- BYD’s electric Atto SUV charges faster than any rival – with the right charger.
- The 115-kWh Blade battery can charge from 10% to 70% in five minutes.
- Most potent version makes 764 hp and gives a 374-mile WLTP electric range.
Fast electric SUVs are nothing new. But BYD’s new Atto 8 is fast in a straight line and at the charging station. You might even spend less time topping up the battery than you would pumping gas into a combustion SUV and paying for it.
The Atto 8 made its European debut at this week’s Paris Motor Show, and on the stand, it doesn’t look particularly groundbreaking. Sure, it’s BYD’s first three-row vehicle for Europe, where it will take on the new Skodq Peaq. But the design, a predictable mashup of existing BYD styling cues, is entirely forgettable.
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It’s a different story under the skin. The Atto 8 is powered by BYD’s second generation Blade battery, and the generous 115 kWh capacity is actually the least interesting thing about it. Because the real story is the Atto 8’s ability to charge that huge battery from 10-97 percent full in only nine minutes.
And you can cut that almost in half by settling on a 10% to 70% fill, pulling the plug before the charge rate slows for the final push. Even in chilly (-30 C) weather, a 20-97 percent charge is done in 12 minutes. That compares with a 10% to 80% fill time of 28 minutes for the new Skoda Peaq.
BYD’s Flash Charging technology makes those feats possible, but only if you can find a Flash charger. The automaker is still building the infrastructure, so they’re few and far between right now, although BYD says 3,000 Flash stations will be live across Europe by the end of 2027.
Choose 456 HP Or 764 HP
Both versions of the 198-inch (5 m) SUV get the same battery and charging capabilities, but not the same powertrain. The entry level Design comes with a 456 hp (462 PS / 340 kW) electric motor and rear-wheel drive. That might sound like a solid number of horses, but the weight of the huge battery means zero to 62 mph takes a leisurely 8 seconds.
Atto 8 Excellence adds a second motor, boosting overall output to 764 hp (775 PS / 570 kW), and chopping the sprint time to 4.6 seconds. But it also chops the available range. The RWD 8 can over a respectable 405 miles (652 km) on a fill, and the dual-motor SUV, a less impressive 374 miles (602 km).
26-Inch Head-Up Display
The Atto 8’s flagship status in BYD’s lineup means it comes loaded with standard equipment, including a panoramic glass roof, a 26-inch head-up display, and heating, ventilation and massage functions for both the front seats, and the outer pair in the middle row. Both models get dual 50W smartphone chargers, and Excellence models attempt to justify their name with a refrigerator.
Will it also be excellent value? We’ll find out later this year, closer to the spring 2027 on-sale date, by which time BYD might have plumbed in a few more Flash chargers.
