Test Drive: The BYD Dolphin Surf

Known as the BYD Seagull at home in China and Dolphin Mini in Latin America, the BYD Dolphin Plus has just launched in Europe. Back in China where it was released in May 2023, it has sold a whopping 890,716 wholesale units and peaked at 56,156 sales back in November 2024. Its production has reportedly already passed the 1 million mark, and this in just over 2 years. The Seagull ranks #16 worldwide in 2024 with 469,139 units. A true sales phenomenon which at BSCB we couldn’t help but be interested in.

First look gives the impression of a very tall vehicle (it is 1590 mm high) that is also tiny, but at 3990 mm long it is the same size as a Fiat Grande Panda or Citroen e-C3 and just 50 mm shorter than a Peugeot 208. Interestingly, the Dolphin Plus is about the same height as the Grande Panda (1570 mm) but seems taller. Its wheelbase is 2500 mm is shorter than the Renault 5 or Citroen e-C3. The style is bold, especially the sides and rear, which I particularly like. The version I tried is the top of the range Comfort variant which sells for 25,990€ before discounts. The entry level version is priced at a symbolic 19,990€, keeping in mind this model starts at 6,000€ in China (!).

Unheard of at this price level, the front seats are electric (as they are for the middle variant Boost)! Also something I’m very fond of… The dashboard is a little dark and grey – miles away from that of the Grande Panda – but the materials are of high quality to the touch and are far from low cost. The traditional rotating touch screen, a BYD specialty, is here of course, at 10.5″ as well as a digital instrument panel, of course indicating the battery use and remaining range.

Also impressive is the level of equipment. We have adaptive cruise control (command on the steering wheel, see first picture below) with the possibility to adjust the distance with the vehicle in front of you. Commanded by a cool rotating bar in the centre of the dash (see picture above), there are also three drive modes: eco, standard and sport, and with the sport level the acceleration is impressive thanks to a 156 ch electric engine (perhaps even too much for this type of vehicle). Plus there is even a snow mode for slippery conditions! Again unheard of at this price. But that’s not all, the Comfort variant also offers a 360 degrees camera, GPS run by Google maps, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connection and wireless phone charging. AI assistant enables the commands of almost all functions in the car, and this is welcome because the menus are numerous and confusing. For example to stop the speed limit alert and line assist you have to navigate two or three menu levels, so can’t do it while driving.

With a 43.2 kWh battery, the CLTC range is 310 km (322 for the Boost variant with a weaker engine) but that’s mixed driving conditions (city, road and highway). For city drive only the range climbs to over 400 km, which is being used by BYD as a marketing tool. It’s not bad indeed. The back seats are very generous for a tallish guy luke me (183 cm), with a general feeling of space inside the car helped by the tall roof, but it pays the price with a very cramped boot (see below).

How is it to drive? Very smooth, comfortable and dynamic, the Dolphin Surf doesn’t disappoint. As we saw above, with great acceleration it has everything it needs to zip around the city. I haven’t driven it on the highway but you could expect it to be a little out of its element. The brake pedal surprises at the start with its strength but you quickly figure out you don’t actually need it when you drive, as strange as it first seemed to me. Only releasing the foot from the accelerator is enough for you to brake, although this is not exactly a One Pedal system.

Price-wise, it’s simple, the top of the range Comfort is priced at the same level as the entry level Fiat Grande Panda, at 25,990€. However, being made in China, the Dolphin Surf can’t access the green car discount available in France (unlike the Panda). BYD compensates with a 10% discount on the car. Now you may have noticed the marketing materials for the car feature a bright yellow model. That’s because it’s the only free paint colour! You otherwise have to pay an extra 650€. When including registration paperwork, the car comes at 24,460€. But, I have been told there’s no way I should buy an EV outright given the uncertainty on future value and the potential technology evolution by the time the car needs to be sold. So I ask for a leasing package. With a first rent of 5,000€ and 10,000 km per year over 4 years, the monthly payable is 239€ which seems very high compared to other cars in its category.

All in all, a very well equipped car for the price, a fashionable exterior design, spacious and dynamic to drive, the BYD Dolphin Surf delivers a lot of positives – bar its tiny boot. Missing out on green car subsidies and charging the paint colour penalise it. Now all it needs is to convince the French buyer to splurge on a relatively unknown brand, a big ask.