By James Stinson
BYD is going big with its latest electric car – very big in fact.
This new Atto 8 is a full-size, seven-seat SUV that will sit at the top of the Chinese car maker’s rapidly expanding line-up when it arrives here next year.
At more than five metres long and almost two metres wide, it’s a sizeable machine aimed squarely at cars like the Kia EV9, Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Peugeot E-5008.
But the headline act is the Atto 8’s new battery and charging technology, which BYD claims will allow you to add hundreds of miles of range in little more time than it takes to fill a conventional car with petrol or diesel.
Two Versions To Choose From
There are two models initially, both powered by a huge 115kWh battery.
The entry-level Design RWD gets a single electric motor driving the rear wheels and producing 456bhp and 365Nm of torque. That sounds like plenty, although a 0-62mph time of eight seconds is actually fairly leisurely given the power on offer.
More importantly, it has an impressive claimed range of up to 405 miles.
If that’s not enough power for your seven-seat family SUV, the range-topping Excellence AWD adds a second electric motor at the front, producing a whopping 764bhp and 775Nm.
That cuts the 0-62mph time to just 4.6 seconds, putting this big family SUV into serious performance car territory. The inevitable trade-off is slightly lower range, although the claimed 374 miles is still impressive.
Charging In Minutes
Even more eye-catching is BYD’s new FLASH Charging system.
At a compatible charger, BYD says the Atto 8 can charge its enormous battery from 10 to 70 per cent in just five minutes and from 10 to 97 per cent in nine minutes.
That sounds fantastic, but there’s an obvious catch. You’ll need to find a charger capable of delivering those rates. BYD says it plans to install 3,000 FLASH charging stations across Europe by the end of 2027, so initially at least, owners are unlikely to be achieving nine-minute charges everywhere they go.
Still, if the infrastructure catches up, it could remove one of the biggest remaining disadvantages of running an electric car.
Packed With Kit
The Atto 8 is generously equipped too.
Even the entry-level Design gets genuine leather upholstery, a panoramic glass roof, tri-zone climate control, a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel, huge 26-inch head-up display and 15.6-inch central touchscreen with Google built-in.
The front seats are heated, ventilated and have a massage function – and unusually, so are the two outer seats in the middle row. There’s also a 10-speaker sound system and two 50W wireless phone chargers.
Excellence cars upgrade to a 21-speaker DiSound audio system.
There should be plenty of space too. Even with all seven seats occupied, the boot holds 270 litres. Fold the two rear rows and that expands to 1,960 litres, while there’s a useful 136-litre storage compartment under the bonnet.
Strong On Paper
On paper at least, the Atto 8 compares very favourably with the growing band of seven-seat electric SUVs.
The Kia EV9 is the obvious rival, while the Peugeot E-5008 offers seven seats in a slightly smaller package. Hyundai’s Ioniq 9 is another big electric SUV competing for the same family buyers.
The BYD’s 405-mile maximum range and potentially astonishing charging speeds give it plenty of showroom appeal. But this is also BYD moving into more expensive territory, where buyers will expect the refinement, comfort and quality to match the impressive numbers.
Prices haven’t been confirmed yet, but early estimates suggest the Atto 8 could start at around £48,000, with the high-performance Excellence likely to cost considerably more.
Sales are due to start in the first quarter of 2027.
