BYD is changing the rules of EVs! A new 7-seat SUV charges from 10 to 97 % in an unbelievable 9 minutes and is coming to Europe

BYD showcased its new flagship for Europe at the Paris auto show. BYD Atto 8 is a five-meter-plus electric SUV with seven seats. As the first model with the BYD badge, it will bring so-called flash charging to Europe, which can top up the battery from 10 to 70% in five minutes. The car should cover up to 653 km on a single charge, and the automaker promises a hundred ultra-fast chargers it wants to build across Europe by the end of this year.

Flash charging: From 10 to 97 % in nine minutes

Atto 8 gets the second-generation Blade battery with LFP cells and a capacity of 115 kWh. According to the website CarNewsChina, on flash charging it reaches 10 to 70% in 5 minutes and 10 to 97% in 9 minutes, while in the cold at around −30 °C charging takes about three minutes longer. Until now, this technology was available in Europe only on the Denza Z9 GT, which belongs to the BYD group but is sold under a different brand.

However, these times apply only to BYD chargers, which deliver up to 1 500 kW with a single cable—multiple times more than today’s fast chargers can handle on European motorways. On a regular stand, Atto 8 charges too, just more slowly—so for owners, how fast BYD expands its own network will be crucial.

One hundred chargers by the end of the year, three thousand one year later

BYD started its first flash charger in Europe in June in Germany, and more are already in place, for example in the UK. By the end of 2026, there should be 100 in Europe, and a year later as many as 3 000; however, BYD did not say in which countries they will be located. Outside China, the automaker plans a total of six thousand, while at home it already operates 12 165.

Two versions: Rear-wheel drive with a longer range, or 570 kW

The base Design version has a single electric motor on the rear axle with a power output of 340 kW, and it delivers the longest range 653 km according to WLTP. The top Excellence version additionally has a motor in the front, meaning all-wheel drive with 570 kW power and a torque of 775 Nm. It sprints to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and reaches a maximum of 240 km/h, but on a single charge it covers only about 600 km.

BYD claims it’s the most powerful seven-seat SUV in Europe. CarNewsChina, however, points out that, for example, the Audi SQ7 accelerates to 100 km/h half a second faster, so this title only applies to engine performance.

Five meters, seven seats, and a 136-liter front trunk

The car is 5 040 mm long, 1 996 mm wide, and 1 760 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2 950 mm—so by size it falls into the same segment as the Kia EV9 and the Hyundai Ioniq 9. Seats are arranged in three rows in a 2 + 3 + 2 layout. With all seats in use, 270 liters remain in the rear for luggage, and when the second and third rows are folded down, up to 1 960 liters. An additional 136 liters fits under the front hood, which opens with a double tap.

In China, the same car is sold under the name BYD Tang L, but there it’s a five-seater. So the third row is an adaptation for Europe, where large family SUVs without it are hard to sell.

Interior with a 15,6-inch display and massaging seats

In the middle of the dashboard is a 15.6-inch touchscreen with Google services. The driver has a 10.25-inch instrument display in front of them, and the data is also projected onto the front windshield via a 26-inch head-up display. Above the cabin there’s a panoramic glass roof with an area of 2.39 m², and all seats are upholstered in genuine leather.

The front seats and the outer seats in the second row feature heating, ventilation, and massage, and passengers in the back control the air conditioning via their own panel. The Electrek portal reports that the Excellence version will also get an audio system with 21 speakers and a refrigerator for front passengers, while the base version has ten speakers.

When will it arrive and how much will it cost

Sales in Europe are set to begin in the first quarter of 2027, and BYD has not announced the price yet. It may be hinted by the current seven-seat electric Tang, which was sold in Germany for roughly 75 000 € and is now being offered by BYD on a promotion for just under 48 000 €. In China, the Tang L is sold from 222 800 yuan, which is about 30 000 €, but in Europe it will be significantly more expensive due to customs duties, transport, and a richer feature set.

BYD has an official presence in Slovakia, so you can expect the Atto 8 to come to our market too, even though the company hasn’t given a date or price for our country. More important than the timeline, however, will be charging—because while there isn’t even a single flash charger on Slovak highways, the Atto 8 will be charged here just like other electric cars.

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