BYD Atto 2 DM-i review

Small electric crossover is retrofitted with a petrol engine to bring plug-in hybrid motoring down below £30,000

Meet the BYD Atto 2 DM-i, the UK’s smallest plug-in hybrid crossover. 

Well, in-waiting, anyway. When the Jeep Renegade 4xe finally shuffles off this mortal coil in the coming months, BYD's latest will take its position as the littlest crossover on the market with a charging plug on one side and a fuel filler on the other. 

Not only that but, with prices ranging from around £25,000 for the entry-level car to £28,000 for the bigger-battery variant, it will be the cheapest PHEV on sale - and its launch could be a crucial step towards the more widespread adoption of PHEVs, which have previously been the preserve of the fleet buyer.

Launched recently with electric power, the Atto 2 has been retrofitted with an optional electrified combustion powertrain as part of BYD’s drive to sustain its rampant growth outside of its Chinese home market, in the face of waning global demand for EVs. 

It joins the best-selling Seal U SUV and new Seal 6 saloon/estate in an expanding range of PHEVs in BYD’s UK line-up; and is set to be followed by more in the form of cars from the upmarket Denza marque, as well as the larger Sealion 05 SUV and likely even the Ford Ranger-rivalling Shark pick-up truck.

With accessibility in focus, dimensions that match some of the UK’s best-selling cars and technical credentials that lend it the potential to become a front-runner in its segment, the Atto 2 DM-i could play a crucial role in BYD’s masterplan to become one of Europe’s leading car brands.

But with umpteen electrified ‘baby’ SUVs you could already choose from, does the Atto 2 deserve a spot on your shopping list - and is it best-served with hybrid or EV power? Let’s find out.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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At 4.3m long, the Atto 2 is a good match in size terms for the MG ZS, Renault Captur and Toyota C-HR and serves as the smallest SUV in BYD’s rapidly growing UK line-up - essentially a high-riding equivalent of the Dolphin hatchback.

We won’t go into too much detail about its design and positioning here, as we’ve covered that off already in our review of the electric Atto 2 and, aside from the significant technical differences, it’s mostly identical inside and out. So the PHEV retains the EV’s chunky, upright proportions and is decorated with various adornments that help it to cut a slightly less anonymous figure than some new Chinese SUVs - although it’s hardly the most daring of treatments. 

A recap, should you need it: DM-i (that’s ‘Dual-Mode - Intelligent’) is BYD’s take on the PHEV powertrain, as launched in the Seal U and since extended to the Seal 6. Sort of a fusion of Toyota’s ‘self-charging’ hybrid system and Nissan’s range-extender-esque e-Power one, it uses a petrol engine primarily as a generator to top up an underfloor battery, which in turn powers the electric motor driving the wheels. 

Usually DM-i cars drive on electric power (working as a series hybrid), but under heavy loads and at high-speed cruises the engine can also be connected to the drive wheels to give the full combined power output and maximum shove (working as a parallel hybrid). 

Here the petrol engine is a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four running on the Atkinson cycle, like a Toyota hybrid's engine, while the front-mounted motor produces a reasonably pokey 194bhp and 221lb ft of torque. 

We drove the top-spec Boost model, with an 18.3kWh battery supplying 56 miles of electric-only range; the cheaper (circa-£25k) Active car uses a 7.8kWh battery for 25 miles as an EV, while halving the maximum charging speed from 6.6kW to 3.3kW.

INTERIOR

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Powertrain and tweaked front intakes aside, the Atto 2 DM-i is identical to the electric Atto 2. 

So inside there’s a 12.8in central touchscreen (which doesn’t spin, BYD having abandoned that costly gimmick in response to cool customer feedback), an 8.8in digital instrument display and a smattering of buttons across the steering wheel and centre console for your core functions. 

It all works reasonably well, save for some questionable logic to the menu structures and a bit of information overload on most interfaces. I managed to deactivate the painfully annoying ADAS bongs after a fashion and the system mediated the relationship between my mirrored smartphone and its own functions without much trouble. 

It’s a shame that significantly downsizing the battery hasn’t allowed for the PHEV to offer any increases in interior space or packaging compared with the EV, but the back seats remain agreeably capacious and comfortable – even if the floor is fairly high – and the 425-litre boot is on a par with most rivals'. 

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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Here, in its smallest application, the DM-i system works well. It switches between the two power sources cleanly and almost imperceptibly, largely feeling like the electric Atto 2 - with decent responsiveness and a pleasing level of pep off the mark but a sensibly shaped torque curve that means you’re not constantly scrabbling the tyres away from the lights. 

I had to work hard to get the engine to even audibly chime in (its thrashy, strained drone providing scant reward for doing so) and generally found it easy to forget I was using any petrol at all. There is a ‘hold’ mode you can use to drive on ICE power only, but BYD says the system’s at its most efficient when operating as a hybrid - and indeed the results speak for themselves (see MPG and running costs section).

You couldn't reasonably accuse it of being short on puff, but it's not an especially quick or exciting car - which makes Sport mode's acceleration timer function (complete with rumble-strip graphics and a traffic-light countdown) especially incongruous. But hey, we're always campaigning for more personality and pizzazz in cars like this, so let's indulge a little frivolity. 

RIDE & HANDLING

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It’s hard to find fault with the quietly competent manner in which the Atto 2 DM-i covers ground. Don’t ask too much of its urban-oriented underpinnings and you will be rewarded with a decently refined and commendably unfussed composure that’s the measure of any European rival for in-town civility. 

It soaks up speed bumps and potholes impressively well, and while its steering isn't the last word in point-and-shoot precision, it has an encouraging amount of weight to it off-centre, and it felt just as manoeuvrable as the average hatchback of this footprint.

There’s some wind noise to speak of at motorway speeds, but no more than would be reasonably expected, and it doesn’t do much to dent the Atto 2’s otherwise laudable high-speed behaviours: it’s stable, rides smoothly and still has plenty of poke in reserve for overtakes and merges.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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Take these numbers with a pinch of salt, considering my test conditions weren’t totally representative of day-to-day suburban drudgery, but over the course of a demanding 90-minute loop comprising busy motorways, tight mountain passes and stop-start inner-city arteries in Spain, I drained around half the battery (circa 9kWh of energy) and took no more than a few sips out of the fuel tank. 

That equated to electricity consumption of 9.12mpkWh and fuel economy of 157mpg, which the car told me represented combined consumption in traditional terms of 76.3mpg. But that’s contingent on having a full battery to start with. We will need a few days on UK roads to really crunch the numbers.

Despite its unusual modus operandi, it's clear that, as with all PHEVs, you would need a home charger to make the most of the Atto 2 DM-i. It’s unlikely to better the Toyota Yaris Cross and Renault Captur full hybrids for efficiency if you don’t plug it in regularly and, with a lethargic maximum charging speed of just 6.6kW, you would need hours at a public charger to put in a meaningful amount of juice. 

Skip the cheaper Active model entirely: its 7.8kWh battery returns just 25 miles of electric-only range and it can charge at only a pitiful 3.3kW, so the advantages will be far less obvious.

VERDICT

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If your circumstances allow, the Atto 2 DM-i is a perfectly recommendable little family car.

There’s more to write home about here than in the Atto 2 EV, in terms of raw, on-paper competitiveness, and it merits recognition for bringing something new to this most hotly contested and crowded market segment.

PHEVs have long been the preserve of the fleet buyer, but there’s appeal here for the traditional retail purchaser with the lifestyle to make it work.

Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: Deputy editor

Felix is Autocar's deputy editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years.