► BYD’s EV hatch priced from £26k with base Active
► 265-mile range on top models, excellent efficiency
► Roomy for its size and (mostly) good value
BYD is building up its range at lightning speed with six EVs now on sale in the UK. The Dolphin you see here used to be the smallest, but it’s now been undercut by the even smaller Dolphin Surf (née Seagull in other markets).
In size terms, the Dolphine is within a hair’s breadth of the MG4 hatchback and is priced just as keenly, bettering the likes of the Vauxhall Corsa Electric or Fiat 500e despite being a larger and range-ier car. That’s the usual BYD formula, create a product in the same sector as the competition, but make it cheaper or techier – or both.
The Dolphin has been out for a while now, and that means we’ve been able to drive the entire range in the UK at length. Keep reading to find out if it’s any good.
Should I buy a BYD Dolphin? It’s not quite as good as a Hyundai Inster but it comes close. It’s one of BYD’s strongest efforts.
At a glance
Pros: Loads of kit standard, well-built interior, neat handling, spacious for its size
Cons: Base Active and Boost specs are harder to place, bongs a lot
What’s new?
The BYD Dolphin has been around for a while now, and the Chinese firm has left it relatively untouched, instead quietly adding trims. Our first taste of the Dolphin focused on the Comfort and Design trims, but since then we’ve also driven a new entry-level Active and Boost version That means the Dolphin is now fully available in the UK in four different specifications: Active, Boost, Comfort and Design. A, B, C, D.
Although not widely publicised in the UK, the BYD can be split into two distinct lines ‘Ocean’ and ‘Dynasty,’ with the former being funkier and more youthful. It’s no surprise that the Dolphin then is an Ocean car, not least because of the name, but the city-centric styling.
What are the specs?
As you’d expect from BYD, the Dolphin is well-equipped car. Regardless of the trim you go for, you get a 360-degree camera system, electric front seats, keyless entry and start, a large infotainment screen with navigation, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. The latter is a huge bonus, but on the whole even the BYD’s native UI is good – and often improved with over-the-air updates.
It packs in the boring stuff too: there’s a tonne of safety equipment and BYD even includes a heat pump for better battery efficiency in cold weather. Its effect shouldn’t be ignored, as some cars without heat pumps will give you around 30% less range when the mercury plunges.
Active, kicks off the line up. Priced from £26,195 (and pictured in grey here), is your entry into life with a Dolphin, differentiated by smaller 16-inch wheels and a torsion beam rear suspension (the rest get 17s and multi-link rear suspension). Active features a 44.9kWh battery pack and a 94bhp motor, taking 12.3sec to reach 62mph.
Boost kicks things up a notch. Priced from £27,195, it keeps the 44.9kWh battery pack but introduces a more powerful 174bhp electric motor, good for a 7.5sec sprint to 62mph. This is a city car, after all.
Comfort, priced from £30,195, introduces the Dolphin’s larger 60.4kWh battery pack, as well as a 201bhp e-motor, dropping the 0-62mph time to seven seconds. Additional equipment here includes an upgraded audio system, rear USB-C port, heated front seats and auto-folding mirrors.
Finally, the range is topped by the Design trim priced from £31,695 (and pictured in blue/grey. As well as being exclusively available with two-tone paint schemes and colourful matching wheels, Design versions feature wireless phone charging, privacy glass and a panoramic glass roof.
Design, priced from £31,695 (and pictured in blue/grey), is the flagship. As well as being exclusively available with two-tone paint schemes and colourful matching wheels, Design versions feature wireless phone charging, privacy glass and a panoramic glass roof.
Range and charging
As well as having a bit of a complicated spec decision to make, things don’t get much easier to explain when it comes to range and charging figures. So we’re going to go through them neatly, only highlighting the key details below.
Active
Max. claimed range: 211 miles
Max. AC charging speed (0-100 per cent): 7kW, 7h 18min
Max. DC charging speed (10-80 per cent): 65kW, 38min
Boost
Max. claimed range: 195 miles
Max. AC charging speed (0-100 per cent): 11kW, 5h
Max. DC charging speed (10-80 per cent): 65kW, 38min
Comfort
Max. claimed range: 265 miles
Max. AC charging speed (0-100 per cent): 11kW, 6h 12min
Max. DC charging speed (10-80 per cent): 88kW, 40 min
Design
Max. claimed range: 265 miles
Max. AC charging speed (0-100 per cent): 11kW, 6h 12min
Max. DC charging speed (10-80 per cent): 88kW, 40 min
What’s the interior like?
Large, in a word. The Dolphin can accommodate passengers well above 6 feet tall one behind each other with room to spare. BYD has carved out space from the boot to do it, though: at 345 litres in capacity, it’s reasonable, but it’s a tall-rather-than-deep shape and split by a removable floor panel under which you can hide the charging cables. There’s also no frunk to top up the space, either.
Moving forward to the cabin, you get a low dash which makes for a relatively airy space. Large windows and, on Design models, a massive panoramic roof help here too.
Fit and finish is reasonable, too. The face of the dash is swathed in soft-touch plastic and vegan leather though there are some notably cheaper materials on the doors, top of the dash and lower down. The enormous array of materials used inside look great when applied with one of the Dolphin’s bright colour schemes but going for black – the only choice with Active or Boost specs only – only seems to highlight just how many dashboard materials are used.
Still, there are some nice touches, such as a door handle modelled on a dolphin’s flipper.
Front and centre is BYD’s trademark revolving touchscreen infotainment system. It’s a massive 12.8-inches on the diagonal will turn from landscape to portrait – with different orientations better for different use cases, BYD reckons. It’s a party piece we’ve seen before, and we expect it’ll stay landscape most of the time. That’s mainly because Android Auto and Apple CarPlay can’t support vertical orientation.
The hardware and software onboard are the same as the Atto 3 and Seal, which is to say that it’s fully featured and responsive, and often improved over the air.
Still, the standard surround view cameras should be applauded for their high resolution that makes the urban use case doddle. And physical switchgear for key controls is a bonus. The Dolphin has legacy controls for some for climate and car functions, including a physical switch for setting the amount of regen that the larger, posher Seal doesn’t.
What’s it like to drive?
Acceleration in the entry-level Active trim is smooth, if not especially quick. Despite a 0-62mph time of 12.3 seconds, it feels livelier than the numbers suggest in everyday driving – especially in stop-start urban traffic where most journeys rarely exceed 30mph. It’s perfectly adequate for city use. Opt for one of the higher trim levels, however, and you’ll notice a meaningful step up in pace, bringing the Dolphin close to junior hot hatch territory in terms of punchiness.
The ride is firmer than the BYD Atto 3, but the Dolphin still leans towards comfort. There’s decent grip on offer and body roll is well-contained for a relatively tall, ungainly hatchback. The steering is precise enough and there’s a reassuring amount of weight. It’s enjoyable enough, but more city-focused than playful.
The result is a car that runs over broken or uneven surfaces with relative composure, handling potholes and speed bumps with a supple, confident ease. The base-spec Active models, which use a torsion-beam rear axle, feel slightly less settled, but overall ride comfort is impressive – far superior to rivals like the Mini Cooper Electric and Fiat 500e.
Wind and motor noise are impressively well suppressed, contributing to a calm and refined cabin experience – particularly impressive at this price point. The braking system also deserves praise, with a consistent and predictable pedal feel that’s not always a given, even in far more expensive EVs.
It’s spoilt by the Dolphins constant warning noises. Many can be turned off once and left off, but others will need to be switched off with every journey as BYD complies with General Safety Regulation 2 rules. It’s a shame as the lane keep and adaptive cruise felt relatively well behaved during our tests.
Before you buy
The Dolphin’s myriad specs present all sorts of questions regarding rivals. First you need to work out which trim to go for. Base Active feels like a bit of a wonky one to justify; the similar size, price and range to the base MG4 SE make it pretty much level-pegging on that front. But compare the Active to the smaller electric Mini and Fiat 500e and the Dolphin comes out looking like a bargain given the extra space and standard equipment. It feels much nicer inside, for example.
The Boost feels like the weakest choice of the four by costing more, not having any significant new equipment and having less range. The Comfort spec feels like the best balance, offering the larger battery for more range and quicker charging. It also gets more equipment on board and is cheaper than an MG4 Trophy Long Range by around a couple of grand.
Verdict: BYD Dolphin
The Dolphin’s spec options have gotten a little more complicated with the new entry-level options, with Active a better rival to the electric Mini Cooper and Fiat 500e than larger cars.
Either way, the BYD Dolphin is worth a look. It’s a neat handling, robust and tidy car to drive, well-equipped and has competitive range and performance compared to cars of a similar size. The MG4 is a sharper car to drive, but BYD’s hatch has plenty on its side to win you over. IT could still be the best BYD so far.
Specs are for a BYD Dolphin Active