BYD launches quite cheap, quite big electric SUV, the Atto 2

This is the BYD Atto 2, an electric crossover due in February that will offer a decent amount of space for a decent enough price. It should cost around £25,000. Here’s everything we know so far.
• BYD’s smallest SUV. It’s about the size of a Volkswagen T-Roc • Relatively long wheelbase means interior space should be family-sized • It arrives with one battery option offering a 194-mile range • Longer-range version will turn up soon • BYD promises ‘premium’ interior quality, including “padded surfaces” • Massive central infotainment screen rotates for portrait or landscape options

Design and models available

A fairly unremarkable-looking SUV, TBH, the Atto 2 will nonetheless be priced well and offer a good amount of space, kit and quality for the money, especially for an electric car. No word on spec yet, but it’ll probably run the same as the bigger Atto 3, with Active, Comfort and Design specs. For now there’s only the one battery and motor option (which we’ll come to), but BYD says another drivetrain is on the way.

Interior and technology

BYD calls the Atto 2 “the perfect urban EV for those who don’t want to compromise on a premium finish and ‘big-car’ features.” That’s a normal PR-y sort of thing to say when a car launches, but we do know that the Atto 2 will have soft-touch surfaces and a majestically large rotating central touch-screen. It should feel very spacious too, with a pretty long wheelbase – 2,620mm, if you’re into this sort of fact. As you can see if you click through the pictures above, rear knee space looks generous for a car that’s signifncantly smaller than a Nissan Qashqai. The boot is 400 litres large, a little bigger than you’ll find in a Volkswagen Golf. Plus, because the wheels are ‘pushed out to the corners, so to speak, it makes for “short front and rear overhangs, improving approach and departure angles to help reinforce the SUV image,” according to BYD.

Batteries and range

At first there’ll only be the one battery and motor option. A 177-horsepower motor drives the front wheels, taking power from a 45kWh battery pack offering a claimed range of 194 miles. That’s far from groundbreaking (especially as it’ll be closer to 150 miles if it’s cold outside or you ever use a motorway), but it’s more than enough for most people, most days. And it keeps the cost down. A version with a bigger battery, and possibly four-wheel drive, will appear later down the line. The 60kWh battery in the Atto 3, for instance, would give this a range closer to 300 miles.

Price and release

Full prices and specs will be released “in the coming weeks”, but we are told that the Atto 2 will be on sale in February and we reckon it’ll cost about 25 grand for a basic one. That'll rise to around £30k for a top-spec model with all the whistles, bells and kitchen sinks.

What other upcoming cars will the Atto 2 compete with?

Smaller electric SUVs like the upcoming Volkswagen ID.2, Cupra Raval and Renault 4, mainly, although for £25,000 an MG4 offers more space than this. Or if you can live with less space and equipment, the Dacia Spring is about £10k cheaper.