I’m driving a surprisingly high quality and enjoyable family-friendly EV

The guys at BYD talk a lot about speed. Not the performance of their cars, but the pace at which the company grows. In less than three years, BYD has launched six new cars in the UK, with this – the Atto 2 – the seventh to arrive in BYD showrooms. And, as BYD promised, almost all of its models will be available as all-electric or plug-in hybrid models. Act 2 PHEV Just announced and expected to go on sale next year.

So, BYD has made the rest of the car industry aware and taken notice, but buyers have been a little slow to adopt. They shouldn’t be – the Atto 2 is an excellent car that deserves attention, although the £30,850 starting price seems a little high when you look at what else is on the market.

With choice of all-electric Fiat Grande Panda, vauxhall fronteraCapable citroen e-c3 and even bigger e-c3 aircross With prices starting in the low £20,000s offering all the family-friendly space and all the kit you really need, the Atto 2 will have to offer something extraordinary to justify the high price.

To some extent, it does. You get a step up in quality and a big kit upgrade, but it’s not like the advanced battery technology will give you a huge leap in range – the cheaper Boost model claims a maximum range of 214 miles on a full charge, while the £34,950 will go up to 267 miles. In all other respects, the Atto 2 is the winner; It’s spacious, looks good (not dissimilar to a Mercedes SUV in our eyes), is well built, drives well and has lots of high-tech kit.

How we tested

I’ve been driving the Atto 2 Boost model in the towns and streets near my home in South Buckinghamshire on some of the roughest roads in the country. I took it to London, tried parking on the street and in supermarkets, crammed the family into it, charged it multiple times and tested out all the tech, including the fun rotating touchscreen.

Independent Rating: 8/10

BYD Act 2 Specifications

Battery, range, charging, performance and drive

UK cars get a choice of two batteries: 51 or 65kWh. 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 a number of efficiency-enhancing features, including a standard heat pump), we’re surprised the Atto 2 doesn’t have a longer range or a faster charge – the smaller battery’s 214 miles may be enough for many buyers, but it’s nothing special, nor is its 85kW fastest charging speed. The larger and cheaper Citroen e-C3 Aircross (and its sibling models from Fiat and Vauxhall) has a 44kWh battery claimed to last up to 188 miles and fast-charging at speeds up to 100kW.

The larger 65kWh battery is much better, with a 267-mile range and charging speed of 155kW, but then the price rises to £34,950. For just over £1,000 you can get a fantastic Kia EV3 that will go up to 375 miles on a single charge.

On the road, the Auto 2 is one of the best family-friendly EVs I’ve driven with a very European feel in the way the car drives and handles. Even over the worst undulations, it’s never uncomfortable, yet the car feels connected and communicates well what’s happening on the road surface. Body control is better than rivals, which means the car will feel less floating over undulations and you’ll be less likely to lean over as you go through corners – which means it’ll be less tiring on longer journeys. It feels really mature and really premium.

Its performance is also up a notch compared to some other small EVs, with a zero to 62 mph time of 7.9 seconds. This equates to good throttle response for controlling traffic in and out of the city.

Interior, practicality and boot space

For a car that’s just 4,310 mm long – no more than a supermini these days – the Eto 2 has a huge amount of space inside. When we installed the nearly six-foot tall front seat for me, there was still knee room when I got out and sat in the back.

The advantage of BYD’s blade battery technology is that not only is the floor completely flat throughout the car, but the battery also sits low, making the space in the rear feel much more spacious than usual. Headroom isn’t an issue even with the standard panoramic sunroof. If we have one small criticism it’s that the rear doors could open a little wider – this will be fine for most people to get in and out of, but the wide opening doors are useful if you have to fit a child in the back seat.

As well as the fancy sunroof, powered front seats that are heated and covered in vegan leather are standard on the Atto 2 Boost model we’ll get in the UK.

In fact, the general feeling inside is that of a small 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 quite premium too.

When it comes to luggage space, the boot door opens high and wide, revealing 400-litres of space with a two-level boot floor – easily big enough for some heavy suitcases. Throw the rear seats forward and that space increases to 1,340.

Technology, Stereo and Infotainment

The number of impressive kits continues when it comes to technology. It’s all centered on a 12.8-inch touchscreen with a special party piece. Just say “Hi BYD, rotate the screen” and it will rotate 90 degrees so you can use it in landscape or portrait mode.

Do you remember we mentioned the speed at which BYD works? After listening to feedback from customers, the Atto 2 now features a customizable ‘dock’ at the bottom of the screen that allows you to select your most-used functions to be displayed at all times, whether it’s turning off some annoying chime (the woman’s voice telling you to keep your eyes on the road is particularly annoying), heating the seats or selecting the steering wheel or navigation. This also shows up when you’ve got your own Apple CarPlay or Android Auto display on the screen – which is wireless, of course. Just keep in mind that you can’t rotate the screen while using your smartphone connection – it has to be displayed in landscape mode.

However, one of our favorite features is the ability to tap the screen with three fingers to adjust the temperature or fan speed. Or you can simply say “Hi BYD” and give verbal instructions to the car. The good news is that these usability upgrades will filter through to other BYD models, while over-the-air updates will continue to improve things.

Other luxury features include a 360-degree camera to help during parking, fancy LED cabin lighting, wireless and cooled smartphone charging and an eight-speaker audio system that sounds quite good for a car at this price, with plenty of sound depth and separation.

It has the usual range of driver assistance systems including convenient adaptive cruise control, as well as a full range of safety kit. As well as the large central touchscreen, there’s a clear digital display in front of the driver, although it’s overloaded with information – it would be nice to have the option to reduce the amount of data shown.

However, one thing 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) technology, you simply wave your phone near the door mirror and the car will unlock for you. Then you just have to press the Start button in the middle of the center console.

Prices and operating costs

For your £30,000 you get a great location, a great drive, lots of kit and a car of impressive quality. But you can still get more space than the excellent Citroen e-C3 Aircross and pay less than £25,000 – and it’ll have a similar range.

BYD Act 3 Rival

questions to ask

How long does it take to charge?

On a fast charger, the Atto 2 Comfort with a larger battery will charge from 10 to 80 percent in 25 minutes at a charging speed of 155kW.

How much does it cost – is it worth it?

Atto 2 with 51 and 65kWh batteries are priced from £30,850 to £34,950. It really is a premium looking and feeling car that drives well and with strong technology, but is expensive compared to rivals

Does BYD replace batteries for free?

The Atto 2’s battery lasts for eight years and 150,000 miles, while the rest of the car has a standard six-year warranty.

Why trust us?

Our team of motoring experts has decades of experience driving, reviewing and reporting on the latest EV cars, and our verdicts are tailored with every type of driver in mind. We thoroughly test every car we recommend, so you can be sure our judgments are honest, fair and authentic.

Verdict: BYD Atto 2

In most respects, the Atto 2 is a fantastic car 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 key point is the price in the UK which is significantly higher than the latest group of family-friendly EVs from other carmakers.