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By Jonathan Crouch

BYD further widens its portfolio of small EVs. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the Atto 2.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 43

The Atto 2 is perhaps the most crucial model yet for Chinese maker BYD. A compact yet spacious B-segment EV, it competes in a crowded small electric crossover class - and might initially not much stand out, until you take a closer look.

Backgroundword count: 196

BYD has come a long way in a very short time. It's Britain's fastest growing car brand, a technology-focused maker rapidly plugging the remaining gaps in its EV-focused model line-up. That needed bolstering in the B-sector for compact electric hatches. In this segment, BYD's smallest car, the Dolphin, is a little too small and their original model, the Atto 3, is a little too big. Hence the crucial importance of this car, created to hit the sweet spot between those two designs; welcome to the Atto 2. It's known in its Chinese home market as the 'Yuan Up'. For Europe, we thought it might bear a marine-derived name, like BYD's other most recent models, but no, the 'Atto' theme has been reprised (derived from the word 'attosecond', which apparently is one quintillionth of a second). Also reprised is the company's clever Blade battery technology that sees the battery integrated as part of the car's chassis, rather than merely being plonked onto it. Those underpinnings are familiar too, the same e-Platform 3.0 set-up as we've seen in the Seal and the Sealion 7. But what has BYD's 120,000-strong engineering team done with it here? Let's find out.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 228

Since BYD is pitching the Atto 2 as 'an urban second car', you might be surprised to find that it has as much as 174bhp on tap, with 290Nm of torque. That's enough to dispatch 62mph in 7.9s en route to 99mph. Of far more interest to the target audience will be the projected range figure of the mainstream 'Boost' model's 50.1kWh battery - up to 210 miles. If that's not enough, there's a 'Comfort' version with a larger battery offering up to 261 miles of range. To maximise these figures, there's the usual regenerative braking system settings, but even in 'High', this isn't fierce enough to facilitate 'one-pedal' driving. There are four drive modes - 'Eco', 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Snowfield', each of which slightly changes steering feel and throttle response. Around town, you'll appreciate the light steering and the tight 5.2m turning circle. As usual with modern cars these days, there are various intrusive drive assist modes - which include commands to 'keep your eyes on the road' even when you're merely looking at the centre screen. There are some unusual touches too - like the way you can alter the indicator sound. Despite the tall stance, expect body roll to be well-controlled thanks to the way the Blade battery is incorporated into the structure of the car. And the braking system's seamless moderation has attracted praise.

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