The BYD Dolphin is an acquired taste.
Sporting wild styling inside and out, it’s easy to see why conservative car buyers would baulk at the opportunity to make a Dolphin their own. However, 1885 Australians have taken the plunge this year.
That’s less of a surprise when you consider that the Dolphin is one of just six electric vehicles (EVs) to offer change from $50,000.
The options narrow further when discounting SUVs, leaving those in the market for a small and affordable EV with just three small electric hatchbacks to choose from – the Dolphin, MG 4, and GWM Ora.
MG is winning the sales race between the trio, but does everyone’s favourite marine creature deserve better?
WATCH: Paul’s video review of the BYD Dolphin Premium
On test here is the top-spec Dolphin Premium. It’s a $6000 upgrade over the base variant, with the advantage of an uprated electric motor and battery.
How much does the BYD Dolphin cost?
Two Dolphin variants are available in Australia – the Dynamic and Premium.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
|---|---|
| BYD Dolphin Dynamic | $36,890 |
| BYD Dolphin Premium | $42,890 |
A hotter Dolphin Sport was in the works, featuring a unique body kit and ‘Sport Performance’ tyres with ‘performance styled rims’, but the model was ultimately cancelled back in March.
To see how the BYD Dolphin stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What is the BYD Dolphin like on the inside?
The interior of the Dolphin is weird… and in my humble opinion, wonderful.
There’s no escaping the fact that the colour scheme in our tester is likely to be divisive, not to mention some of the textures found throughout the cabin.
However, this is a quirky, affordable EV aimed at younger buyers. As a man in his mid-20s, I’m on board with the colourful and shapely aesthetic.
BYD has probably cost itself some buyers with the appearance of its products, but the Chinese carmaker deserves credit for sticking to its guns and rolling out consistent design language across the model line-up.
If you love the Atto 3 electric SUV, then you’ll probably love the Dolphin too. If not, there are plenty of vanilla options elsewhere.
The Dolphin may come across as a little immature on the surface, but inside it feels more expensive than it is.
Take the seats, for example. Trimmed in blue and black contrast leatherette, the front seats are soft, well-contoured, and loaded with premium features.
Both are heated, with six-way power-adjustability for the driver and four-way for the passenger. Better yet, that functionality is standard across the range and not limited to the Premium.
The steering wheel is finished identically in blue and black leatherette with tacky matte buttons, while red piping and stitching is also scattered throughout the cabin.
Most of the common touch points are soft and satisfying, but the same can’t be said for the centre tunnel, door cards and the top of the dash, which are all constructed from hard, scratchy plastic.
That’s not unexpected for an EV at this price point though, and you’ll hardly notice most of the time, given the other interesting finishes.
Which are you going to pay attention to – a flipper-style door handle or some plain black plastic?
There’s plenty more to look at – blue suede on the dash, and metallic blue plastic above it that reminds me of the colour-coded interior panels of the Mazda MX-5.
Enough of that though, as the interior of the Dolphin is more than just an abstract art display.
It comes equipped with BYD’s trademark 12.8-inch rotating touchscreen infotainment system, as well as a 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster tucked in behind the steering wheel.
The centre screen displays decent quality graphics and presents with a smartphone-style layout, making it easy to navigate between applications.
Shortcut icons are included along the bottom of the screen, although they could’ve been better utilised – seat heating controls are buried in the menus, while three shortcuts are dedicated to the climate controls.
Nevertheless, it’s a quality system with loads of functionality including internet browsing, plus satellite navigation, and a comprehensive suite of exterior cameras.
Connectivity options are plentiful, too. Wireless smartphone mirroring is standard across the range, and worked flawlessly in our experience.
A wireless charging pad is located under the centre console, and a trio of USB-A, USB-C and 12V connection points can be found under the centre stack.
BYD’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant is on hand if you can’t be bothered poking and prodding at the screen. As you’d expect in a BYD, the screen also rotates 180 degrees for portrait or landscape use.
The digital instrument cluster is small, but no screen space is left wasted. All the readouts you could possibly need are there, with speed, ADAS, and range information prioritised in large font.
BYD has found a way to cram a lot of kit into this compact EV, and the same can be said for storage space.
The packaging is excellent, from two-tiered centre tunnel storage to roomy trays above and below the centre button stack. It’s capped off by generously sized door bins and a practical glovebox.
So, surely space in the second row is compromised? Well, as it happens, that’s not the case.
Average-sized adults fit back there with headroom and legroom to spare, and only passengers topping 6″3′ will struggle. Even then, the panoramic glass roof keeps the space light and airy.
The front seat backs are soft too, inviting rear occupants to rest their knees against them.
Second-row amenities include both USB-A and USB-C outlets, a centre armrest with integrated cupholders, deep door bins, clever layered map pockets, and a separate single cupholders carved out of the centre console.
Compared to its combustion-powered small car rivals, the Dolphin is lacking in the boot space department. BYD claims 345L of capacity, although the rear bench folds with a 60/40 split to unlock 1310L of luggage space.
That said, it’s a big step from the boot up to the bench storage, and the load lip to access the boot itself makes loading bulky items a tricky task. The opening aperture is also on the smaller side.
| Dimensions | BYD Dolphin Premium |
|---|---|
| Length | 4290mm |
| Width | 1770mm (with mirrors folded) |
| Height | 1570mm |
| Wheelbase | 2700mm |
| Boot space | 345L (5-seat) 1310L (2-seat) |
To see how the BYD Dolphin stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What’s under the bonnet?
The Premium gains a larger, 150kW/310Nm electric motor over the base Dynamic, as well as an upsized 60.5kWh battery.
| Specifications | BYD Dolphin Premium |
|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electric |
| Battery | 60.5kWh Lithium-ion |
| Power | 150kW |
| Torque | 310Nm |
| Driven wheels | Front-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1658kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 7.0s |
| Power consumption (claimed) | 15.9kWh/100km |
| Power consumption (as tested) | 15.0kWh/100km |
| Claimed range | 427km |
| Max AC charge rate | 7kW |
| Max DC charge rate | 80kW |
As a result, the Premium boasts better performance and range, with a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.0 seconds and 427km of range on the WTLP cycle.
To see how the BYD Dolphin stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How does the BYD Dolphin drive?
The BYD Dolphin is a mostly solid example of what an electric city car should be.
Around town it’s responsive, eager and fun to drive, with nicely weighted steering and ample grunt.
With outputs of 150kW and 310Nm, the Dolphin is well and truly in warm hatch territory on the spec sheet and that’s well realised in real-life scenarios.
BYD claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.0 seconds for the Premium, and my hugely scientific ‘seat of the pants test’ verifies that. Just don’t expect a soundtrack, as the Dolphin goes about its business in peaceful silence.
Nevertheless, it’s a hoot to zip around the suburbs in, especially given its compact dimensions.
However, while the dynamics of the Dolphin stack up well against more expensive metal, one particular aspect of the driving experience robbed some of that accumulated joy. I’m afraid we have to talk about advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), again.
It’s a trend that’s becoming all too common – an otherwise decent car ruined by hyper-sensitive and poorly-calibrated safety tech that turns driving into an assault on the senses.
To start with, the Dolphin falls victim to a speed limit warning system with no tolerance and a chiding beep that will quickly drive you insane.
You can switch the system off, just not permanently. Settings revert to their default state every time you switch the car off, so setting up ADAS becomes a time-consuming daily ritual.
To make matters worse, the Dolphin is equipped with equally flawed traffic sign recognition technology that takes all speed limit signs at face value, ignoring the time stipulations common in school zones and busy shopping hubs.
It’s one thing to have a car bother you for breaking the speed limit, but another altogether for a car to unnecessarily distract you during safe, lawful driving. Rant over… for now.
On a more positive note, the Dolphin performs well when faced with low-speed challenges such as busy parking lots.
Even in base specification, it comes standard with front and rear parking sensors, plus a surround-view camera. All work in tandem to render parking an easy task.
Unlike some rivals, the bird’s-eye camera is accessible via a physical button on the steering wheel, which makes a lot of sense when compared to hiding it within the infotainment menus.
I just wish the rest of the car was designed with the same level of intuition, as the Dolphin’s report card suffers further once you hit the highway.
Over the years, carmakers have developed clever ways to make a small car feel bigger than it is, but the Dolphin isn’t an example of that.
When travelling at triple-figure speeds you notice a lack of cabin insulation, as wind noise easily seeps in and forces you to turn up the stereo or speak a little louder to your neighbour. It’s a better story on the road noise front, as tyre roar remains suppressed.
Visibility isn’t great either, as the rear window is small and difficult see out of.
Then there’s the driver assistance systems. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have a feature such as intelligent cruise control in a car at this price point, but the system needs some fine-tuning.
Combining adaptive cruise control and lane centring, intelligent cruise offers semi-autonomous driving when travelling on the highway. Sounds relaxing, right?
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Intelligent cruise is easy to call upon via buttons located on the steering wheel, but for some unknown reason it would often be ‘unavailable’, even when the driving conditions were perfectly suited to its use.
When intelligent cruise does finally decide to play nice, it’s prone to jerky steering inputs. That makes you less willing to trust the system, and more likely to neglect using it altogether.
All in all, the Dolphin performs better in urban environments than on the wide open road.
Over a week of mixed driving, we saw energy consumption average out at 15kWh/100km, an impressive figure when compared to some of the Dolphin’s main rivals – the GWM Ora GT is quoted at 16.8kWh/100km, for example.
To see how the BYD Dolphin stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What do you get?
There are two members of the local Dolphin range.
Dolphin Dynamic highlights:
- 16-inch alloy wheels
- LED headlights
- Automatic high-beam
- Panoramic glass roof
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
- Rear privacy glass
- 12.8-inch rotating touchscreen infotainment system
- Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Satellite navigation
- DAB digital radio
- Six-speaker sound system
- 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster
- Six-way power driver’s seat
- Four-way power passenger’s seat
- Leatherette upholstery
- Heated front seats
- 60/40 split/fold rear seats
- Keyless entry and start
- Wireless phone charger
- USB-A x 2 (one front, one rear)
- USB-C x 2 (one front, one rear)
Dolphin Premium adds:
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Multi-link rear suspension
- Two-tone paint
To see how the BYD Dolphin stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Is the BYD Dolphin safe?
The BYD Dolphin has a five-star safety rating from ANCAP, measured against stricter 2023-25 testing criteria.
| Category | BYD Dolphin |
|---|---|
| Adult occupant protection | 89 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 86 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 85 per cent |
| Safety assist | 77 per cent |
Standard equipment for all Dolphins includes:
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Adaptive cruise control
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Lane-keep assist
- Emergency lane-keep assist
- Front cross-traffic assist
- Rear cross-traffic assist
- Traffic sign recognition
- Intelligent speed limit assist
- Driver fatigue detection
- Front, front-side and curtain airbags
- Driver’s far-side airbag
- Surround-view camera
- Front and rear parking sensors
To see how the BYD Dolphin stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How much does the BYD Dolphin cost to run?
The BYD Dolphin is backed by a six-year, 150,000km vehicle warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty.
| Servicing and Warranty | BYD Dolphin |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 6 years, 150,000km |
| Roadside assistance | 1 year |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 20,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | 8 years |
| Total capped-price service cost | $2390 |
Customers have the option to service any of their vehicles through BYD’s own service centres or through certain MyCar service centres. It’s best to find your local service centre via the BYD Australia distributor’s website.
To see how the BYD Dolphin stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
CarExpert’s Take on the BYD Dolphin
The BYD Dolphin is a polarising car in a polarising segment, but by all objective measures it’s well worth considering.
Despite its positioning as one of the cheapest EVs in town, the Dolphin is well-equipped, spacious and relatively comfortable on the road.
In Premium guise, it even packs enough performance to play with warm hatches… at least in a straight line.
As a city runabout, there are few drawbacks. Cracks start to appear once you hit the highway, namely intrusive ADAS and wind noise. But if your commute involves long-distance touring, an Atto 3 SUV is likely the better option anyway.
BYD set the Dolphin up for success by taking the plunge early and introducing it when rivals were few and far between.
However, the market for affordable EVs has grown since then, and existing players refuse to be beaten on price.
The MG 4 is a prime example. Until the end of the year, MG will sell you a base MG 4 for just $32,990 drive-away, while the carmaker is also offering savings of up to $8000 on model year 2023 (MY23) Essence 64, Long Range 77 and XPower models.
It’s a promotion that sways the value equation considerably. When the top-spec BYD was priced in line with an MG 4 in Excite trim, I would’ve taken the Dolphin for its fun personality and superior cabin.
Now that the same money buys you an MY23 Long Range 77, it’s not so clear cut. Stepping up a segment or two, a couple of new, sub-$50k electric SUVs have also landed Down Under in recent times.
So, while the Dolphin still stacks up as an affordable EV, it’s worth pressing your dealer for a discount or waiting to see how the market settles over the coming months.
Or you could drop down to the base Dolphin Dynamic, but you’ll have to read our upcoming review to see if that’s worthwhile.
Interested in buying a BYD Dolphin? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here
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