New BYD Atto 2 electric SUV to hit the UK, rivalling the Vauxhall Frontera

• 193-mile range
• Compact electric SUV
• On sale in 2025

BYD has gone from a completely unknown brand in the UK to making a name for itself in just a few short years, and its next small electric SUV is inbound already. It’s called the BYD Atto 2, and as you’d expect it will sit below the existing Atto 3 in the brand’s lineup, but above the brand’s current smallest car offered in the UK, the BYD Dolphin.

The small electric SUV market has exploded in recent years, so the BYD Atto 2 won’t be without rivals – most notable is the Vauxhall Frontera Electric which is making waves because it costs the same as the petrol hybrid model at just £23,495, so the Atto 2 will have its work cut out to win over buyers. The Frontera’s close relative, the upcoming Citroen e-C3 Aircross is another rival, and both these cars offer up to seven seats, which the Atto 2 will not.

What will the BYD Atto 2 look like?

The BYD Atto 2 gets a chunky design befitting an SUV. At the front the Atto 2’s fascia is reminiscent of that of its larger sibling, the Atto 3, with slanted headlights and a centre trim piece with the BYD logo linking them in the middle. There’s a floating roof design with black door pillars for a contemporary look which differs from the larger Atto 3.

Pictures are few and far between, but we understand the rear of the Atto 2 gets tail-lights in a similar style to those of the Dolphin hatchback, with a light signature made up of interwoven LED light elements. 

What about the BYD Atto 2’s interior?

If the BYD Atto 2 is priced well this is where buyers could be swayed, because the brand tends to offer lots of equipment for the price. The interior is likely to be a bit simpler than that of previous UK BYD models to keep the car’s price affordable. The centrepiece is a large 12.8-inch infotainment screen that rotates to switch between portrait and landscape modes like in the brand’s other models. There’s also an 8.8-inch digital driver’s display, a smartphone charging pad and snazzy-looking crystal gear selector.

What else can you tell me about the BYD Atto 2?

The BYD Atto 2 will be offered with a small 42kWh battery and a 174bhp electric motor. BYD has incorporated the battery into the Atto 2’s structure as part of its ‘Blade’ design, and official range is 193 miles from a full charge, or 288 miles in urban driving – for context, the most affordable Vauxhall Frontera can manage up to 186 miles, but a Long Range version of that car is inbound with a more usable 249-mile range figure.

The 174bhp electric motor makes the BYD Atto 2 quicker than the Vauxhall Frontera, too – while that car takes a leisurely 12.1 seconds to go from 0-62mph, the Atto 2 takes 7.9 seconds. We’ll reserve judgement on how it drives until we get our hands on one, however.

How much will the BYD Atto 2 cost?

As we alluded to before, it’s still not known how much it will cost, but the BYD Atto 2 will reportedly cost well under £30,000 – if it’s to stand a chance against bigger names like the Vauxhall Frontera, it will have to come in at much closer to that car’s sub-£23,500 price tag, however. The Atto 2 is due to arrive in the UK and go on sale in 2025, so watch this space.

The smaller BYD Dolphin was our car of the year in 2024 – read our review to see what we thought of it…