2025 BYD Atto 2 review

The latest new ‘Dragon face’ offering from China car giant BYD promises a ‘floating roof’, ‘democratic tech’ and a new quality, budget offering for Aussie motorists.

Matt Campbell

3 min read

June 11, 2025 - 5:57PM

Motoring

On the Road

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There’s a gap in the BYD line-up, and the Atto 2 is coming to fill it.

This new compact crossover SUV will sit above the current-cheapest model in the BYD EV range, the Dolphin (from $29,990 plus on-roads), but below the popular Atto 3 (from $39,990 plus on-roads).

That leads us to confidently speculate that it’ll start at $34,990 plus on-roads, and it could make sense to a lot of customers at that kind of price – about what you pay for a mid-spec Toyota Corolla hatch. There will be two models sold here – Essential, and Premium, with some spec differences between them.

It’s a little shorter than a Corolla hatch at 4310mm long, but has a bigger boot at 345 litres. Its boxy body offers a great amount of interior space – I could fit behind my own driving position with room to spare, including a great amount of headroom and shoulder width in the second row.

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International first drive: 2025 BYD Atto 2 review

Up front there’s the typical BYD-style experience, meaning you get some interesting materials like perforated fake leather and colourful finishes including a crystal gear selector, and a rotating 12.8-inch touchscreen media unit with smartphone mirroring and sat nav. The base car in Australia will come with a 10.1-inch screen with a reversing camera, while the top-spec model will get a surround-view camera.

There’s a few physical controls as well as those on the screen, and the driver gets a flat-bottom steering wheel and an 8.8-inch info display which is configurable with a few different displays. A wireless charging pad is standard too, and a panoramic sunroof with a shade is available as well.

‘DRAGON FACE’ CONCEPT

It follows big brother Atto 3’s ‘not too offensive’ approach to styling outside, with the so-called ‘Dragon Face’ concept, a roof that looks like it’s floating, and a full-width tail-light bar. The only dorky thing about the design is the wheels – a bit dull and conservative, at least on the test cars.

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International first drive: 2025 BYD Atto 2 review

It doesn’t look budget-focused, but the powertrain expected to be offered is on the modest side in a few ways.

There’s a decent 130kW and 290Nm from the single electric motor, with power going to the front wheels.

Australian models are expected to be sold with a 51.3kWh LFP ‘blade’ battery pack, with a range of approximately 400km, though no specifics for Aussie models have been confirmed. The version driven in China had a 45.1kWh battery with a claimed 401km of range on the lenient Chinese test cycle.

The charging specs should be okay, but not exceptional – AC will either be 6.6kW or 11kW, while DC is expected to be capped at 65kW. Modest, you might say. But it will have vehicle-to-load capability, which is a plus.

PACKED WITH SAFETY TECH

On paper, it looks like it’ll compete spec-wise against the just introduced MG S5 EV, which is one of the most approachable new EVs on the market (priced from $42K drive-away). That car is a bit bigger, though.

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International first drive: 2025 BYD Atto 2 review

The drive experience in China was somewhat limited. We had a carpark with a smattering of safety cones in the shape of a slalom, tight corners, a ‘bumpy road’ with speed bumps, and a few full-speed start and stop moves.

And in all instances, it seemed okay. Not that fun. Not that exciting. Not that fast. But just okay. Maybe it’ll feel better on Aussie roads in real driving situations, and I hope that’s the case.

As with all BYD models it promises to come packed to the hilt with advanced safety tech, including forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, a speed limit warning system, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, and a surround-view camera system.

Nice and democratic, too, with all versions offering a full set of safety stuff.

International first drive: 2025 BYD Atto 2 review

Finer details – including pricing and specs – are still to be confirmed, but if BYD gets it right, this one could be a top option for urban-dwellers or those hunting for an affordable additional car.

As I said earlier – a potentially good gap filler.

3.5 stars