BYDDolphin Surf

The BYD Dolphin Surf (from £18,675) is an electric city car from BYD. It offers a claimed range of 200 miles, 156 hp and 0–62 mph in 9.1 s.

The Dolphin Surf is BYD’s entry ticket to the UK market: a five-door electric city car just under four metres long, priced from £18,675. It sits below the Dolphin hatchback and comes in three trims – Active, Boost and Comfort – all built around BYD’s own LFP Blade battery.

Battery, range and charging

Active uses a 30 kWh pack rated at 137 miles WLTP. Boost and Comfort step up to 43.2 kWh, giving 200 and 193 miles respectively, and in town BYD quotes over 300 miles for the Boost. DC charging peaks at 65 kW on Active and 85 kW on the bigger battery, with 10–80% taking about 30 minutes either way. An 11 kW on-board charger is standard, so a three-phase wallbox fills the larger pack in around five hours.

Performance and driving

Active and Boost share a 65 kW (88 PS) front motor with 175 Nm, which takes 11.1 and 12.1 seconds respectively to reach 62 mph. Comfort gets a stronger 115 kW (156 PS) motor and 220 Nm, cutting the sprint to 9.1 seconds. Top speed is 93 mph for all, and kerb weights of 1,294–1,390 kg keep it nimble in traffic.

Interior and space

At 3,990 mm long with a 2,500 mm wheelbase, the Surf is roomy for a city car, and its tall 1,590 mm roof helps rear headroom. The boot holds 308 litres, rising to 1,037 litres with the 50:50 split rear seats folded, and BYD counts more than 20 storage spaces around the cabin. Vegan leather seats are standard.

Technology and safety

Every version has a 10.1-inch rotating touchscreen with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, “Hi BYD” voice control and over-the-air updates. Six airbags, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking and lane-departure assist are standard, and Comfort adds a 360-degree camera, heated seats and wireless charging. Vehicle-to-Load lets you run appliances from the battery.

Who is it for?

Urban drivers and second-car households who want a proper five-seat EV for less than £20,000. Rivals include the Leapmotor T03, Dacia Spring and Citroën ë-C3; the Boost trim gives the best balance of range and price.