BYD Dolphin launch by Steve Rogers
The BYD story is picking up pace with two new versions of the best selling Dolphin and a new SUV later this month.
First a quick reminder about the company that is still a mystery to many. It arrived from China last year with two electric cars, ATO 3 SUV and then the Dolphin, a five door family hatchback around the size of a Vauxhall Astra that has become its best seller.
BYD - Build Your Dreams - started life as a battery maker and, believe it or not, plays a huge part in our daily lives powering one in five smartphones and half of the world’s ipads.
Its big selling point is building affordable electric cars and on the back of the success of Dolphin is expanding the range with smaller battery outputs to keep prices down.
So two new models each with a 44.9kWh battery pack, Active with a range of 211 miles and the more powerful Boost with 193 miles. Even the 95bhp Active is sprightly but you get more zing from the 173bhp Boost which also switches to multi-link rear suspension for a slightly more settled ride. A fair question is why isn’t it on the Active model as well?
If planning a long journey a top up would be needed around the 150 mile mark so look for a 100kW charging point and the car can be 80 percent full in just under half an hour although these new models are aimed at customers who do not cover many miles.
Pricing is still competitive compared to the big names but cannot claim to be the cheapest with the Renault backed Dacia setting the cat amongst the pigeons with its £15k low range electric car.
Reducing the size of the battery pack has not impacted on the level of equipment, a strong point of the Dolphin, so you still get the big rotating screen, vegan leather trim, 360 degree surround camera, powered front seats. LED auto dipping headlights, and a safety pack that includes forward collision warning with emergency braking and rear cross traffic braking. There is a trolley full of technology, cheery design with lots of thoughtful touches and several storage spaces.
This is a spacious car thanks to its wafer thin underfloor battery pack. I sat behind a six foot driver and had plenty of legroom. Boot space is not class leading but more than adequate for family motoring.
Living with the Dolphin will take a bit of getting used to. There is precious little in the way of switches so prepare to be bamboozled by the touchscreen which controls just about everything. A good voice control system helps out until you get used to operating regular functions like heating selections and tuning the radio. There is no navigation but connections for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay so routes can be displayed on the main screen.
BYD has had a good first 18 months with sales climbing steadily from 213 to 3,600. Dealerships have gone from four to 60 and that will double through next year when showrooms will open in north and south Wales.
We are going to see a lot more Chinese vehicles on our roads because joining BYD and MG is another newcomer with the strange name of Omoda. Next up for BYD is a plug-in hybrid SUV version of the Seal luxury saloon with prices ranging from £33,205 to £39,905.
That should be very interesting because the Seal was my 2023 Car of the Year.
Fast facts
Dolphin Active/Boost
£26,195/£27,195
Battery: 44.9kWh
Power: 95bhp/173bhp
Boot: 345-1310 litres
Warranty: 6 years
Battery: 8 years
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