BYD Atto 2 review

Right then, two versions: Boost (174bhp/51.1kWh/214 miles) starts from £30,850, and Comfort (201bhp/64.8kWh/261 miles) from £34,950.

The biggest kick in the teeth though? Similarly specced, pretty much all of its more established (and better driving) rivals - including the Renault 4, Ford Puma Gen-E and Smart #1 plus the Fiat Grande Panda, Jeep Avenger and all their Stellantis group siblings - can be had cheaper. In some cases by a couple of grand. Which makes this a hard sell.

But BYD is hoping that its lease deals will tempt buyers: you’re looking at monthly repayments of £339 a month with a £339 down payment over four years with 0 per cent APR. The Comfort versions cost only £30 quid extra a month, again with a £0 extra down payment, and all versions get five years’ free servicing. 

To anyone who simply wants a car to get them from A to B, that’s pretty tempting. But its rivals drip in charm alongside it.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO TRIMS?

Yep. But not a huge amount. Boost gets full LED headlights, the 8.8-inch digital instrument panel and 12.8-inch rotatable touchscreen plus a heated steering wheel, heated electrically adjustable front seats, wireless smartphone charging, panoramic sunroof, and vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology. That enables you to power external devices such as your laptop or a coffee machine.

Which feels pretty generous. Indeed, the only things of note Comfort really add are electrically folding door mirrors, privacy glass in the rear and adjustable lumbar support for the driver’s seat. But the big draw here are its 50 extra litres of boot space, the extra range courtesy of the bigger battery, and the faster DC charging if you’re regularly going to be doing longer journeys.

Disappointingly, the only available colours are white, grey, black or green. Seriously BYD, when your car looks this bland, could you not at least have added a couple of more exciting colour options?

WHAT’S THE BEST SPEC?

For an extra £30 a month it’s hard to look past the Comfort model. Bigger boot, bigger battery and charging speeds, bigger… bragging rights? Something like that, anyway.

Oh, and final thing to note: all Atto 2s get a six-year/90,000-mile warranty, while the battery gets an eight-year/120,000-mile warranty.