BYD has announced it will bring an ultra-affordable electric hatchback to the UK market, competing against the growing sector of bargain-priced city EVs.
The BYD Dolphin Surf will be the European version of the Seagull city car, which has been available on the Chinese market since 2023, and sells for around £8,000.
Whilst Brits should not expect quite such a low price for the UK version, with local safety standards and driver expectations being somewhat higher, it will likely be priced at around £15,000 – rivalling models like the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03, and future models from mainstream brands, like the Volkswagen ID.1 and Renault Twingo E-Tech.
Compared to other models in the BYD lineup, the Dolphin Surf will feature slightly bolder, more angular styling, including a sculpted set of front headlights, a trapezoidal front grille, and a straight crease spanning from the front wheel arch to the top of the rear doors.
Around the back, the little BYD has a fairly substantial spoiler and an LED light bar underneath the squared-off rear windscreen.
Inside, the BYD Dolphin Surf features quite a refined design in comparison to current low-cost electric models, including a curved dashboard and a large centre console that divides the front occupants.
Alongside the 12.8-inch touchscreen, the Dolphin Surf offers plenty of tactile buttons, controlling features such as the air conditioning and drive mode, and an unconventional rotary control to select the gear.
Other standard equipment sold on Chinese market versions of the BYD includes a wireless smartphone charging pad, 16-inch alloy wheels, and a 360-degree parking camera system.
Whilst BYD has claimed that the European specification Dolphin Surf will come with a significantly uprated 175bhp powertrain, the Chinese model’s 74bhp motor offers enough power to accelerate from 0-62mph in 13 seconds and a top speed of 81mph.
The model is sold with two batteries, with the largest 38.88kWh version claimed to be capable of covering up to 252 miles per charge – substantially more than the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03.
However, with the Dolphin Surf set to go through a number of revisions before it is sold in the UK, it is unknown whether any performance or range figures will change.
2025 is set to be a vital year for BYD, with the former battery manufacturer hoping to become the world’s largest manufacturer of cars – overtaking the current champion Toyota.
In 2024 alone, the company sold 4.27 million ‘new energy vehicles’ (electric and hybrid cars) – an increase of 41.26 percent in 12 months, largely due to the rise in sales from export markets.
In addition to the entry-level Dolphin Surf, BYD hopes to tempt more buyers in the UK with the introduction of the Sealion 7 – a large electric SUV that rivals the Tesla Model Y with a 312-mile range.
