BYD Atto 2 2026 review

The first thing you need to know about the new BYD Atto 2 is that it is — for now at least — Australia’s cheapest electric SUV. That’s going to be the big headline-grabber. It’s important.

But the second thing you should process about the Atto 2 is that this is a pretty good car. It’s not perfect, as we discovered over a rollicking 500km road test of the Hyundai Kona-sized crossover, but it’s ultimately a solid and well-resolved thing.

That’s not normally how things go in the review of a price-leading vehicle. Normally there are big compromises necessary to get to a certain, and low, cost of entry.

We’ve known for some time that Chinese car manufacturers are rewriting the rules of the game at the bottom-end of the new car market and — again, for now at least — Australian buyers are major beneficiaries of the ultra-aggressive price war taking place in China.

Leading Chinese carmaker BYD is an utterly central protagonist of that price war. It’s pumping out enormous volumes of cars from Chinese — but also Brazilian, and soon Thai and Hungarian — factories and undercutting rivals on price, both in China and abroad.

Whether BYD is making money or whether prices are influenced by other factors are questions that economists and politicians will debate, but what is for sure is that the price/spec value equation is hard for Western, Japanese and Korean brands to match. Enter the Atto 2, the 4310mm-long jacked-up hatch that’s named Yuan Up in its Chinese homeland.

Newly re-established as a national sales company in Australia (rather than using an independent distributor), BYD has kept the Aussie lineup for the Atto 2 simple: one battery, one front motor, two spec levels priced at $32,990/$36,990, both plus on-road costs.

For now, Atto 2 is electric only (345km claimed range) but a 1020km-range plug-in hybrid is available overseas and is firmly on BYD Australia’s radar for local buyers who simply don’t want an EV or who do — but find this car’s relatively modest range too limiting.

What are the Atto 2’s features and options for the price?

With room having been left for an even cheaper version of the Atto 2 — which would be badged Essential, like BYD’s other true base models — the launch trims of Dynamic ($33K + ORCs) and Premium ($36K + ORCs) are substantially identical outside.

The key differentiator is wheel size, with the Dynamic’s 16-inch fan-blade alloys (in 215/65 R16 Westlake tyres) giving way to 17-inch alloys (in superior 215/60 R17 Hankooks) for the Premium.

Otherwise, both wear conservative, slightly bland rounded-box styling outside over subtle cladded-crossover hues: it’s a bit of a ‘90s revival. We’d say it’s inoffensive to look at.

Both variants use a 130kW/290Nm front motor and 51.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery promising 82kW (DC) and 7kW (AC) peak charging speeds. A heat pump is standard equipment in Australia.

Included with the $33K+ Dynamic includes a 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, 8.8-inch instrument display, FM/DAB radio, four-speaker stereo, vinyl seat upholstery, six-way manual driver’s seat, LED headlights, BYD app connectivity with ditgital key, auto wipers, rear air vents, and a tyre repair kit.

The $4000 step into the Premium appears to be worthwhile. The up-spec variant adds a bigger 12.8-inch touchscreen, panoramic glass roof with shade, roof racks, heated/cooled front seats (power-adjustable for the driver), eight-speaker stereo, one-touch up/down windows, heated wing mirrors and an auto-dim interior mirror.

The things that make a real difference there are the ventilated seats (which make vinyl seats much more temperate in the Australian summer), superior stereo and bigger screen.

Paint colours other than solid Ski White attract extra cost, with our tester’s green-tinted Mist Grey joining Harbour Grey and Cosmos Black metallics as $600 options.

How does the Atto 2 drive?

While the Atto 2 visually blends into traffic —looking like a pastiche of every other two-box small SUV on the market — dynamically, the little electric BYD noses ahead of the typical generic small-crossover blob.

This is no sports SUV, but that’s more than okay. The Atto 2 is a polished — even refined — and nippy commuter, feeling really at home in the ‘burbs. With 1555-1590kg aboard depending on variant, the BYD is also settled and stable on the highway.

The only available performance package is a 130kW/290Nm front electric motor. Unlike a Tesla, the Atto 2 doesn’t punch you into the seat as you accelerate; instead, the power winds up gradually, with a 0-100km/h time of 7.9 seconds.

Frankly, that’s still quite quick for a small SUV — most rivals are burdened by buzzbox petrol engines or weak hybrid systems and, often, gluggy transmissions. None apply here, with the Atto 2 able to seamlessly dispatch its subtle muscularity at will.

We commuted to-and-from the Sydney CBD from the northern beaches as part of our test and found the Atto 2 keenly noses ahead of dozy dual cabs and rideshared Camrys alike. The BYD bobs gently and happily down urban arterials. Driving it is easy.

Speaking of bobbing, the ride is slightly tidal. On the surface this is a plush car with a very soft ride that soaks up bumps, expansion joints and speed bumps easily. But patience is required: push the BYD too hard and the impression of compliance can fall apart quickly.

The cheap torsion beam rear suspension doesn’t love mid-corner bumps and the BYD is all at sea on a country road with a combination of underdamped suspension and loose body control limiting the fun — but these effects are much better-hidden in urban and highway driving.

We don’t think many people will buy an Atto 2 to attack curvy, bumpy B-roads (and its range would be limiting in any case) and in its natural habitat — driving gently through or around cities, suburbs or country towns — it’s really competent and a mile more refined than, say, an old Mitsubishi ASX that you might be upgrading out of.

An appreciated dynamic attribute of the BYD is its quietness. The cabin is hushed, interrupted only by faint motor whine and wind noise that builds towards 100km/h.

Seasoned EV owners might wish for stronger regen’. There are two modes, but even the ‘high’ setting is more like moderately strong engine braking in a combustion car. It suited us but it isn’t true one-pedal driving.

What is the Atto 2’s interior and tech like?

Inside, the Atto 2 is neat, tidy and — in more lavish $37K Premium spec — also well-equipped by small SUV standards. The Dynamic is more attractively priced, but it can feel a touch underbaked once you’ve lived-large in the Premium…

BYD product planners are canny, and they know that the bigger main screen (12.8” vs 10.1”), power seats (vs manual) and especially niceties like ventilated front seats are drawcards that make it easier for customers to part with an extra $4000.

Common to both variant grades is tidy and logical interior styling that is vaguely organic in character but far less polarising than the cabin of the bigger Atto 3 (from $40K), which was apparently modelled on gym dumbbells and human muscle tissue.

Evidently BYD is a fast learner, having understood that few buyers want ‘weird’ styling in an appliance.

In the process, though, some character has been lost — compounded by the fact BYD Australia has leant too conservative, choosing to import only the black/dark grey interior colourway for the Atto 2, having passed on an attractive shale option seen overseas.

Functionally, the Atto 2’s interior works well. Ergonomics aren’t spot on — the front seats lack tilt-angle adjustment, and we felt a bit hunched forward while driving — but in the main, key controls are where you expect.

Physical buttons are used on the thin-rimmed steering wheel and for volume, drive mode, and regen’ braking controls — and while climate controls are digital, they appear in an always-visible shortcut bar at the bottom of the main touchscreen.

Our wireless Apple CarPlay connection occasionally needed to be reminded to start but was otherwise interference-free and we found the quality of the eight-speaker stereo passable.

Impressive is the space — both the relatively commodious back seat, which has stacks of legroom for the class, and six-footer headroom — but also plentiful oddment storage up front and a reasonable 380 litres of boot space. No spare wheel of any kind, however.

One thing we are keen to see is a Chinese brand splash out from the torrent of PVC veneer lavished on nearly every surface. While it’s better than the hard plastic so often doled out by small SUV segment players, we’re not sure the Atto 2’s extensive vinyl is that luxurious, being some way off the tactile quality of Volkswagen-grade grained soft plastics.

Is the Atto 2 a safe car?

An objective safety rating is not currently available for the Atto 2. The model has not yet been crash-tested by either Euro NCAP or ANCAP.

BYD Australia says it’s confident in the safety of the small SUV, saying it has “increased body rigidity over other compact SUVs”.

Both the smaller Atto 1 and larger Atto 3 models (which use the same ePlatform 3.0 chassis) have received five-star ratings from Euro NCAP.

Standard safety equipment across the Atto 2 range includes front, side and side curtain airbags, two ISOFIX child seat anchorage points, forwards autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, rear cross traffic alert and braking, blind spot monitoring and tyre pressure monitoring.

Like other BYD models we have tested, the Atto 2’s standard-fit lane departure warning and emergency lane keeping assistance are oversensitive, correcting steering inputs too frequently. Disabling this tech requires eight taps in total every time the car is started.

Also fitted is audible speed limit warning — which we found a little distracting, requiring five taps to disable every time the car is started — although the Atto 2 does not have overbearing driver attention monitoring. A quicker way to disable these features would be appreciated.

Clarity of the Atto 2 Premium’s 360-degree camera is excellent. The Dynamic grade has a regular reversing camera.

What are the Atto 2’s ownership costs?

Our testing revealed the Atto 2 to be quite frugal, driving down its main running cost — electricity use.

In fact, we comfortably beat BYD’s range and efficiency claims without trying to drive especially economically. Across a testing loop that blended highway, country roads and suburban driving, we managed a figure of 14.2kWh/100km (359km theoretical range).

That is noticeably better than BYD’s WLTP claims of 14.8kWh/100km and 345km of peak range.

Those needing more range might wish to wait, as BYD is considering importing a plug-in hybrid Atto 2 to Australia, while a larger 64kWh battery is also available in the EV in the United Kingdom, promising 429km range.

Unfortunately, the Atto 2 is a slow charger. Peak speeds of 7kW (single-phase AC) and 82kW (DC) are mediocre; especially when ‘fast’ charging, where the Atto 2 requires 39 minutes to get from 10 to 80 percent charge. That is glacial.

Servicing pricing was still to be determined by BYD Australia before this article went to print.

Warranty arrangements for the Atto 2 follow BYD’s acceptable — but not industry-leading — vehicle coverage of six years/150,000km and traction battery warranty of eight years/160,000km.

The honest verdict on the Atto 2

The BYD Atto 2 is an impressive small SUV that is easy and pleasant to drive, relatively affordable to buy, cheap to run. It is a refreshingly normal and fuss-free EV experience.

It’s not astonishingly affordable when specced-up to Premium trim — which doesn’t return much change from $40K – but nor does the BYD feel cheap-and-nasty.

There’s no doubt that there is room in the lineup for the plug-in hybrid version, which will make the Atto 2 much more practical for buyers that need to drive longer distances.

We’d also like to see BYD have a crack at a pared-back, but livable, Atto 2 Essential base model for less than $30,000 in electric form. Using cloth seats would solve the issue of vinyl burning up in summer without active cooling.

As an appliance to buy, charge up cheaply overnight at home and commute in, the Atto 2 is a compelling vehicle.

For buyers considering EVs such as the Hyundai Kona and Kia EV5, the more affordable BYD deserves a test-drive while the Atto 2 should also be considered closely alongside its siblings: the Atto 1 and Dolphin.