Hot car deal: award-winning BYD Dolphin EV for £250 a month

BYD may still be the biggest car brand you’ve never heard of, but that’s all set to change in 2024. Having overtaken Tesla as the world’s top-selling electric car maker, establishing new European production bases and introducing a flurry of fresh models to the UK, the future certainly looks bright for the Chinese manufacturer.

The Dolphin is currently BYD’s smallest and cheapest offering in the UK and our current Car of the Year; we rate it highly for its usable interior space and overall value, along with a good level of standard equipment and a decent range.

With the affordable end of the EV market becoming increasingly competitive, the BYD Dolphin can be seen as a rival to various electric city cars, family hatchbacks and small SUVs, taking on everything from the Fiat 500 to the bigger Vauxhall Corsa Electric, MG4 or Peugeot E-2008. An accomplished all-rounder, the Dolphin is supported by a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and impressive six-year warranty cover which, we think, makes it worthy of consideration.

What’s so good about this BYD Dolphin deal? 

This deal from Nationwide Vehicle Contracts lets you cover up to 5,000 miles a year with an initial payment of £3,001.44, then monthly payments of £250.12 over four years. There’s also a £270 processing fee to factor in and, while there is flexibility to either extend the length of the agreement or adjust the annual mileage allowance, you will pay more for the privilege. For example, increasing the agreed mileage to 10,000 miles per year means you’ll pay £279.61 every month, with an extra £353.88 added to the deposit amount. If you’d rather upgrade to the bigger 60kWh battery model (rather than the 45kWh version offered in this deal), there’s the option to do that as well.

Although offered in entry Active specification, the Dolphin in this particular deal still comes with a lot of kit as standard, including 16-inch alloys automatic LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, vegan leather upholstery, heated front seats, a wireless smartphone charging function, and a 12.8-inch rotary touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

As mentioned above, this particular Dolphin model features a 45kWh battery and single electric motor, producing 95bhp and allowing for a 211-mile maximum range over a combination of roads. Charging from 30-80% via a rapid charger should take around 28 minutes, while if you’re able to hook up to your own 7kW wallbox at home, then you should see a 0-100% charge take a little over seven hours – which means you can easily keep the battery topped up overnight.

What’s so good about the BYD Dolphin?

The BYD Dolphin is far from an engaging drive, but it still holds plenty of appeal through its practical range, spacious interior, in-car technology and solid build quality. With such competitive personal leasing deals on offer, the Dolphin is a really impressive compact EV package.

Anything else I need to know about this deal?

This is a lease deal, often referred to as Personal Contract Hire (PCH), so there’s no option to buy the car at the end of the contract. You are effectively renting the car for the four-year term, but the deal is very flexible so you can adjust the term length, mileage limit and initial payment size to suit, but only at the outset. Once the deal is over, you just hand the keys back and start looking for your next car.

Our hot deals are carefully selected by our car buying experts and they are all subject to change. Always read the full terms and conditions and make sure the car and the deal suits your needs before proceeding.