BYD Dolphin review

We'll say one thing about the BYD Dolphin – it'll give people playing I Spy a good way to baffle opponents. After all, who expects to spot a dolphin while they're passing the time on a long motorway journey?

But there’s more to this fish-out-of-water story. The Dolphin is a small electric car that sits alongside the BYD Atto 3, the BYD Seal and the BYD Sealion 7 in the Chinese car maker's range of electric vehicles.

And while its name is a little quirky, the Dolphin offers something the car industry is striving towards: an affordable way in to electrified motoring. Car brands from China have pretty much nailed it, and we've seen the same ethos applied to the MG4 EV and the GWM Ora 03 (formerly the Funky Cat).

BYD Dolphin video review

BYD gives you a choice of three power outputs and two battery sizes, with the biggest battery and motor giving you enough range to rival the MG4 Long Range and a hot hatch rivalling 0-62mph sprint time.

It all sounds very promising, but the big question remains – is this a fitting addition to the electric car market, or will the name just be an anecdote to alleviate boredom on long trips? In other words, is the BYD Dolphin good enough to beat rivals including the Citroën ë-C3 and Hyundai Inster? Read on to find out...

The cheaper versions of the BYD Dolphin – called Active and Boost – are powered by a 44.9kWh (usable) battery that offers an official range of 211 miles and 193 miles respectively (the Boost name refers to performance rather than range).

For reference, the entry-level MG4 EV should go slightly further, officially managing 218 miles, but it does have a larger battery.

A bigger 60.5kWh battery – fitted to Comfort and Design versions – officially extends the Dolphin's range to 265 miles, but in our winter real-world range test, it managed just 188 miles. That's 39 miles less than an MG4 Trophy Extended Range in the same test.

Entry-level Active trim comes with a 94bhp electric motor, for a 0-62mph time of 12.3 seconds. That doesn’t seem particularly impressive, but there’s enough muscle to keep up with traffic if you spend your journeys in town.

The 174bhp Dolphin Boost, with its 7.5-second 0-62mph time, feels more lively and the oomph it has (even in Eco mode) makes it more than capable of reaching motorway speeds quickly or nipping into spaces in traffic. The Boost is our preferred choice and doesn’t cost much more than the Active version.

Higher-spec Comfort and Design come with a little more power, with a 201bhp motor that's powerful enough for a 0-60mph time of 6.8 seconds in our tests. That’s faster than what we managed in an MG4 or Ora 03 (both took more than 7.0 seconds). However, unless you need the longer battery range, the slight performance difference over Boost isn’t worth paying extra for.

The Dolphin's suspension is on the softer side, and at slower speeds it’s mostly comfortable, dealing with potholes and imperfections with ease and little fuss – especially in the entry-level Active version with its smaller 16in wheels.

However, you can feel a small amount of head toss from side to side as the car is being bobbed up and down at higher speeds. It’s far from uncomfortable, but firmer rivals – such as the MG4, the Peugeot e-208 and the Vauxhall Corsa Electric – are more composed.

Plus, the Dolphin's softness means there’s more body lean when cornering and the standard-fit Linglong tyres produce very little grip. 

If you push into a corner too quickly, the front end has a habit of washing wide of your intended line. If only the steering offered more feel to clue you in on what’s going on beneath you, but it’s light, vague and doesn’t weight up in a particularly natural manner. For something more fun to drive, we’d point you towards a Cupra Born or MG4.

BYD didn't design the Dolphin for storming along B-roads, and when you drive normally, it’s quite refined as an urban runabout. There's not much motor noise, and road noise only becomes more apparent at higher speeds.

The brake-pedal response on some of the Dolphins we’ve driven is a little grabby at low speed, but improves once you’re on the move. It’s less spongy than in a Citroën ë-C3 but the MG4 feels a little more progressive and reassuring.

“If you just need a car to run all those short errands around town, the Active is all you’ll need, but I did find myself enjoying the added punch of the Boost version quite a lot." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

When you take a seat inside the BYD Dolphin, you’ll find it’s easy to get comfortable because every trim level comes with electrically adjustable sports seats and a manually adjustable steering wheel with plenty of range.

As with the Citroën ë-C3, Hyundai Inster, MG4 EV and Ora 03, you don’t get adjustable lumbar support – even as an option.

Unlike in the SUV-inspired ë-C3, the driver’s seat doesn’t perch you particularly high up, but that’s to be expected from a car of this size and you still get a clear view ahead over the low dashboard. The front window pillars are chunky but they’re positioned quite far away so they don’t obscure your view out too much.

The same can be said for the view over your shoulder, where the Dolphin's narrow rear pillars make sure you can see cars well, without too much of a blind-spot. However, the rear windscreen could be taller and the view out behind you is easily obstructed by the headrests.

To make parking a doddle, every Dolphin comes with rear parking sensors, while the two top trim levels also add front sensors. Impressively, you also get a 360-degree parking camera – something usually reserved for the upper echelons of a car’s trim levels.

The image from that camera is displayed on the 12.8in infotainment touchscreen, which can be rotated between landscape and portrait orientation at the touch of a button. That’s something we saw on the BYD Atto 3 and it’s a neat party trick. A motorised screen is a rare feature – the £100k-plus Mercedes-AMG SL has one, but that only tilts forwards and back.

Even so, the Dolphin's screen feels solidly mounted (more so than the SL’s) and the graphics are sharp, while the software responds swiftly enough when you prod it. It’s far more impressive than the smaller, low-res screen in the Citroën ë-C3 and MG4. You get wireless Apple CarPlay as standard, although you can only use the screen in landscape mode when using it.

You get some physical buttons on the centre console and on the steering wheel but, as with the MG4, the temperature controls are accessed through the infotainment screen. That makes adjusting the temperature and fan speed far more distracting than in the Vauxhall Corsa Electric, which has physical controls.

The rest of the interior materials feel rather plush compared with most small electric cars and the Dolphin does feel well built for its price. It’s also possible to add some colourful flair on higher spec versions with different upholstery colours, unlike in the MG4 and Corsa Electric, which have interiors that are both equally bland and dark.

“Being able to rotate the infotainment screen into portrait orientation might seem like a neat party trick, but I genuinely find it useful when using the on-board sat-nav, because you can see more of the route on display.” – Ayisha Gharu, Social Media Manager

Space is a strong suit of the BYD Dolphin and there’s plenty of room for two six-footers to sit comfortably up front. Neither will struggle for head room or shoulder space, even if they’re quite broad.

There’s also loads of storage space in the front, with a decent-sized glovebox that’s bigger than what you get in a Peugeot e-208 or Vauxhall Corsa Electric. You also get door bins that’ll happily take a large bottle of water, two cupholders, a small cubby for your phone (which doubles as a wireless phone-charger in top-spec Design cars) and another storage area under the central armrest. 

In the rear, two more six-footers will be able to sit in the outer seats without worrying about head room. There’s plenty of knee room when sitting behind a six-footer. Even so, the Dolphin is more accommodating in the back than a Mini Cooper Electric, e-208 or Corsa Electric and is on a par with an MG4.

The middle seat is raised slightly, so head room is a bit tight, but the flat floor means your middle-seat passengers won’t struggle for foot space. There might be some shoulder rubbing with three in the back, but then this is a small electric car.

When it comes to luggage space, the Dolphin has a square boot that offers a total of 345 litres. That’s less boot space than the altogether larger MG4 but much more than the Ora 03 offers. In real-world terms, we managed to fit five carry-on suitcases in the Dolphin's boot – one more than we managed to fit in the Hyundai Inster and Ora 03, and the same number as we squeezed into an MG4.

The Dolphin has a height-adjustable boot floor so you can store the charging cables and other items under it, separate from your luggage. Alternatively, you can lower to the floor to create a tall load area, although this results in quite a drop from the boot entrance. If you need more space, you can fold the rear seats down in a 60/40 split to increase the storage volume to 1,310 litres with a flat boot floor.

“I’m 5ft 11in and I can easily sit behind my own driving position in the BYD Dolphin's rear seats. It’s certainly less of a squeeze than in the back of a Corsa.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

As a cash purchase, the top two trims of the BYD Dolphin will cost you slightly more than the MG4 EV SE Long Range but less than a Cupra Born or VW ID 3.

The Active and Boost trims are much better value, undercutting most small electric hatchbacks, including the Mini Cooper E Electric, the Ora 03, the Peugeot e-208 and the Vauxhall Corsa Electric – but not the Citroën ë-C3. To make sure you're getting the best price for any model, check our New Car Deals pages. 

The Dolphin’s four trim levels start with Active and even that version is very well equipped. Indeed, its standard kit list includes 16in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, faux-leather upholstery, heated front seats, vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging (so you can run appliances such as a kettle with the car’s battery) and an EV heat pump to improve efficiency in the winter. You can only have this trim with the smallest 44.9kWh battery and a 70kW motor, though.

The Dolphin in mid-spec Boost trim – our recommended version – comes with the same battery but it powers a more punchy electric motor. It adds 17in alloy wheels and multi-link rear suspension (for improved comfort and cornering). 

The two top trims, Comfort and Design, both get the bigger battery and most powerful motor. Comfort comes with electric folding door mirrors and an upgraded six-speaker stereo, while top-spec Design adds a panoramic roof, rear privacy glass and dual-tone exterior paint.

The smaller battery option has a glacially slow maximum charging speed of 65kW, while Comfort and Design versions have a more acceptable rate of 88kWh. Both have the potential to top up from 10-80% charge in around 40 minutes, which is about the same as the Ora 03 but slower than the Hyundai Inster and MG4 SE.

The Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric can charge at up to 100kW, taking around 30 minutes for a similar top-up. Meanwhile, the similarly priced MG4 Long Range takes 35 minutes but will go further on that charge. 

The Dolphin was awarded the maximum five star rating when it was tested for safety by Euro NCAP in 2023. It has plenty of standard safety kit, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic-sign recognition.

We don’t have reliability data for BYD cars yet, but the Dolphin comes with a six-year/93,750-mile basic warranty, an eight-year/125,000-mile warranty on the battery, and an eight-year/90,000-mile warranty on the drive motor and drive controller. That’s slightly better than MG offers and longer than the Ora’s five-year warranty (although that does get unlimited mileage).

“Unless you need the long-range battery option, I think the cheaper versions of the Dolphin make far more financial sense". – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

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