BYD Dolphin review – our favourite new car

Verdict – is the BYD Dolphin a good car?

We were promised an onslaught of cheap EVs when the Chinese manufacturers first announced their presence in Europe, and the BYD Dolphin is one of the first to truly fit that format. Don’t be dissuaded by its low list price or the unknown name – BYD is a big brand in its home country and the Dolphin is a talented all-rounder, backed up by a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. There’s space for four, a good range, plenty of equipment and an agreeable driving experience. Now there are even bigger bargains to be had with the Active and Boost models’ smaller 45kWh battery and lower price. Even so, mid-range Comfort trim has really shaken up the small EV market – so much so in fact, that we named it our Carbuyer Car of the Year for 2024.

BYD Dolphin models, specs and alternatives

The BYD Dolphin is Chinese brand BYD’s smallest and most affordable electric car, which sits below its Atto 3 SUV and between superminis like the Vauxhall Corsa and family hatchbacks such as the Ford Focus in size. The brand says its design is inspired by the ocean, with headlights that look like a dolphin ‘breaching out of the ocean’, but if we’re honest we don’t see the resemblance, and overall, the Dolphin isn’t quite as handsome as rivals like the Renault Clio.

The BYD Dolphin initially launched with Comfort and Design trims with a 60kWh battery, and starting price of around £30,000, but the brand has since put Active and Boost models on sale with a smaller 45kWh battery and less potent motor at a more affordable price. As a result, the Dolphin Active now starts from just over £26,000 making it an even bigger bargain and lighting a fire under well-established European rivals.

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The affordable electric car market moves quickly, though, with new arrivals such as the Citroen e-C3 coming in at around £22k and Vauxhall having brought out limited-run cut-price versions of the Corsa Electric to fight back against the competition. In short, though, the BYD Dolphin is still one of the cheapest electric cars you can buy and represents good value for an EV of its size.

Active models get a modest 94bhp motor that drives the front wheels, while Boost models feature a more potent 174bhp. The result is a 211-mile and 194-mile range from the 45kWh battery in each model, respectively. Active models get 7kW AC home charging capability, while Boost models get up to 11kW AC home charging speeds. DC public charging for these models is up to 65kW.

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Both the Comfort and Design models get a 201bhp motor, and should be capable of up to 265 miles on a charge. These models get the fastest 88kW charging, too, so despite the larger battery, all models should be capable of a top-up in just under half an hour.

Entry-level Active cars feature 16-inch wheels, while Boost models get 17-inchers, but both come with a 12.8-inch rotating touchscreen, electrically-adjustable vegan seats, a 360-degree surround-view camera and a heat pump for keeping the battery at optimal temperatures to preserve range as standard. Comfort cars get heated front seats, a six-speaker stereo and front parking sensors, which we think makes it the pick of the range. Design bolsters the spec sheet with tri-colour 17-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, rear privacy glass and wireless phone charging. Unless you want that glass roof, we’d stick with the cheaper of the two big-battery cars.

The Dolphin is only available as a five-door hatchback, and joins the existing Atto 3 electric SUV in the brand’s recently-launched UK lineup. We’ve also driven the brand’s four-door saloon – badged BYD Seal and the larger Seal U plug-in hybrid SUV.

BYD Dolphin alternatives

The lower end of the EV market is hotting up, with more and more models due over the coming years. Despite being a little longer than the average supermini the BYD Dolphin’s rivals span everything from electric city cars to family hatchbacks and small SUVs.

• Fiat 500e
• ORA 03
• Vauxhall Corsa Electric
• Peugeot e-208
• Renault Zoe

 Electric family cars

• MG4
• Nissan Leaf
• Citroen e-C4
• Peugeot e-2008
• DS3 E-Tense