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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: 44

The Atto 2 is perhaps the most crucial model yet for Chinese maker BYD. As 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: 206

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 for the EV version (there's also a PHEV model) 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 most of the company's other current models. But what has BYD's 120,000-strong engineering team done with it here? Let's find out.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 307

Since BYD is pitching the Atto 2 as 'an urban second car', you might be surprised to find that the full-EV version has as much as 174bhp on tap from its front-mounted motor, 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 51.1kWh battery - a modest figure of up to 214 miles. If that's not enough, there's a 'Comfort' version with the same motor but a larger 64.8kWh battery offering up to 261 miles of range. If you like the idea of an Atto 2 but don't want an EV, then you might be interested to know that this model also comes as a Plug-in Hybrid - a rather unique powertrain in a car this small. The DM-i powertrain in question will take the car up to 56 miles on battery power between charges, enabling this PHEV variant to be used much like an EV for suburban trips. That's with the 18.0kWh Boost version, which has 212PS. There's also a smaller 7.8kWh battery Active variant, with 166PS and a 25 mile EV range. Here though, we're focusing on the EV version. Out of town, you might hope that despite the tall stance, body roll would be well-controlled thanks to the way the Blade battery is incorporated into the structure of the car. But there's still plenty of pitch through the corners, so it's probably fortunate that the light, rather feel-less steering doesn't encourage you to power into them. Of course that light steering is nice to have in town, where you'll appreciate the relatively tight 10.5-metre turning circle. On the highway, there's quite a lot of wind and road noise but you'll appreciate the standard adaptive and intelligent cruise control system.

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