BYD Atto 2 DM-i review | Super Hybrid better than electric?
Did you know that BYD don’t just make electric cars? No, they make super hybrids as well. Not just hybrids, super hybrids. Meet the AT2 DMI, which has a range of up to 90 km on pure electric alone, but a combined range extender of about 900 km. And into 2026, I reckon we’re going to see more cars like this that aren’t full-on EVs, but act like them, drive like them, can be charged with a decent size battery for those people that aren’t quite ready to go electric, but do want to go hybrid. And this car is coming to Ireland in 2026. What’s it like? Let’s have a little look around. One of the least glamorous places I’ve ever filmed a car, I will grant you. but talk to the people who organized this dynamic drive, not me. So, there’s about four colors available in the car. Um, this is a kind of a a greeny blue, a petrol blue it would have been called back in the day. um some very very slight differences between this version and the car that is fully electric that MDL are not sure will they bring to Ireland or not but this one is definitely coming because they think there’s a market for customers who want to go hybrid. So there are still some air curtains over the car. It’s a little over 4 m in length. So you still get it’s a kind of like an EV3 go size car. Certainly bigger than things like the Dolphin Surf. Comparable in some ways to the Ato3. Um I actually like the little inserts down below here that match the color of the paint on the car. So I had it on a kind of a gray EV version, but it actually it’s nicer here. Um you’ve got loads and loads of space in the boot. So, it’s a familyfriendly boot is is what it’s known as. I’ll show you that in just a second. The rear lights, this kind of crossed figure of eight is meant to mean endless good luck in Chinese, which is obviously where BYD hail from. Uh, and then you have a wiper because BYD are understanding that it rains. And this is the key difference. So, DMI on the rear of the car. So, you could say it’s another SUV. Could it be from Mercedes if it has a different badge? That’s my question for you. It’s slightly down in the electric version of the car. So, 425 liter boot. This false floor can be raised up and it can slot on top of the hinges here and basically give you a shallower boot if you need one and then more space if you are trying to bring suitcases and stuff. So, bit over your average hatchback size car in terms of boot space. And if you’re going to be dragging things in and out, there is quite a big lip. Feels like your typical midsize SUV back here. Plenty of floor space. So, this has a petrol engine. Still has a flat floor. So, loads of knee space and foot space. And it’s just comfortable. Loads of head heights. If you’ve got growing teenagers in the family, they will fit in here and be reasonably happy. As happy as teenagers can be. at least. And there’s an armrest if you’re not using all of the three seats. And yeah, it just feels very, very spacious. Good size back here. So, the DMI version actually has a 1.5 petrol engine. It never directly powers the wheels. It can if it really has to, but essentially it tops up the battery. It puts charge in it and it keeps going again. So, the idea is you should easily be able to see less than 2 L per 100 km and it essentially drives like an electric car. Wheelbase is also relatively long for a smaller segment car. It’s 2620 mm means there’s more rear leg room for taller passengers and growing children. If you go for the active spec, the blade battery is 7.8 kW, which is quite small. The higher spec version of the car, however, has an 18 kWh battery. These are both BYD blade batteries, which means they are LFP. The car also has vehicle to load so you can charge devices off it like a powered grill or a kettle. And the larger battery version of the car also charges at up to 6.6 kW. Active or the smaller battery version gets 3.3 which is a little bit faster still than a three pin plug. But if charging quickly is more of a priority for you, you’ll be better off going for the 6.6 kW AC charging option which only comes with the larger battery. Familiar surroundings. If you’ve been in the BYD before, if you haven’t, let me explain. There’s lots of screens. They’re very, very bright. There’s lots of ADAS safety settings, and they are watching absolutely everything you do. You get front passenger seat, ISOIX. You’ll be able to charge your devices with up to 50 watt charging if you plug into the port. There’s also a cooled charging plate for your device on one side and the space down below underneath the uh center tunnel which would have a transmission tunnel typically. And there’s just lots of cubby holes and places to stick items if you’re traveling with the family. Lots of physical buttons on the steering wheel. So, it’s a kind of a a blend of latest tech uh but then physical stuff that makes people go, “Ah, yes, I know where that is.” You’ll also get a mix of things like overview cameras such as this one that typically cost extra on cars, but they throw the kitchen sink as standard on their vehicles. The larger battery version actually has 210 brake horsepower. Even if you mash your foot to the floor, which I’ve done a couple of times, I can’t get the petrol engine to kick in. I know it can do it under extreme load, but how hard do you have to stamp on it? This car is essentially aimed at people that are not ready to make the transition to electric yet and there’s lots of people out there. We saw diesel overtake battery electric vehicles in 2025 in Ireland. In the same vein, I think 2026 will be the year we’ll see plug-in hybrids and self-charging hybrids really become a strong sector compared with just standard petrol cars. That is going to happen. All the marketing jargon is about how this car drives like an EV. It does. It’s quiet like one. It’s got that same instant torque that you get when you put your foot down on the accelerator. There’s even levels of regen braking. You can have standard and high just like a battery electric vehicle. There’s hill descent control. Well, so it really has that feeling of driving like an EV, but you’ve got that comfort of knowing when you look down at the fuel gauge, there’s currently 895 km of range left. And that’s just from the petrol engine. That beeping is from the endless bouts of ADAS safety that you’ll get in a BYD. Not exclusive to them, but they they do like their beeps. For the last 50 kilometers, it’s done 10.1 kilowatt hours per 100 km, very similar to the battery electric version, but it also gives you a figure where it adds up the liters per 100 km to give you a combined figure. Uh, and it’s turning out 3.2 L per 100 km. Some of the official figures are less than that. You know, you I’d want to spend more time with the car, you’d want to spend more time with the car, but it’s great to see those figures combined. It’s just good way of kind of backing up what they claim. What BYD have achieved in making a petrol car drive just like an EV should not be underestimated. I’m more impressed with that kind of stuff than flipping throwaway comments such as the Chinese are coming. But when you drill down to this and you’re going to go, God, that’s like the best of both worlds just combined. If you’re not ready to go fully electric, the BYD at2 DMI, it’s worth considering on your shopping list for 2026. Interior is okay. It’s more of what we’ve seen already from BYD. Interior is very, very spacious. And if they get the price of this car right, it could seriously do some damage to things like the MGS5. Let me know what you think in the comments down below. Thanks for watching. Goodbye from the noisiest place I’ve ever filmed a car. See you next time.
#BYD #BYDAtto2
Did you know BYD don’t just make electric cars? They make *super hybrids* too — and the new BYD Atto 2 DM-i might be one of the most interesting examples yet.
With up to **90 km of pure electric driving** and a **combined range of around 900 km**, this is the kind of car I think we’ll see a lot more of in 2026: EV-like to drive, chargeable with a decent-sized battery, but with the comfort blanket of petrol for long journeys.
In today’s video, I take a first look at the **BYD AT2 DMI**, which is **confirmed for Ireland in 2026**. We’ll check out:
* The design differences vs the fully electric version
* Boot space, practicality and rear-seat room
* BYD’s DMI hybrid tech and how the petrol engine *never* really drives the wheels
* Battery options: 7.8 kWh vs 18 kWh Blade Battery
* Charging speeds (3.3 kW / 6.6 kW AC) & vehicle-to-load
* Interior tech, ADAS, comfort and usability
* Real-world driving impressions: EV-like acceleration, regen levels, noise, refinement
* Early efficiency figures combining kWh/100km + L/100km
* Why this could be a serious competitor to cars like the MG S5
For anyone not quite ready to go fully electric, this could be the perfect “best of both worlds” option — *if* the price is right.
Let me know what you think in the comments. Would you consider a super hybrid like this?
Thanks for watching!
Nobby On Cars 🚗⚡
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