it’ll be even more expensive, obviously) with a 60kWh battery likely for a maximum range of 261 miles.
The bigger batteries will charge faster than the 45kWh battery in the car we tested, which will charge at up to 65kW on a suitable fast charger – again, this is slower than the 100kW for the Grande Panda, Citroen C3 models and the Vauxhall Frontera. So, the Atto 2 we drove claims a 10 to 80 per cent charging time of 37 minutes.
On the road, the Atto 2 is one of the nicest family-friendly EVs we’ve driven with a very European feel to the way the car rides and handles. Even over the worst bumps, it’s never uncomfortable, yet the car feels connected and communicates what’s happening on the road surface. Body control is better than on rivals, which means the car will feel less floaty over undulations and is less likely to have you leaning as you drive through corners – which means it’ll be less tiring on long journeys.
There’s also a degree more performance than in some other small EVs, with a decent zero to 62mph time of 7.9 secs. That equates to decent throttle response for nipping in and out of town traffic.
Interior, practicality and boot space
For a car that’s just 4,310mm long – not much more than a supermini these days – there’s a huge amount of space inside the Atto 2. When we set up the front seat for a near six-foot tall driver, there was still bags of kneeroom for the same person sitting in the back.
The benefit of BYD’s blade battery tech means that not only is the floor totally flat throughout the car, but the battery also sits lower, making the rear space seem far more spacious than usual. Headroom isn’t a problem, either, even with the standard panoramic sunroof. If we have one slight criticism it’s that the rear doors could open slightly wider – it’ll be fine for most people to get in and out, but wide opening doors are handy if you have to fit a child into their child seat in the back.
As well as that fancy sunroof, powered front seats that are heated and covered in vegan leather are standard on the Atto 2 Boost model that we’ll get in the UK.
In fact, the general feeling inside is of a little luxury car, not only with the level of standard equipment, but also with the quality of the materials – there are soft-touch materials everywhere and it all looks pretty premium, too.
When it comes to luggage space, the boot door opens up high and wide, revealing a 400-litre space with a two-level boot floor – easily big enough for a couple of chunky suitcases. Throw the rear seats forward and that space increases to 1,340.
Technology, stereo and infotainment
The impressive kit count continues when it comes to tech. It all focuses on the 12.8-inch touchscreen with a particular party piece. Simply say “Hi BYD, rotate screen” and it will spin round by 90 degrees so you can use it in landscape or portrait mode.
Remember us mentioning the speed that BYD works at? After listening to feedback from customers, the Atto 2 now features a customisable ‘dock’ at the bottom of the screen that allows you to select your most frequently-used functions to display all the time, whether that’s to switch off some of the nagging chimes, heat the seats or steering wheel or select navigation. It even displays when you’ve got your own Apple CarPlay or Android Auto display on the screen – which is wireless, of course.
One of our favourite features, though, is the ability to just tap the screen with three fingers to adjust the temperature or fan speed. Or you can just say “Hi BYD” and give the car a verbal instruction. The good news is that these usability upgrades will be filtered through to other BYD models, while over-the-air updates will keep improving things.
Other luxury features include a 360-degree camera to help when parking, fancy LED cabin lighting, wireless smartphone charging and an eight-speaker audio system that sounded pretty decent for a car at around £30,000.
There’s the usual array of driver assistance systems including handy adaptive cruise control, plus a full array of safety kit, each with their own initialism and probably a warning chime, too.
As well as the big central touchscreen, there’s a clear digital display in front of the driver, although it’s rather crowded with info – it would be nice to have an option to reduce the amount of data it shows.
However, one thing that you will enjoy is the ability to use your phone as a key – usually the preserve of much more expensive cars. Using NFC (near field communication) tech, you just wave your phone near the door mirror and the car will unlock for you. You then just have to press the start button in the middle of the centre console.
Prices and running costs
We’ll have to wait until nearer the Atto 2’s on sale date, which is expected to be around September, before BYD commits to a price in the UK. In Spain where we drove the Atto 2, the Boost model that we’ll get in the UK will cost €31,990 (just under £27,000). However, whispers from within BYD suggest that the Atto 2 may arrive here with a price closer or more likely just above £30,000.
For that you do get a car with excellent space, a nice drive, loads of kit and impressive quality. But you can have more space from the still excellent Citroen e-C3 Aircross and pay under £25,000 – and it’ll have a similar range, too.
BYD Atto 3 rivals
FAQs
How long does it take to charge?
On a fast charger, the Atto 2 will go from 10 to 80 per cent charge in 37 minutes at a charging speed of 65kW – not exactly super fast.
How much does it cost - is it worth it?
When it arrives in the UK in September, the Atto 2 is expected to cost around £30,000 – a good price for the quality and kit on offer, but you can get family-friendly EVs with more space for less.
Does BYD replace batteries for free?
The Atto 2’s battery is covered for eight years and 150,000 miles, while there’s a standard six-year warranty on the rest of the car.
The verdict: BYD Atto 2
In most respects, the Atto 2 is a brilliant car that’s great to drive with responsive acceleration and a comfortable ride, excellent space for a compact car, a high-quality look and feel, and loads of high-tech kit on board. The sticking point may be a price in the UK that is considerably higher than the latest bunch of family-friendly EVs from other car makers.
