BYD Atto 2 DM-i with plug-in hybrid in driving report: Charging without haste
BYD now also offers the compact SUV Atto 2 with two plug-in hybrids. However, the driving report shows: The manufacturer should primarily improve charging.
(Image: BYD)
- Wolfgang Gomoll
The Chinese have reacted rapidly. As soon as the EU thought up tariffs on battery-electric cars from China, new hybrids from the Middle Kingdom are tumbling onto the European market. BYD is equipping the Atto 2 with two plug-in hybrid powertrains. Interested parties should take a close look to see if one of them actually fits their personal requirements. Because using the electric range is somewhat tedious. A first drive.
Software remains a work in progress
My colleague Christoph had the Atto 2 as an electric car in October 2025. He fundamentally praised the SUV for its good qualities with a surprisingly well-tuned chassis. There were deficiencies, especially in the software, which simply didn't seem mature. There is still a lot to be done here with the current test car. The menu navigation is sometimes a bit convoluted. Gesture control and an AI voice assistant are intended to simplify operation, but are not always successful. The workmanship, on the other hand, appears quite decent, and the choice of materials also seemed appropriate for the class.
The Atto 2 is about 4.33 m long, similar to a Kia EV3 or a Smart #3. The interior space is generous, and the trunk is also adequately spacious with 425 liters. The seats offer more lateral support than in other BYD models. However, the seat base should be a bit longer, especially for drivers with long legs. The huge glass roof with its electric sunshade is standard in the expensive version, but it cannot be opened.
Drones under high load
The chassis tuning in the PHEV always remains on the comfortable side, which is not a mistake. The steering is heavily damped to mask the drive influences. Even the base model has 122 kW system output; in the top model we tested, it's 156 kW. The driver needs to have a good feel for what's possible to avoid overloading the front wheels' grip. There's nothing to complain about regarding performance: the top model accelerates to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds. However, under very high load, there's a quick impression of a certain sluggishness, as the 1.5-liter four-cylinder drones quite considerably.
BYD Atto 2 DM-i: außen (5 Bilder)
BYD
)Unlike most European plug-in hybrids, the combustion engine in the Atto 2 primarily serves as a power generator. The drivetrain therefore mostly operates serially: the gasoline engine drives the generator, which in turn supplies power to the electric motor and the LFP traction battery. The division of labor is also evident in the drive power. In both variants, the combustion engine delivers a maximum of 72 kW, and the electric motor 145 kW. The control system releases a maximum of 122 kW in the base model and 156 kW in the top model.
Electric motor as main drive
The electric motor always takes on the main work of propulsion, and as long as the drivetrain is not pushed to its limits, the combination remains acoustically restrained, responds spontaneously, and impresses with absolutely sufficient thrust. The combustion engine only directly contributes to propulsion under very high load demands; otherwise, it operates unobtrusively close to its ideal load. One goal of all this is, of course, to keep real consumption moderate. BYD states 5.1 liters in the cycle, provided it is not charged externally.
Sluggish charging
This brings us to the biggest criticism. The base model can be charged with alternating current at a maximum of 3.3 kW. The traction battery is unusually small at 7.8 kWh gross. In WLTP, the manufacturer states an electric range of 40 km. At least at first glance, the top model appears to be better equipped. The battery here holds 18 kWh gross, which should be sufficient for 90 km in WLTP. However, the increased charging power of 6.6 kW is not only modest compared to the competition, but it can also rarely be used in many scenarios. This is because the internal charger is also designed for single-phase operation here. Therefore, even the top model only charges at 3.7 kW at a three-phase 11-kW wallbox. The higher charging power can be used, for example, at many public 22-kW charging points.
BYD Atto 2 DM-i: innen (6 Bilder)
BYD
)Charging therefore remains a sluggish affair, especially since the charging losses are also not to be neglected. BYD states a charging time of three hours for a charge from 15 to 100 percent. Competitors are sometimes significantly faster to be ready for further kilometers in electric mode. If there is no DC charging option, at least three-phase AC charging at 11 kW should be possible. Anything else is simply no longer up-to-date, and the fact that the competing Stellantis group with brands like Opel or Peugeot does no better in some of its plug-in hybrids does not change that.
Range
In practice, only a portion of the promised ranges remains on average over the year. BYD does not disclose the usable portions of the energy content for each. It is estimated to be around 6 kWh in the base model and around 15 in the top model. Drivers who are not rushing might manage around 25 km purely electrically in one go with the small battery, and between 60 and 70 km with the large one. A test would have to provide more precise details; this cannot be definitively clarified within the scope of a short test drive.
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Atto 2: Electric car with 65 kWh barely pricier than the PHEV
If you absolutely want an Atto 2 DM-i and externally charged electricity is to be the primary driving energy, we recommend the top model. The surcharge of 3000 euros also includes extensive equipment. Apart from a metallic paint finish, customers cannot choose any extras anyway, so the list price always remains below 40,000 euros. This brings the PHEV close to the top model, the battery-electric Atto 2. It offers 65 kWh of energy content and 155 kW of DC peak charging power. Tariffs or not: The times for cars that carry an internal combustion engine are not getting any easier. Because in daily use, the electric car is superior in almost all scenarios, and the once-significant additional purchase costs are decreasing for many manufacturers.
(Image: BYD)
However, BYD expects, possibly even justifiably, a relevant number of interested parties for the plug-in hybrid concept in the medium term. Those who favor this and do not want to spend more than 40,000 euros list price currently have only a narrow selection, which is mainly made up of Chinese manufacturers. Whether this demand will remain stable in the long term remains to be seen. The Atto 2 DM-i does not do a bad job overall, but the sluggish recharging may hinder extensive use of the electric portion in some driving profiles. And the deficiencies in the software should also be addressed by the Chinese soon.
(emw)