Written by Jake Groves Updated: 18 June 2025

Overview

Should you buy a BYD Dolphin Surf?

A very attractive small electric car overall, the BYD Dolphin Surf delivers a lot of car for the money. It comes packed with standard equipment, boasts an interior that feels impressively well put together, and offers a range that stands up well against the competition. Performance is perfectly decent for urban and suburban use, and refinement is better than you might expect at this price point.

Among its nearest rivals, the Hyundai Inster stands out for its slightly more spacious rear seats and more playful driving experience, especially around town. Meanwhile, the Dacia Spring remains the cheapest EV in this segment, but feels at least a generation behind in terms of performance, tech and quality.

Overall, the BYD Dolphin Surf shapes up as a very competitive small electric car that mixes quality, range and equipment in a way that will make rivals sit up and take notice. It’s not the most fun to drive, but for everyday usability, it’s a very attractive package.

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What’s new?

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This is BYD’s smallest car available in Europe. Its launch had been mooted for a while, as the version in its home country of China, the Seagull, quickly became BYD’s best-selling car, and one of the country’s best selling EVs not long after it went on sale.

For Europe, BYD has changed some of the car’s design and interior details, and has also reportedly altered the suspension setup and some of the safety technology to secure a good EuroNCAP safety test rating.

As well as the aforementioned Inster and Spring, other rivals for the Dolphin Surf include the impressive Leapmotor T03 and slightly more expensive Citroen e-C3, Renault 5 E-Tech or Fiat Grande Panda. Don’t rule out a used Vauxhall Corsa Electric, which is cracking value at just a year old.

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What’s it like inside?

Many common parts and technology across BYD’s range of cars has been used inside the Dolphin Seal, including the same steering wheel, rotating infotainment screen and physical switchgear in the Dolphin hatchback. Most of that is all of very good quality, with soft button presses and materials used that feel durable and of very good quality.

Every version also features vegan leather upholstery in the seating, and a neoprene-like material used liberally on the dashboard and door trim. Every model also includes a large central infotainment screen that can rotate between landscape and portrait modes.

That in itself is largely a gimmick, but the system itself is detailed and offers a lot of customisation – including a quick-access toolbar that allows you to alter some key driving, safety and climate controls. That said, other settings and menus feel difficult to navigate through.

Comfort

The driving position, overall, is good. You do sit a little high up, which may be a little uncomfortable for taller drivers, though. The seats themselves feel firm and offer good support, and that upholstery is very soft.

The ride itself is neatly judged and manages to be a little less harsh than the Hyundai Inster. Potholes and drain covers will jolt, but only lightly. And, given this is a city car, there is a reasonable amount of road noise at higher motorway speeds – but nothing out of the ordinary compared to cars of a similar size.

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Boot space and practicality

Storage is good. The door storage areas can carry small bottles and smaller items, and there are two large storage areas beneath the central armrest – one designed for the front passengers and one for those in the rear. There is no armrest storage, however.

Cupholders are large and, if you choose the most expensive version, a wireless charger for your phone is included. What impresses is the amount of legroom for the rear passengers. A tall adult can sit behind a tall driver with their knees only touching the rear seat, rather than feeling you’re wedged in.

Impressive when larger cars like the Renault 4 E-Tech can be tricky for adults, but the Dolphin Surf isn’t quite as roomy as a Hyundai Inster with its adjustable seating. Even so, the 308-litre boot is a very good size for its class, offering more room than some larger superminis do.

Safety

EuroNCAP hasn’t yet crash tested the Dolphin Surf, but we’re expecting a good score. Not only does the BYD feel more structurally secure and solid than cars like the Dacia Spring or Leapmotor T03, but there is a lot of standard safety technology which will help it score highly.

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BYD Dolphin Surf motors and batteries

Your electric motor options are tied directly to the trims available. The Active version uses an 88hp electric motor and 30kWh battery. Here, BYD claims a 137-mile range and a 11.1-second 0-62mph time. This version can be charged at 11kW AC and 65kW DC, taking 25 minutes to charge between 30 and 80 per cent at its fastest speed.

The Boost uses the same electric motor but a larger 43.2kWh battery. That increases the claimed range to 200 miles, but also increases the 0-62mph sprint time to 12.1 seconds.

While the Comfort uses a more powerful 156hp motor with the larger 43.2kWh battery. That means a 193-mile range claim, and a faster 9.1-second 0-62mph time. Both the Boost and Comfort models can charge at up to 85kW DC.

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What’s it like to drive?

In town, naturally, is where the Dolphin Surf will spend most of its time – and it feels right at home. It’s relatively square stance makes it easy to place, with a good turning circle for navigating the tightest T-junctions easily. The steering is fluid and has a reasonable weight to it, giving you a bit of assurance that the car knows what it’s doing; it’s not overly light, which would make it feel nervous.

So far, we’ve only driven the fastest version of the Dolphin Surf, the Comfort, which has plenty of performance for urban and suburban drives. Sport mode feels sharp, but most of the time you’ll spend driving the BYD in Eco. That dampens the throttle power considerably but feels more apt for town driving. However, the lower-specification versions come with less power – we’d need to test those to see how different they feel.

The biggest criticism of how the Dolphin Surf drives is its brakes – they’re quite soft and require a good press of the pedal for them to feel like they’re working. We suspect this is due to BYD’s engineers designing the car to rely heavily on its regenerative braking more than the physical brakes.

Running costs

BYD hasn’t really provided any official efficiency figures for the Dolphin Surf yet, but running costs should be low, provided you have a home charger and spend a lot of time in the city. The BYD’s battery sizes aren’t that large, and its engineers claim high efficiency and a longer range than the overall claim (up to 300 miles) if used strictly as a city runabout.

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What models and trims are available?

Active already has plenty of standard equipment, with that rotating infotainment display, rear parking sensors and reversing camera, keyless start and entry, adaptive cruise control and electric mirrors. Prices start at £18,650 at the time of writing.

Boost models include electric front seats, automatic wipers and electrically-folding mirrors. This version costs £21,950 at the time of writing. Top-spec Comfort versions, priced from £23,950, also add a 360-degree parking system, LED headlights, heated front seats and a wireless phone charger.

What else should I know?

The Dolphin Surf is priced in an interesting way. It manages to be more expensive than a Dacia Spring or Leapmotor T03, but less expensive than a Hyundai Inster. The closest in price it comes to is the Fiat Grande Panda Electric. We’d say the Fiat wins in terms of charm and overall design, but the BYD offers more quality and interior space for the money.

On the next page you’ll find a recap of what we do and don’t like about the BYD Dolphin Surf as well as our detailed star ratings. And don’t forget, you can find out all about how we test cars on our dedicated explainer page. Here’s why you should trust us, too.