BYD Dolphin Surf review

Our opinion on the BYD Dolphin Surf

The Dolphin Surf is the smallest and most affordable BYD to reach UK shores, and in many ways, it’s the most convincing model in its range. For such a small car, it’s both impressively spacious and comfortable, with strong equipment levels, a good-quality cabin and competitive pricing relative to the recent influx of new European competition. If it wasn't for the likes of the Citroen e-C3 and Renault 5, we’d be singing its praises even more, but those cars feel more sophisticated to drive – particularly in terms of powertrain calibration – and offer better functionality inside, keeping the surprisingly mean-looking little car off the top of the class.

About the BYD Dolphin Surf

This is the BYD Dolphin Surf, the latest marine mammal-themed EV to emerge from the Chinese brand, and one which will look to ride the wave of success churned up by its existing range mates, such as the Dolphin hatchback, Seal saloon and Sealion 7 SUV. 

In its home market, the electric supermini is called the BYD Seagull, however, not everyone here is especially fond of the chip-stealing seaside bird, hence the revamp and re-christening. And to help lower costs for European customers, it’s being built in Hungary.

The newcomer is the smallest model from BYD to reach UK shores, and with that small stature comes a very small price; a starting figure of just £18,650 is a few hundred quid less than the base-spec petrol-powered Renault Clio and makes this one of the cheapest new cars on sale right now. It’s the latest small car to prove that electric’s price parity with petrol is inching ever closer. 

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While it may be priced within a few thousand pounds of the dinky Dacia Spring and the Leapmotor T03, the Dolphin Surf is pitched at the slightly larger B-segment of the car market; which due to the recent arrival of the likes of the Renault 5, Citroen e-C3, Hyundai Inster and Fiat Grande Panda, has all of a sudden blossomed with a great selection of capable and likeable small electric cars. That £18,650 starting price is much lower than the more premium slant that the Renault 5 is taking, and it’s currently a good deal lower than the £22,095 that gets you on board with e-C3 ownership.

For that cash, the Dolphin Surf’s powertrain specs are fairly modest, however. That £18,650 headline figure is for the Active model, complete with a 30kWh battery – good for an official range of 137 miles – and an 87bhp electric motor which is powerful enough for on-paper acceleration to match the e-C3, with 0-62mph taking 11.1 seconds. 

However, to get specs to run the Citroen close, buyers will need to step up to the Boost spec. This gets a big uptick in range to 200 miles, thanks to a 43.2kWh battery. It’s driven by the same motor (which due to the heavier battery, dulls the performance slightly compared with the Active), and at £21,950, prices are very close to the entry-level e-C3. 

Then, at the top of the tree, is the £23,950 Comfort model. This uses the larger 43.2kWh battery, but it drives a more powerful 154bhp e-motor, which trims the 0-62mph time down to a more spritely 9.1 seconds, but also knocks seven miles off the official range.

Inside it really feels like the Dolphin Surf is cracking value for money for the asking price. Equipment levels are extremely generous throughout the range; a 10.1-inch rotating touchscreen, sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a seven-inch digital instrument panel, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, keyless entry and go, adaptive cruise control and three ISOFIX mounting points are standard on every model. 

In addition to the larger battery, the Boost adds 16-inch alloy wheels, in place of the Active’s 15-inch steel items, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, electrically folding door mirrors and rain-sensing wipers are thrown in too. Finally, Comfort benefits from a wireless charging pad, 360-degree camera system, heated front seats and rear privacy glass.

If you'd like a BYD Dolphin Surf on your driveway, be sure to make use of our Find a Car service. You can configure your ideal BYD Dolphin Surf and receive top offers from our dealership network, discover the very best Dolphin Surf leasing deals or browse our selection of used Dolphin Surf models. Need to sell your car? Take a look at our Sell My Car page.

It’s not only in the cabin where the Dolphin Surf is strong on technology. Underneath is BYD’s e-Platform 3.0 underpinnings that incorporate its trademark ‘Blade’ battery technology. This clever system has cells that act as structural elements of the battery, improving rigidity while saving weight and cost. 

BYD has also flexed its muscles as a world-leading EV component manufacturer in creating what it claims is the world's first eight-in-one electric powertrain system. This combines the electric motor, charger, and other units into a single module. What it means for those of us who aren’t electric vehicle engineers are savings in space and cost.  

On the move, only the slightest whine is detectable from the electric motor at low speeds, and the Dolphin Surf settles down to be extremely quiet in town driving. Even under hard acceleration, the motor stays hushed and power delivery is smooth, with only the increasing level of wind noise really audible in the cabin. 

The suspension is on the noisy side when called into action over bumps, but it deals with moderately rough surfaces very well, cushioning vibrations and impacts. The ride only became jarring over serious potholes, of which there are plenty peppering our roads.

The steering is light, just as you would want in a city car, and consistent in the responses it elicits from the car. There are Sport and Comfort settings, with the former adding a bit of extra heft that most drivers will find preferable at higher speeds.

The steering isn’t particularly direct, though, and the Dolphin Surf lacks that nimble, darty feel that makes a small car enjoyable to punt about town. There’s also more than a hint of torque steer in the powerful Comfort model, where the tyres can struggle for grip under hard acceleration, causing a tugging sensation on the wheel.

Then at higher speeds, the steering feels both quite sensitive and almost completely lacking in any form of self-centring. As a result, it feels rather odd when driving along a twisty road, while at motorway speeds there’s a constant need for correction to keep it pointing straight.

Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed

Active and Boost trims are powered by an 87bhp e-motor, the Comfort range-topper packs a punchy 154bhp and 220Nm of torque, making it one of the most powerful models in the class. However, even the top-spec Dolphin Surf with its extra oomph doesn’t leap away from the lights like most people expect an electric car to. We feel that the throttle mapping is rather lazy – even in its most lively sport mode. 

The upshot of this is that, when trying to pull out of a junction, not much happens initially, causing you to press a little firmer into the pedal’s travel, at which point the wheels can chirp with a touch of wheelspin, which feels a little ungainly. 

The Active does 0-62mph in 11.1 seconds, but the bigger battery and extra kit of the Boost make it 76kg heavier, so it needs 12.1 seconds to complete the benchmark sprint. The Comfort still takes 9.1 seconds, despite its extra power and a 1,390kg kerbweight that is just 20kg up on the Boost. All of the Dolphin Surf models have a 93mph top speed.

Slowing down doesn’t have the slick coordination of some rivals, too. Lift off the throttle, and the regenerative braking – which only has two strengths to choose from – slows the car incredibly gently. So much so it feels like you’re not slowing down at all, even in the ‘high’ regen mode. It’s a shame there isn’t a one-pedal driving mode, especially for a city-focused car. 

Press the brake pedal gently for a little more stopping power, and the transfer between the two doesn’t line up, resulting in a brief moment where the regen releases before the mechanical brakes kick in. It’s by no means alarming, but it is a sensation which is more obvious than with the finely tuned systems in competing models. 

Town driving, visibility and parking

Limit the drives to shorter urban trips, and the Dolphin Surf has plenty to recommend it. The compact size – at a shade under four metres long, it’s about the same length as a Renault 5 – and lofty driving position – at 1,590mm tall it’s slightly higher than the e-C3 – make it a doddle to drive around town. Forward visibility is good, and it’s easy to thread the car through gaps. Trying to see out of the back is less straightforward because the big rear headrests and thick C-pillars eat into your view.  

But it’s the steering lock that really helps it come to its own; a turning circle of just 9.9 metres lets the Dolphin Surf perform U-turns where rivals will leave the driver twiddling the wheel during a clumsy three-point turn. The ride is smooth and overall refinement is good for a car of this size, too, if not quite at the level of the very best in the class. The same goes for the handling; we welcome BYD’s decision to fit some decent Hankook tyres in place of the awful Linglong rubber on some of its earlier cars, but even so, the roadholding is merely fine, rather than fun.

B-road driving and handling

The Dolphin Surf corners without too much drama in terms of lean and body roll. When accelerating out of bends, traction is more of an issue, and it’s very easy to spin a wheel – especially with the throttle pedal in the more responsive Sport setting. This is compounded when roads are wet, to the point where you question whether the Comfort model's big power output is worthwhile.

Refinement from the powertrain was exemplary, and on smooth roads there’s not much noise of any kind to disturb the peace. It gives the Dolphin Surf the feel of a far larger car, one that should be well capable of longer journeys. 

“Short bursts of acceleration in the mid-range Boost version are OK, like from 20-30mph, however things tail off extremely quickly after that. That’s fine in a city, but on the open road you’ll wish you upgraded to the more powerful Comfort model.” - Ellis Hyde, news reporter.

BYD’s Blade battery and e-Platform 3.0 chassis technology help the Dolphin Surf deliver a driving range of up to 200 miles, a very strong showing for the city car class. Even the base model can manage close to 137 miles on a full charge in the official WLTP tests, fractionally below the Dacia Spring’s 140-mile range.  

Despite our small gripes with the powertrain, it is certainly efficient. Temperatures in the mid-twenties are about as flattering as they get for an EV’s range, but nevertheless, the 5.6 miles/kWh we averaged on a wide range of roads is still right on the money with its other small rivals. As with the alternatives, that’s only a number that’s possible without much motorway driving, because higher speeds soon take the shine off that figure. Even so, drivers who plan to take their Dolphin Surf on mostly suburban trips look set to match the official range claims in the right conditions.

Electric range, battery life and charge time

The batteries in the Dolphin Surf are lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) units, chosen for their low cost and durability. You get a 30kWh pack with the Active trim, and a 43.2kWh capacity battery with the Boost and Comfort trims. 

The maximum charging speed for the smaller battery is 65kW, but the larger-capacity version can charge at 85kW. It means that in either case, the Dolphin Surf can be boosted from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in half an hour. That’s faster than the Dacia Spring (34kW) or Leapmotor T03 (48kW), but the Renault 5 wins out with its 100kW maximum. 

Rapid DC charging, of course, should really only be for quick get-me-home top-ups, and all the Dolphin Surf models support 11kW AC charging, which will allow a full charge to 100 per cent in 3.5 hours (Active) or five hours (Boost and Comfort).

All models also have V2L (Vehicle to Load) capabilities that’ll allow you to plug in an adaptor to the car’s charge port and run various devices. BYD suggests a coffee machine or an electric grill, but we’re not sure how convenient these would actually be in a UK urban setting, where you’re never more than 20 yards from a foot outlet.

Insurance groups

The BYD Dolphin Surf sits in insurance group 14A if you go for the Active or Boost models, but the more powerful Comfort is in group 19D. For comparison, a Renault 5 starts in group 18, while the Dacia Spring starts in group 24.

Tax

As with all electric cars since April 2025, the BYD Dolphin Surf is liable for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) or road tax. This is £195 per year, but at least the little BYD dodges the Expensive Car Supplement for cars costing more than £40,000. 

For company car drivers, the BYD slots into the three per cent zero-emissions bracket for the 2025/26 tax year, rising to four per cent in 2026/27 and five per cent in 2027/28.

Depreciation

We don’t have residual value predictions for the Dolphin Surf yet, but BYD will be hoping that it follows in the tyre tracks of the large Dolphin supermini that holds on to around 52 per cent of its original value after three years and 36,000 miles. That’s a couple of percentage points better than the Renault 5’s average. 

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BYD hasn’t exactly set the car design world alight with any of its products to date, employing a largely safe and inoffensive strategy. The BYD Dolphin Surf doesn’t deviate too far from this, but it has at least got a splash of sporty character about it. 

It’s a chunky-looking little thing with the wheels pushed right out to each corner to boost cabin space – a trait of BYD’s e-Platform chassis. The firm has also taken the commendable decision of offering the car in a bright ‘Lime Green’ paint shade as standard, so the ones you see on the street are likely to stand out that much more. The less said about the fact that ‘Lime Green’ is, in fact, yellow, the better.

There’s a strong character line down the flanks that rises diagonally from the front wheelarch to the C-pillar. Lower down, you’ll spot an unusual contrasting trim section that juts upward from the sill only to duck down out of sight again ahead of the rear wheelarch. 

There’s a sizeable roof spoiler at the rear and a full-width light bar. At the front, the sharp nose and quadrilateral headlights might even have the vaguest hint of Lamborghini about them. Make of it what you will, but it’s one of BYD’s less forgettable European efforts so far.

Interior and dashboard design

The cabin itself looks fairly smart and inoffensive, while the quality is good for a city car at this price, but the likes of Hyundai’s Inster, the Renault 5 and MINI Cooper feel a lot more special inside. BYD has added some different textures to certain surfaces, such as the dashboard, but at the end of the day everything is made from plastic, while rivals use various fabrics and quirky materials to make them feel more inviting. 

The central touchscreen is the main focus, but a row of shortcut switches below it gives easy access to the driving modes, ventilation system and stereo volume control. We could live without the squelchy sound effect accompanying the car’s shifts from neutral to drive and reverse, though.

Materials and build quality

We already mentioned the Dolphin Surf’s reliance on plastics – ironic given how hard we’re trying to keep the stuff away from marine life – but every model also gets 'vegan leather' seats, and what looks to be soft grey suede across the dashboard, centre console and sections of the door cards, although it’s not really suede, just a thin layer of slightly squidgy material

The rounded air vents are an eye-catching design, but the plastic door pulls feel a little cheap, and there are hard plastics high up on the doors and the dashboard. In the end it’s hard to be too critical of budget materials in a car at this price point, because the Dolphin Surf feels much higher-quality inside than the likes of the Dacia Spring. It just doesn’t have the same wow-factor you’ll find in a MINI, Renault 5 or Hyundai Inster.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

Every Dolphin gets a 7.2-inch digital driver’s display and a 10.1-inch touchscreen. The latter feature’s BYD’s signature rotating feature, which sees the screen spin 90 degrees to offer both portrait and landscape layouts, although in the former we found that, if you’re wearing polarised sunglasses on a sunny day, the information on the screen almost completely disappears, making a slightly gimmicky feature even less useful. Much more handy is the standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity. 

BYD has clearly listened to feedback from reviewers and existing owners, leading to fixes of quite a few of our previous criticisms of the infotainment set-up. Where the native system would completely disappear when Android Auto or Apple CarPlay were connected, now the main control bar along the bottom of the touchscreen remains, so it’s still possible to access the menu and make climate control tweaks. 

The keys are still small and fiddly to change the temperature, but now a three-finger swipe up or down the screen can adjust that, while a three-finger gesture across can change the fan speed. We found this worked really well in practice, even if the temperature is bizarrely not displayed in degrees like a normal car. There’s still no physical button to defog the back window either, and the on-screen key is buried in the climate menu – all the more of a hassle when the Dolphin Surf doesn't have a rear window wiper.

Generally, the touchscreen menus are logically laid out, and the information seems to be presented clearly enough. However, the driver’s display uses a small, thin font and there’s so much information on there it can be hard to read at a glance.

“It’s hard to see BYD’s city car being bought as an urban style statement when it’s up against retro creations like the Renault 5, Fiat 500e and MINI Cooper.” - Steve Walker, head of digital content.

In a way, the BYD Dolphin Surf straddles two classes, but whether you view it as a big city car or a small supermini, it does a decent job of making the most of the space it’s got. BYD is particularly proud of the 2,500mm wheelbase, which shows in the amount of interior space they have liberated inside the car. 

Storage space inside the cabin is pretty good. All four doors have pockets that can hold a small water bottle, and there’s some useful additional space in the centre console – a tray for rear-seat occupants and a large storage area, plus two-cupholders for the front. Comfort models also get a wireless charging pad, however, the surface isn’t grippy and there’s no lip to stop your device from sliding around or simply flying out of it if you go around a corner too quickly. There’s nothing in the way of creature comforts in the back either, not even a solitary USB charger.

Dimensions and size

The Dolphin Surf is 3,990mm long and 1,720mm wide, making it substantially bigger than city cars such as the Dacia Spring (3,701mm and 1,583mm) and the Leapmotor T03 (3,620mm and 1,652mm). The Renault 5, another car that treads the size line between the city car and supermini classes, is slightly shorter but wider, at 3,922 and 1,808mm.

Driving position, seats & space in the front

The driving position is helped by the reach and rake adjustable steering wheel, even though there isn’t a huge amount of reach adjustment. The sporty-looking front seats are soft but with some side support, and are actually very comfortable. 

Broader drivers might find the seat backs a touch narrow, however, and I also encountered a slight lack of kneeroom in the driving seat because you’re restricted on each side by the centre console and the low door armrest. Headroom in both of the front seats is generous, with a good 5cm of overhead space for six-footers.

Seats & space in the back

For a car this small, interior space is excellent. Rear knee room is much more generous than the Renault 5, and even has the spacious Citroen e-C3 beaten, although it can't quite match the latter’s excellent headroom. Even so, we’ve had people more than six-feet tall sit in the back of the BYD, and they were able to sit comfortably behind their own driving position with a decent amount of knee room and space for their feet under the seat in front.

The flat floor helps maximise room in the back, too, and the padded front seat backs make it more comfortable for your knees to press into them, if passengers are especially long limbed. The rear quarters are designed strictly for two, so the Dolphin Surf’s versatility is limited somewhat, but on the plus side it does mean that shoulder room is great for the people sitting back there.

The rising window line might be more of a problem for kids in the back seats because the lower ledge of the rear window is at chin height for adults. Smaller children will struggle to see out at all. At least the thin front seat headrests will give them an improved forward view, and there are ISOFIX child car seat points on the front passenger seat and in the rear.

Boot space

The 308-litre boot is large for the class, being equal to the Dacia Spring, and nearly 100 litres more than you get in a Leapmotor T03. The space is quite tall and not very deep, but we reckon you could easily fit a couple of medium-sized suitcases inside if you stood them up on their wheels. 

There’s a big loading lip to drop items over, but the boot opening isn’t too high off the ground, so there isn’t a long way to hoist your cargo. There is enough space under the floor for all the charging cable storage, too, but no ‘frunk’ storage under the Dolphin Surf's bonnet.

The thin rear seats fold down to give a large 1,037-litre load space. When they are down, they create a ridge in the load floor, but that’s par for the course in small cars.

BYD is confident of getting a four-star score when the Dolphin Surf undergoes Euro NCAP crash tests. The e-Platform 3.0 uses 68 per cent high-strength steel, and the Blade battery tech is inherently rigid and safe in the event of a collision. 

The Dolphin Surf has received extensive crash structure upgrades compared with the closely related Chinese-market BYD Seagull to boost its European crash-test performance. 

BYD is very proud that its innovative battery design passes the ‘nail penetration test’ – which you can probably imagine the mechanics of – without its surface temperature exceeding 60 degrees. In practice, it means that if the battery is damaged in an accident, the chance of a fire is very slim.  

Safety kit runs to front and side airbags for the front-seat occupants and automatic emergency braking. There’s also a suite of other driver-assistance features, from lane-departure assist to auto-dipping of the headlights.

• Best buy: BYD Dolphin Surf Active

No version of the Dolphin Surf is poorly equipped. You get the same infotainment set-up, including the big 10.1-inch touchscreen, smartphone connectivity, keyless entry and start, adaptive cruise control, parking sensors and vegan leather trim regardless of which trim level you go for. 

If you only plan to use your BYD Dolphin Surf as a city car for short urban trips, go with the Active, because the 137-mile range won’t matter as much, you don’t need much power and you’ll save some cash. However, if you plan on venturing out the city limits, even semi-regularly, then we’d recommend upgrading to the Comfort, because it offers a longer 193-mile range and, thanks to its more powerful motor, you won’t feel like you’re going to hold up traffic. 

Alternatives

Small, low-cost electric cars are becoming more commonplace, and the obvious alternatives to the Dolphin Surf for those prioritising low costs are the Dacia Spring and the slightly pricier but also more sophisticated Leapmotor T03.

If you’re happy to pay more for a small car with a bit more style about it, there are many options. The Renault 5, Fiat Grande Panda, Hyundai Inster, Fiat 500e, and even the MINI Cooper Electric are all vying for your attention in this space. The Citroen e-C3 is another candidate, offering a lot of comfort and cabin space for the money.

You also have a dwindling pool of petrol-powered city cars, the best current options being the Hyundai i10 and its Kia Picanto sibling.

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BYD Dolphin Surf Pictures

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