Chinese car company BYD is launching a cost-conscious, MG4-rivalling small electric car called the Dolphin, but is it any good? We've tested it...
On sale Summer 2023 | Price from £26,500 (est)
We’ll say one thing about the BYD Dolphin – it’ll give people playing I Spy a new way to bamboozle their opponents. After all, who expects to hear “I spy a Dolphin!” on a long motorway journey?
As well as an I Spy trump card, the Dolphin is a new small electric car that comes hot on the heels of the larger BYD Atto 3 electric SUV. It’s a similar size to the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric.
While its name is a little quirky, the model also offers something the car industry is striving towards: an affordable way in to electrified motoring. When it reaches our shores, it should cost a similar amount to the upcoming VW ID 2 and the slightly larger MG4.
A maximum range of 265 miles puts it up against the Long Range version of the MG4, and the Dolphin will be big enough to ferry around five people, along with their weekly shopping.
Details are a little scant as we drive this pre-production test car, but there are expected to be four trim levels, with a choice of two power outputs and battery capacities.
The big question is, will the BYD Dolphin be a fitting addition to the electric car market, or will the name just be an anecdote to alleviate boredom on long trips? Let’s find out…
What’s it like to drive?
Later on there will be a cheaper, less powerful version of the Dolphin, but the car we’re testing here has the larger battery pack and the most powerful motor, with 201bhp. That’s good enough for a 0-62mph time of 7.0sec, which is quicker than the MG4.
Our testing was limited to a brief stint on a private track. Initial impressions are that its rivals, despite being slower on paper, feel a little more urgent off the line.
The steering is precise enough with some weight build-up, but don’t expect it to respond keenly enough to be engaging. The Dolphin suspension setup also feels a bit soft, with greater body movements during direction changes and under braking. That might not necessarily be a bad thing when it comes to the awful state of UK roads, where extra suppleness could take the sting out of the worst surfaces.
Road noise isn’t too dominant, and there isn’t a huge amount of electric motor noise, so the Dolphin should prove to be a refined urban runabout. What it’ll be like on the motorway remains to be seen (or, rather, heard). The brake pedal travel is a little long when slowing the car down from speed – the MG4 feels a little more progressive and reassuring as a result.
What’s it like inside?
After seeing the rather sombre insides of an MG4 and experiencing its easily marred hard plastics, it’s a pleasant surprise to find the rather more elaborately designed and coloured interior of the Dolphin.
Whether the cheaper entry-level versions will have the same two-tone colour scheme in the UK will remain to be seen. However, we do know that all Dolphins will come with a large 12.8in central touchscreen which rotates between landscape and portrait, depending upon your preference (the Atto 3’s can do the same).
A motorised screen is a rare feature – the £100k-plus Mercedes SL has one, but that only tilts forwards and back. The Dolphin’s screen feels solidly mounted, while the software responds swiftly enough when you prod it and has sharp enough graphics. In terms of phone connectivity, Apple CarPlay is included, but not Android Auto.
The rest of the interior feels rather plush compared with most rivals of its size. Pressing some of the curved shortcut buttons below the Dolphin’s screen does reveal some cost-cutting, as does the painted silver finish over those buttons and the ones on the wheel, but overall the inside is a fine effort in this price range.
Space is another strong suit because there’s plenty of room for a six-foot driver up front, and there’s plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel to find a comfortable position.
Thanks to the Dolphin’s relatively long wheelbase, a six-foot tall adult can sit behind someone of the same size, and the flat floor means the middle-seat occupant (who does get a headrest, unlike in the MG4) won’t be fighting for foot room. There might be some shoulder rubbing with three back-seat passengers, but then this is a fairly small car.
Speaking of which, the boot is more accommodating than the MG4’s. A variable height boot floor means a low loading lip, and covers a vast well beneath it that’ll easily take all the Dolphin’s charging cables. There’s no storage area up front under the bonnet, but that’s the case for most key rivals too.
Keyword: 2023 BYD Dolphin review