BYD Dolphin Surf Review | Best Budget Electric Small Car?

Read Caroline’s BYD Dolphin Surf review for all you need to know about buying BYD’s electric city car in Ireland.

BYD goes from strength to strength in the Irish market thanks to an expanding model range that now includes six models.

The latest to arrive is the Dolphin Surf, which also happens to be the smallest. BYD’s new electric city car is priced from just €17,985, making it one of the most affordable small cars on sale right now.

Let’s take a closer look.

Design

The newcomer is definitely not boring. The designers have managed to avoid the boxy look that plagues some small cars. Instead a punchy design that is showed off to best effect in lime green. There are three other colours to choose from: black, white and blue. The Dolphin Surf has been affectionately referred to as ‘the baby Lambo’ and it’s not hard to see why, with it’s dramatic styling, large rear spoiler and plunging nose. It also gets a light bar at the rear, which is quite special for a small car.

LED daytime running lights come as standard across the range, though full LED headlights are only reserved for the top spec Comfort. 15-inch steel wheels come as standard on the Active, while the Boost and Comfort get 16-inch alloys.

BYD Dolphin Surf Interior

Inside is a little more demure. The colour scheme is black and grey, and the Dolphin Surf gives a good impression of being sturdy and well-appointed. There is a digital driver display similar to other BYD models and the brand’s now signature rotating touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s a good size for a compact car and has lots of features inside so it’s anything but basic. Underneath there is a row of shortcut buttons, but most of the features will require touch control to adjust things like the climate control.

Standard equipment includes synthetic leather seats and steering wheel, keyless entry, parking camera, climate control, adaptive cruise control and many safety features.

The Comfort model on test included extras like heated front seats with power adjustment for the driver and a 360-degree camera.

Practicality

The Dolphin Surf is a strict four seater and adults should be fine to sit in the back from time to time. BYD has also cleverly included three Isofix points: one on the front passenger seat and each of the rear seats. The boot is a modest size at 308 litres but generally compares well to rivals like the Citroen E-C3 and the Hyundai Inster. It also cleverly has tidy underfloor storage for the charging cables, which keeps them off the boot floor. The rear seats can also be let down easily for more space.

Battery and range

The Dolphin Surf uses BYD’s LFP ‘blade battery’. Range figures vary depending on which model you go for. The entry level Active uses a 30kWh battery with range up to just 220 kilometres. Likely to be of more interest will be the 43.2kWh battery with up to 322 kilometres in the Boost model and up to 310 kilometres in the Comfort.

Charging

All versions have 11kW AC charging capability and vehicle to load charging to power other devices and appliances. DC fast charging rates vary: 65kW in the smaller battery Active or 85kW in the larger battery versions. But charging from 10-80% should take about 30 minutes.

Driving the Dolphin Surf

On the road the Dolphin Surf feels sturdy and sprightly. Not surprising considering my Comfort test model has a 156hp electric motor powering the front wheels. Quite a lot for a small car and it proves to be nippy and responsive – 0-100km/h in 9.1 seconds – and well able to keep up with traffic on motorways should you find yourself on one. The Active and Boost versions have a more modest 88hp.There are a few drive modes to choose from including eco, normal, sport and snow.

BYD quote consumption of 16kWh per 100 kilometres for the Comfort model and that’s easy to replicate in real world driving.

The Dolphin Surf is designed for the city but is fine on the motorway, though it does get noisier in the cabin at high speeds. It’s generally comfortable for a small car though feels bumpier on poorly surfaced rural roads. Otherwise it’s respectable good fun to drive, with predictable steering and good body control through bends.

The driver’s seat is perhaps set a little high as even in its lowest position, I felt I would have liked to have been able to lower it a bit more.

BYD Dolphin Surf Price

The Dolphin Surf Active is available from €17,985 with up to 220 kilometre range. The Boost is available from €22,230 with up to 322 kilometres range. The range-topping Comfort with the most powerful electric motor is available from €24,113 with up to 310 kilometres of range.

Verdict

The BYD Dolphin Surf is a very convincing small car, particularly in the range-topping Comfort trim tested here. The combination of power and range make it good to drive, while the level of features included makes it a nice package overall. With funky styling and fun interior, the Dolphin Surf manages to stand out and carve its own niche among a new generation of small electric cars.

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Written by Caroline Kidd

Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year