2023 BYD Dolphin Hatchback Review
Chinese carmaker BYD hopes to make a splash with new Dolphin EV
The Dolphin goes (bottle)nose to nose with the MG 4 EV and the oddly named Ora Funky Cat at the budget end of the market.
Review
If you haven’t heard of BYD already, you soon will. The Chinese brand’s initials stand for Build Your Dreams, and that’s exactly what the company is planning in Europe. A wave of new dealerships and new models will be washing over the continent over the coming years, and the charge will be led by this: the new Dolphin. A family hatchback here to compete with the MG 4 EV and the Ora Funky Cat, the Dolphin is a high-volume, low-budget offering. We’ve driven it.
Don’t judge the book by its cover
At first glance, it isn’t all that much to look at. The styling is a bit bland, particularly from the front, although the rear end looks a bit classier. There are shades of DS 3 in there. And while other manufacturers are often quite conservative with their colour palettes, the Dolphin is offered in a broad selection of hues, while top-of-the-range versions get two-tone paint finishes for added personalisation potential.
The interior, though, is home to the real talking points. Chief among which is the rotating 12.8-inch touchscreen, which can swivel to be landscape- or portrait-orientated, depending on the driver’s preferences. The screen itself is very clever, but the tech inside it feels a little last-generation. It’s clearly trying to ape Google’s interface, but the result always feels like a cheap facsimile. Perhaps it’s better to just plug your phone in and let that do the heavy lifting.
The digital instrument display is flawed, too, partly because it’s small and packed with information, which can make it difficult to read, but also because of the colour choices. Bright icons suddenly look less bright against a bright background. But let’s not forget these features are all standard on every version of the Dolphin – they aren’t just reserved for high-end variants – and that’s a laudable decision.
Also laudable is the Dolphin’s cabin, which is generally much better than that of the MG 4 EV. For a kick off, the wave-inspired interior is more visually interesting, and the materials used are often better. There are a few exceptions to the rule, and some plastics look better than they feel, but the overall impression is one of mainstream quality. We aren’t great fans of the switchgear, though, and beware of the metallic dashboard finishers on sunny days. They can be blinding.
Capacious cabin
Like the Ora Funky Cat, the Dolphin has plenty of room in the cabin. Not only do those in the front get ample head- and legroom, thanks in no small part to the car’s slightly upright stance, but the comfortable electrically adjustable seats are fitted to all Dolphins as standard, complete with their synthetic leather upholstery. Space in the back is good, too, and you won’t have any problem carrying four adults.
But while the space in the Dolphin’s cabin is pretty good, the boot space was clearly less of a priority. Nevertheless, the 345-litre load space is comparable with the MG 4 EV’s and it’s considerably bigger than that of the Funky Cat, but other rivals such as the Cupra Born feel much more spacious. Especially when the false floor in the Dolphin’s boot is in place.
Speedy, but not sporty
The Dolphin is available with a choice of three electric motor outputs and two battery sizes, but the options aren’t quite as plentiful as they appear, because everything hinges on which version you choose. Basic Active and Boost models get the smaller 44.9kWh battery, but the Active gets a measly 95hp motor while the Boost offers a more substantial 176hp. Upgrade to the Comfort and Design versions, and you get a bigger 60.4kWh battery and a 204hp motor.
Because of that, range is sufficient, rather than exemplary, with the smaller battery offering around 340km on a charge, while the larger battery increases that to more than 400km. In the real world, you’re probably going to struggle to achieve those figures, especially in the least powerful Active model, which will need judicious use of the accelerator to make any kind of noticeable progress. That said, if you use the car in the urban environments to which it’s best suited, the more powerful versions should get somewhere near their quoted figures.
And those figures look rather good on paper. Officially, the 204hp motor takes seven seconds to get the Dolphin from 0-100km/h, and though it never feels especially fast, it is at least brisk. And when the battery goes flat, you can charge at up to 88kW, allowing the battery to get from 30 to 80 per cent in just under half an hour, assuming you can find a suitable charger. Using a domestic charger will, naturally, take quite a lot longer.
Comfortable ride
Although BYD promised dynamism with the Dolphin, comfort is clearly the car’s chief selling point. The suspension is very soft, on the cusp of being too soft, and that makes the Dolphin great at soaking up the speedbumps and potholes found in town centres. Head out on the motorway, and the Dolphin remains pillowy most of the time, but it lacks the body control to deal with bigger undulations. At high speeds, these can make the car lurch around a bit.
And the lack of body control prevents the Dolphin from being much fun on back roads, even though it has plenty of grip. The lean in corners is pronounced and that, combined with the lifeless steering, means you won’t have a huge amount of confidence in the car’s abilities.
Close, but no cigar
The Dolphin is very competitively priced, with the first models available in Ireland commanding the princely sum of just €27,818, assuming you order before the incentives change in July. And let’s not forget, that pays for the mid-range Comfort model with its 60.4kWh battery – there will be even cheaper models available. In short, no matter which Dolphin you choose, it won’t break the bank. As a result, for those who just want a cheap runabout to go into town and do the school run, the Dolphin will be particularly good. But a lack of polish and driver engagement let it down slightly, meaning the MG 4 EV remains the better all-rounder.
What next for BYD?
The Dolphin is BYD’s second car to come to Ireland, following on from the Atto 3, while other models are already offered in Europe. Next up will be the Seal sports saloon. The brand will strengthen its dealer network, too, in the hope of challenging the likes of MG and Ora.