BYD ATTO 2 DM-i

Electric compact SUV is retrofitted with a plug-in hybrid powertrain

- FELIX PAGE

When the Jeep Renegade 4xe finally shuffles off this mortal coil in the coming months, BYD's new Atto 2 DM-i will take its place as the littlest crossover on sale with a socket on one side and a fuel filler on the other. Not only that, but with prices ranging from around £25,000 for the base model to £28,000 for the bigger-battery variant driven here, it will be the cheapest PHEV too.

Launched recently as an EV, the Atto 2 has been retrofitted with a hybrid 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. When we drove the electric Atto 2 we found it rational and sensible but short on visual or dynamic appeal and, powertrain aside, the PHEV version is basically identical, so I will focus on the technical differences here.