👤 Johan De Haes
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 8:20 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.5/2
TL;DR Summary: Johan De Haes real-world range and fast-charge test of the 43.2 kWh BYD Dolphin Surf reveals outstanding urban efficiency (303 km) and solid 87 kW charging, balanced against high motorway consumption (220 km highway range) and noticeable wind noise.
Key Pros 👍
- Exceptional cold-weather urban efficiency returning 14.3 kWh/100 km and over 300 km of real city range „Consumption clocks in at 14.3 kWh per 100 km. If we calculate that based on the battery capacity, we get an estimated city range of 303 km. To be honest, I think that's a great result” ▶️ 00:01:22
- Respectable DC fast-charging curve achieving an 87 kW peak and replenishing 196 km in 30 minutes „We start charging and after just 1 minute, we're hitting 75.1 kW. After 10 minutes, I check again. We're charging at 80.4 kW. The screen even showed a peak of 87 kW at one point” ▶️ 00:04:34
- Generous passenger room and practical cargo capacity surpassing external subcompact footprint „Even though it looks like a compact car from the outside, the interior space is surprisingly good. There's plenty of room in the back and the trunk is a decent size, too. You get 308 L of luggage space or 1,037 L with the seats down” ▶️ 00:06:45
- Superb low-speed regional cruising efficiency delivering up to 341 km maximum real-world range „After a 35 km drive like this, the consumption is 12.7 kWh per 100 km. That's even lower than in the city. If you can maintain this, you're looking at a range of 341 km” ▶️ 00:06:06
Key Cons 👎
- Steep efficiency penalty at 120 km/h motorway speeds restricting sustained highway range to just 220 km „Consumption is now 19.7 kWh per 100 km. That gives us an estimated highway range of 220 km. That's quite a bit lower than in the city and the WLTP figures... If you're planning long highway trips, you'll be fast charging quite often” ▶️ 00:02:04
- Noticeable wind noise infiltrates the cabin during higher-speed motorway travel „However, on the highway, you do notice quite a bit of wind noise” ▶️ 00:06:41
- Unintuitive climate control slider uses arbitrary numeric values rather than actual temperature degrees „I found the climate controls a bit strange. There's a slider for hot and cold, but the numbers don't represent an actual temperature, so it takes some trial and error to find the right setting” ▶️ 00:07:11
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Surf 43.2 kWh proves to be an outstanding, budget-friendly commuter EV with class-leading city efficiency and versatile cabin space, even though highway wind noise and elevated 120 km/h consumption necessitate frequent charging stops on longer journeys.
👤 Everything Electric CARS
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 19:47 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.7/2
TL;DR Summary: Fully Charged tests the BYD Dolphin (EA1) in Shenzhen, celebrating its category-defining sub-100,000 RMB price, highly safe Blade battery on the e-Platform 3.0, and practical V2L capability, while noting plasticky interior trim, lack of rear armrest, and upholstery that gets uncomfortably hot under direct sun.
Key Pros 👍
- Disruptive entry pricing starting under 94,000 RMB that democratizes electric vehicle ownership „the basic version of this which has the 301 kilometers of any dc range comes in at 93 800 rmb for all of this and the blade batteries that's incredible value for money” ▶️ 00:17:07
- Highly durable and thermally resilient Blade battery structure passing rigorous nail penetration safety standards „just as a reminder blade battery is one of the safest in the market they can pass a nail penetration test without overheating or exploding or blowing up or anything like that so some of the safest batteries on the market” ▶️ 00:02:27
- Versatile Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) hardware powering outdoor appliances and cooking equipment on the move „using this simple plug here we can just plug this hotpot machine or this plate heater into the car and start enjoying our food so let's do that right now... this is the great thing about v2l you can plug in anything” ▶️ 00:12:52
- Standard factory-fitted PM2.5 air filtration system ensuring clean and healthy cabin atmosphere „one of them is that the fact it has pm 2.5 kind of filtration so pm 2.5 is the really nasty pollution which gets deep into your lungs and into your bloodstream... but it's got the filtration system in here it's not just an add-on that you have to pay for it's kind of just standard in the car” ▶️ 00:06:09
Key Cons 👎
- Prevalent hard and hollow interior plastics betray strict manufacturing budget constraints „now i would have one complaint about this it feels slightly plasticky so although the features are really good i think some of the materials could be improved” ▶️ 00:14:55
- Synthetic seat upholstery absorbs excessive heat under sunlight, becoming uncomfortably hot and sweaty „one of the things i don't like is the material this material feels a little bit cheap and a little bit plasticky and it gets extremely hot in the sun that's that would burn your skin if you had bare skin on that seat right now” ▶️ 00:14:14
- Spartan rear passenger seating omitting a folding center armrest or dedicated comfort features „in terms of the back i have a lot of leg room but that's about it in terms of features there's very very little and this is all about the ethos of byd... i don't even have a armrest which is a shame” ▶️ 00:14:02
- Persistent doorbell-like startup chimes and oversized 'Build Your Dreams' exterior rear branding „sounds like a doorbell hello who's there... stop that ding dong... and your massive build your dreams in big letters at the back i'm not such a fan of that” ▶️ 00:00:06
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin is a category-defining compact electric vehicle that pairs benchmark Blade battery safety and versatile V2L capability with unbeatable affordability, even if hard cabin plastics and spartan rear accommodations reflect strict cost discipline.
👤 Driving Enthusiast
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 17:29 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +0.9/2
TL;DR Summary: Driving Enthusiast tests the BYD Dolphin Premium in Australia, praising its responsive 150 kW motor, generous rear cabin legroom with a flat floor, and sunblind-equipped panoramic glass roof. However, the review strongly criticizes the car's underdamped, wallowy suspension on undulating B-roads, chronic wheelspin on budget Linglong factory tires, and a slow 7 kW maximum AC charging rate.
Key Pros 👍
- Potent 150 kW front-mounted electric motor delivering effortless open-road overtaking punch „energy is sent to the front Wheels via an electric motor that produces 150 KW and 310 NM it's actually pretty powerful for a small car like this and as you'll find when we go for a drive in a minute it uh has no problem lighting up the front tires... you've got excellent overtaking power as well so I'm going 70 km hour and that's 100 km an hour so very easily to very easy to overtake someone uh quite safely” ▶️ 00:01:29
- Space-efficient rear cabin packaging featuring a flat floor and generous passenger legroom „in the back we've got a completely flat floor because there's no Drive Line tunnel there as I mentioned with no exhaust running through the middle and quite a bit of space so this is only a small car but look at that I've got heaps of leg room even in the middle seat” ▶️ 00:02:57
- Large panoramic glass roof fitted with a crucial physical retractable sunblind shade „The premium also comes with a huge sunroof which does actually come with a a shutter there a lot of electric vehicles that are coming out I'm seeing they have big sunroofs like that and there's no cover so in the Australian summer like today it's very hot I want that closed” ▶️ 00:03:39
Key Cons 👎
- Under-damped, excessively wallowy suspension calibration that struggles across typical undulating country roads „my main concern is the suspension it's so soft and bouncy this road does you know it's not the best road but we've got these types of Roads everywhere in Australia and I think that's the uh the important issue here this seems to be developed for a highway predominantly” ▶️ 00:11:39
- Low-grade factory Linglong tires that squeal constantly and struggle to harness electric motor torque „pretty ordinary tires they're by a company called linglong... basically they are tires they squeal very easily and they just don't handle the power of this vehicle... You can get in a standard Toyota Corolla and and nail the throttle it won't spin the wheels uncontrollably whereas this will” ▶️ 00:09:38
- Modest 7 kW single-phase AC onboard charging speed failing to take advantage of three-phase wallboxes „it can only take in 7 Kow using AC power which is pretty low a lot of EVS at the moment uh Tak in at least 11 KW so if you've got a home charger with three-phase power at home with up to 22 KW this thing will only take in 7 KW” ▶️ 00:01:48
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Premium provides impressive 150 kW electric overtaking punch, clever interior packaging, and a well-shielded panoramic glass roof, but sloppy suspension damping and low-grip factory tires severely undermine its dynamic composure on coarse, undulating roads.
👤 The Next Drive
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 10:30 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +0.8/2
TL;DR Summary: The Next Drive reviews the BYD Dolphin Design, describing it as an accessible, comfortable, and well-equipped daily urban commuter, while pointing out noticeable torque steer, a cramped luggage boot, and distracting driver assistance alerts.
Key Pros 👍
- Plush, supportive seating that delivers impressive comfort across extended everyday driving „The seats are comfortable. I love BYD seats. They're comfortable. I've done loads of miles in this car over the last five or six days and it's been very comfortable to drive around in.” ▶️ 00:03:24
- Clever, practical cabin storage solutions with tiered trays and wireless phone charging „there are lots and lots of little spaces and nooks and crannies and things that you can put stuff on. So, for instance, we have a little shelf here that you can put your phone on.” ▶️ 00:02:45
- Expansive fixed panoramic glass roof that bathes the cabin in natural daylight „I love the fact we get this sweeping. It's not a sunroof because you can't open it, but this great big what are they called? It's early in the morning when I'm filming this, by the way. I love this. Basically, it's just it lets lots of light into the cabin.” ▶️ 00:05:31
- Lively 0-60 mph acceleration in roughly 7 seconds offering rapid overtaking punch „performance, which is fine. You know, it does naugh to 60 in about 7 seconds, I think. And it can do this.” ▶️ 00:05:44
Key Cons 👎
- Front axle suffers from noticeable torque steer and wheel scrabble under enthusiastic acceleration „It does struggle to put the power down sometimes. We have very small wheels on this obviously and because of that you get quite a bit of torque steer if you really gun it.” ▶️ 00:06:46
- Constrained boot capacity that struggles with bulky items and causes parcel shelf interference „The boot space is limited. This is definitely a take it down to Tesco's type car and that's pretty much it. You know, we managed to get my son's balance bike in there with along with two bags of shopping and two pizzas. And that was a a squeeze.” ▶️ 00:04:44
- Overcrowded 5-inch instrument cluster screen displaying an overwhelming clutter of icons „The other thing that I don't like about this car is that display in front of me... That isn't though. That is full of numbers and symbols and things. It it looks like they've just kind of thrown literally thrown everything onto that screen in front of me.” ▶️ 00:08:41
- Significant discrepancy between estimated range and real-world range delivering around 190 miles from a 277-mile readout „When I fully charged this, it read out 277 mi on there. It did about 190 from that. So, the first thing to bear in mind as well if this is your first EV is that you will not get the mileage or you're very unlikely to get the mileage that it suggests” ▶️ 00:09:52
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Design serves as an easygoing and well-equipped urban runabout for buyers seeking low running costs, though limited luggage room, intrusive safety bongs, and noticeable torque steer restrict its appeal as a versatile primary family car.
👤 Chasing Cars
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 11:35 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.3/2
TL;DR Summary: Chasing Cars reviews the BYD Dolphin Premium in Australia, praising its punchy 150 kW powertrain, plush commuter ride quality, and impressive urban range of 423 km, while highlighting weak regenerative braking and low-grip factory Linglong tires.
Key Pros 👍
- Excellent city efficiency of 14.3 kWh/100 km yielding an impressive 423 km urban range „I recorded consumption of 14.3 kwatt hours per 100 km in my real world urban test. That's a range of $423 km in town, which is pretty useful.” ▶️ 00:05:58
- Punchy 150 kW motor providing rapid sub-7 second 0-100 km/h acceleration „Interestingly, mechanically, we would have only driven the premium, which has 150 kW of power and 310 new meters of torque, which is heaps in a small car like this, and it puts down sub 7 seconds 0 to 100 times.” ▶️ 00:08:21
- Soft and compliant suspension tuning that prioritizes comfortable daily commuting over harsh firmness „it is more comfortable than those cars for commuting with a very sort of softly sprung compliant ride. It doesn't give up too much body control” ▶️ 00:07:48
- High-definition 360-degree surround camera system providing class-leading parking visibility „You also have excellent visibility from the crystal clear and sharp 360° camera system on this car. It's already easy to park cuz it's under 4.3 m long, and it's also very narrow, so it's good for the city.” ▶️ 00:09:27
Key Cons 👎
- Factory Linglong tyres break traction easily under moderate to hard acceleration „The Lingongs, they're okay in the dry. They break traction a bit too easily when you accelerate hard. Personally, I'd be leaving money in the budget to replace them with a Continental or something like that” ▶️ 00:10:23
- Weak regenerative braking calibration that requires frequent conventional friction brake usage „Regen braking is a little bit weak. Even in its heaviest setting, it's quite resistant to give you much strong regen. So, you are having to use the brake pedal in this car more than some other EVs.” ▶️ 00:08:45
- Low rear seat cushion forces adult passengers into a knees-up posture lacking under-thigh support „The issue is the seat base is too low. So, you really have to spllay your legs in order to get comfortable. as it is. They are sitting with a gap between my legs and the seat, which is a bit unfortunate.” ▶️ 00:04:03
- Audible aerodynamic wind whistle generated around the large exterior side mirrors at speed „The refinement could be better. You get actually quite a lot of wind whistle from around the big mirrors, which do give you good visibility.” ▶️ 00:09:18
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Premium is a compelling, comfortable urban runabout that delivers punchy acceleration, impressive efficiency, and generous equipment, although weak regenerative braking and sub-par Linglong tyres leave room for mechanical refinement.
👤 carwow
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 24:57 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +0.9/2
TL;DR Summary: Carwow pits the BYD Sealion 7 against the updated Tesla Model Y, finding the BYD offers a plusher cabin with physical climate switches and comfortable rear seating, but falls behind in high-speed driving dynamics, cargo capacity, and infotainment responsiveness.
Key Pros 👍
- Far more driver-friendly cabin architecture with physical stalks, heads-up display, and direct climate shortcuts „You got stalks for your windscreen wipers, your lights, your indicators, and everything like that. You've got a digital driver's display which can show a lot of information including of course your speed right in front of you. Plus a headsup display as well” ▶️ 00:07:42
- High-powered 50W wireless charging tray equipped with integrated active cooling to prevent smartphone overheating „And I like the fact, look, you have got a 50 W charging. Wireless. And it's cooled, so it won't overheat your phone.” ▶️ 00:08:35
- Plush, deeply cushioned rear passenger accommodation with superior shoulder room and supple leather upholstery „This definitely feels more comfortable. It's just the shape of the seats, the fine leather as well. It's just Oh, and the back rest is more reclined. So nice.” ▶️ 00:15:30
- Blistering off-the-line launch matching the dual-motor Tesla with a 0-60 mph sprint of 4.35 seconds „The Tesla accelerated from naugh to 60 in 4.33 seconds, while the BYD took 4.35 seconds. So, it's only at higher speeds where the Tesla eks out an advantage.” ▶️ 00:05:51
Key Cons 👎
- Floaty, disconnected chassis tuning and numb steering that wallow when pushed through twisty roads „In fact, there's a sort of disconnected feeling to most of the controls like the steering wheel, the brakes which are kind of nothing grabbing. And the handling, the way it kind of wallows and leans a bit and bends and floats.” ▶️ 00:22:43
- Substantially smaller rear boot capacity (520 L vs 854 L claimed) and much tighter front trunk compartment „Tesla claims the Model Y has 854 L of boot space. BYD claims the Cineon has just 520 L.” ▶️ 00:16:45
- Navigation system lacks automated charging-stop optimization and duration calculation for long-distance trips „The BYD calculates a route quickly and shows plenty of available charges along the way. However, you have to decide for yourself which stops to make and how long to charge for.” ▶️ 00:14:16
- Pronounced aerodynamic wind roar enters the cabin at 70 mph when facing headwind conditions „run up at 70 mph here. And there's a bit of wind noise there. It's not terrible, but the wind is behind me. But if I turn the other way, you'll notice this with the wind in my face. Can you hear that?” ▶️ 00:23:30
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Sealion 7 challenges the Tesla Model Y with a richer, more conventionally ergonomic cabin and punchy dual-motor pace, yet falls short dynamically due to its soft, floaty suspension, inferior cargo packaging, and less comprehensive route planning software.
👤 EV Charge Doctor
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 13:17 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.3/2
TL;DR Summary: EV Charge Doctor outlines ten critical ownership practices for BYD electric cars, detailing battery preservation tactics, one-pedal regenerative braking benefits, and vital cooling system maintenance.
Key Pros 👍
- Effective regenerative braking enables smooth one-pedal driving in traffic while significantly extending friction brake pad lifespan „At maximum regen, lifting your foot in city traffic brings the BYD to a complete stop without touching the brake pedal... It becomes completely natural within a week and saves you a full brake service across the life of the car” ▶️ 00:07:13
- Scheduled preconditioning via the companion app draws mains electricity rather than battery reserves to optimize cabin and cell temperatures „Preconditioning while plugged in means heating and cooling run on grid power, not battery charge... 15 minutes to configure, it changes daily use permanently” ▶️ 00:06:16
- Integrated exterior camera suite can serve as an autonomous parking surveillance sentry mode without third-party dashcam hardware „On current models including the Atto 3, Seal, and Seal Lion 6, the cameras can be configured to record while the car is parked... It costs nothing and works silently every time the car is parked” ▶️ 00:10:45
- Lithium iron phosphate Blade chemistry demonstrates superior baseline resilience compared to conventional ternary NMC packs „BYD's lithium iron phosphate cells are more tolerant of high charge than conventional lithium ion, but not immune” ▶️ 00:02:11
Key Cons 👎
- Factory charge target defaults to 100%, causing unnecessary cell stress and subtle long-term degradation if not manually lowered to 80% „Your BYD left the factory with a charge limit set to 100%. Most owners never change it. That default is one of the fastest ways to age your battery” ▶️ 00:02:00
- Continuous reliance on DC fast charging generates cumulative thermal stress that nearly doubles effective battery aging relative to AC charging „Cells simply age faster under repeated fast charge cycles than on slow AC charging overnight... A BYD Auto 3 owner fast charged five times a week with no home setup. At 55,000 battery had aged equivalent to a 90,000 km AC charged car” ▶️ 00:03:42
- Low charge in the traditional 12V lead-acid auxiliary battery easily causes confusing multi-system errors and immobilizer failures „When that battery weakens, the car can fail to wake up, lock or unlock inconsistently, or produce a cluster of unrelated looking warnings. A BYD Dolphin owner got four simultaneous warning lights” ▶️ 00:08:37
🎯 Verdict: EV Charge Doctor offers an indispensable maintenance guide for BYD electric vehicles, proving that while LFP Blade batteries and strong regenerative braking deliver excellent durability, proactive charge capping and cooling circuit checks are vital to prevent costly premature wear.
👤 Auto Vision
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 3:02 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.6/2
TL;DR Summary: Auto Vision reviews the BYD Dolphin Surf 2026 edition, highlighting its muscular wave-inspired restyling, punchy 210 hp powertrain (0-60 in 6.5s), and upgraded cabin materials with rotating touchscreen, while pointing out conservative 30-80% DC fast charge times under 30 minutes and its lower stance.
Key Pros 👍
- Sharper, more muscular exterior styling featuring wave-inspired grille details and full-width connected LED lighting „The new BYD dolphin Surf has a more muscular and sporty profile compared to the standard Dolphin. The front faucia gets sharper LED headlights, a new wave inspired grill pattern, and a lower stance that makes it look aggressive yet futuristic.” ▶️ 00:00:29
- Upgraded 210-horsepower electric motor delivering brisk 0-60 mph acceleration in approximately 6.5 seconds „The single motor setup delivers around 210 horsepower, giving you instant torque and a surprisingly quick 0 to 60 time of around 6.5 seconds. It's smooth, silent, and fun.” ▶️ 00:02:02
- Upscale cabin ambience enhanced by soft-touch surfaces, ambient lighting, panoramic sunroof, and rotatable screen „The new 2026 Surf Edition brings in upgraded materials, a larger floating touchcreen, and BYD's signature rotating display that you can switch between portrait and landscape mode. Soft touch finishes, ambient lighting, and a panoramic sunroof make it feel like a mini luxury EV.” ▶️ 00:01:08
- Aggressive pricing strategy that comfortably undercuts key competitors including the Mini Cooper SE „Even fully loaded, the BYYD Dolphin Surf 2026 undercuts most of its competition like the Mini Cooper SE and the Chevy Bolt EUV.” ▶️ 00:02:39
Key Cons 👎
- DC fast charging speed remains modest, requiring nearly 30 minutes just to top up from 30% to 80% „And with DC fast charging, you can go from 30% to 80% in under 30 minutes.” ▶️ 00:01:55
- Lowered vehicle stance reduces ground clearance, demanding caution over steep ramps and urban speed humps „and a lower stance that makes it look aggressive yet futuristic.” ▶️ 00:00:40
- Single front-mounted electric motor channels all 210 hp exclusively through the front axle without AWD option „The single motor setup delivers around 210 horsepower, giving you instant torque” ▶️ 00:02:02
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Surf 2026 edition elevates the compact EV hatchback formula with punchier 210 hp performance, upgraded cabin appointments, and distinctive athletic styling, though modest DC rapid charging speeds reflect its primary identity as an urban commuter.
👤 einfach elektrisch
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 36:25 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.4/2
TL;DR Summary: Einfach Elektrisch reviews the BYD Dolphin DM-i plug-in hybrid in Berlin, highlighting its usable 100 km pure-electric city range, punchy 212 hp combined output, and supple suspension balance against high-RPM engine noise and a lack of 11 kW AC charging.
Key Pros 👍
- Substantial pure-electric range exceeding 100 km from an 18.3 kWh Blade battery enables zero-emissions daily commuting „Purely electric, it is supposed to go 102 km... And it’s certainly fun to take the vehicle on long trips, since it’s supposed to manage up to 1,000 km from the battery pack and the gas tank” ▶️ 00:01:36
- Energetic 212 hp dual-powertrain setup delivers instant electric throttle response and confident 8.3-second 0-100 km/h acceleration „That makes for a total system output of 156 kW/212 hp and a total system torque of 210 Newton-meters. That is supposed to accelerate the Dolphin DM-i from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.3 seconds” ▶️ 00:02:16
- Sophisticated suspension tuning delivers composed cornering stability without transmitting harsh road impacts into the cabin „You have a very firm yet comfortable chassis that makes it genuinely fun to perform a quick lane change, where you have hardly any body roll or pitch... Likewise, when we encounter ruts, bumps, or manhole covers in the city, it has a great roll-off behavior” ▶️ 00:29:35
- Exceptional standard equipment catalog including Head-up display, heated steering wheel, and comprehensive semi-autonomous driving assist „The price-performance ratio at BYD is actually, one has to be fair and say, always top-notch, because especially here with the fully loaded trim, you have everything you are otherwise used to from larger vehicle classes and more expensive premium manufacturers. Head-up display, seat heating, steering wheel heating, automatic climate control, all assistance systems” ▶️ 00:33:26
Key Cons 👎
- 1.5-liter gasoline generator becomes intrusive and loud under sustained high-speed highway acceleration „When the combustion engine kicks in, especially when you’re driving at long, fast, high speeds—so. For example, it has a top speed of 180 km/h, and if you want to drive at 180 constantly, then, I find the engine is very much in the foreground and, well, perhaps a bit louder at higher RPMs” ▶️ 00:28:31
- AC charging omits European-standard 11 kW three-phase capability, restricting AC destination charging to 6.6 kW „For AC, I would have liked a three-phase 11KW charger to just quickly recharge the battery while shopping, maybe on the Kurfürstendamm or at the supermarket, even without DC” ▶️ 00:33:55
- Convoluted on-board trip computer merges electrical and fuel figures into an opaque rolling 50 km average without long-term tracking „That’s the trip computer with the last 50 km. I really don’t understand this calculation method... I would really like to see Asian manufacturers offer a classic trip computer like the ones we know from European manufacturers” ▶️ 00:30:44
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin DM-i PHEV makes an exceptionally rational bridge for buyers transitioning to electric power, providing genuine 100 km EV commuting and premium amenities at a competitive price, tempered slightly by high-RPM generator drone on unrestricted motorways.
👤 carwow
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 16:33 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.0/2
TL;DR Summary: Carwow tests the BYD Atto 3 electric crossover, highlighting its quirky gym-themed cabin, rotating 15.6-inch screen, and soft town ride, while criticizing heavy motorway wind roar, disconnected control responses, and sub-200-mile real-world range.
Key Pros 👍
- Rich technology package highlighted by a rotatable 15.6-inch touchscreen and high-resolution 3D transparent parking cameras „The quality of the reversing camera and the surround view cameras brilliant plus you have a 3D mode look at this so you can whiz around the car just like in a very expensive BMW I want to share this as well transparent mode” ▶️ 00:08:20
- Pliant, softly sprung suspension setup that soaks up low-speed urban bumps and potholes effectively „the first thing to note is the over bumps the suspension is nice and soft really nice and soft I like that I also like the visibility forward” ▶️ 00:10:36
- Tight 10.7-meter turning circle makes city driving and tight mini-roundabout U-turns effortless „then there's a turning Circle which is also good 10.7 meters better than most of its competitors which means that a U-turn should be quite easy” ▶️ 00:11:09
- Brisk straight-line acceleration beating factory claims with an independently timed 0-60 mph sprint of 7.01 seconds „the time's good the time is quite good 7.01 we'll take that” ▶️ 00:15:47
Key Cons 👎
- Severe aerodynamic wind buffeting penetrates the cabin when driving at 60 to 70 mph on the motorway „at around 62 miles an hour you get this and at 70 it's even worse that's a lot of wind noise so it reminds me of being on holiday in a caravan on a cliff top in Wales where the wind would just batter the Caravan and keep you awake at night” ▶️ 00:12:19
- Disconnected driving controls with noticeable dead zones in throttle application and delayed regenerative braking release „when you lift off the brake it doesn't actually stop that braking effect immediately it it takes like a second there's a delay to it there's also a delay to the throttle look I'm going to press the throttle about a third of the way look that's me actually going a lot out on the throttle and nothing is happening” ▶️ 00:14:02
- Underwhelming real-world range yielding only 190 miles (roughly 73% of official claim) from the 60 kWh battery pack „real world range this car is achieving of 190 miles which is about 73 of what it's supposed to be not the worst of any electric I've driven but something at this price needs to be getting over 200 miles a bit disappointing” ▶️ 00:13:07
- Chassis becomes overly busy, unsettled, and fidgety over undulations when driving quickly along B-roads „while the suspension is nice and soft in town when you're going quicker over lots of bumps it just never seems to settle it's very very busy” ▶️ 00:13:47
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Atto 3 is an intriguing and generously equipped electric family crossover with great town manners, though loud motorway wind buffeting, sluggish control responses, and sub-200-mile real-world efficiency restrict its appeal against sharper rivals like the MG4.
👤 RZN Auto
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 5:18 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.4/2
TL;DR Summary: RZN Auto reviews the refreshed 2026 BYD Dolphin, arguing that its playful styling, upscale cabin materials, rotating infotainment display, and safe Blade battery technology pose a serious threat to traditional legacy automakers. While exceptionally well suited to daily urban commuting, its modest DC fast-charging limits and city-oriented range mean it remains best tailored for regional driving rather than cross-country road trips.
Key Pros 👍
- Playful and aerodynamic exterior design featuring slim full-width LED lighting „the 2026 BYD features a refreshed front fascia that looks playful, modern, and far more confident than before. The headlights are slim LED units with a sharp daytime running light signature, giving the Dolphin a friendly but high-tech face.” ▶️ 00:00:46
- Unexpectedly upscale interior ambiance with textured surfaces and soft-touch appointments „Materials inside the cabin are better than expected for an affordable EV with soft touch surfaces, textured panels, and thoughtful color accents that make the space feel lively and modern. The seats are comfortable and supportive with decent cushioning for both front and rear passengers.” ▶️ 00:02:55
- Practical passenger accommodation benefited by a completely flat electric vehicle floor „Despite its compact size, the Dolphin offers good headroom and legroom, especially in the back, thanks to the flat EV floor. Storage is well thought out with practical door pockets, a usable center console, and a surprisingly roomy trunk” ▶️ 00:03:10
Key Cons 👎
- Powertrain and battery capacities focused narrowly on city commuting and suburban errands „Depending on the variant, the Dolphin offers different battery sizes, delivering a driving range suitable for daily commuting and weekend errands. In realworld terms, this means you can comfortably handle city driving with minimal range anxiety.” ▶️ 00:04:03
- Unremarkable DC fast charging rates that mandate longer pauses on extended road trips „Charging is straightforward with support for both AC home charging and DC fast charging, allowing you to top up the battery quickly when needed.” ▶️ 00:04:22
🎯 Verdict: The 2026 BYD Dolphin establishes a formidable benchmark for entry-level electric hatchbacks, combining confident styling, a surprisingly plush interior, and proven Blade battery safety, though modest charging speeds restrict its role primarily to urban and suburban commuting.
👤 carwow
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 19:09 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +0.8/2
TL;DR Summary: Carwow reviews the BYD Dolphin Surf (known globally as the Seagull), highlighting its punchy real-world acceleration, taxi-like turning circle, and generous standard features including V2L and a 6-year warranty. However, Matt Watson criticizes its unnerving emergency braking performance, fiddly climate switchgear, lack of adjustable regenerative braking, and competitive monthly lease pricing that puts it close to superior rivals like the Renault 5.
Key Pros 👍
- Exceptional urban agility thanks to a tiny turning circle and peppy real-world acceleration „You got good visibility all around and an incredibly small turning circle. It's like a London taxi. You can just go round and round and round and round and round. I love it for that.” ▶️ 00:16:46
- Surprising rear passenger knee room with a flat floor and proper thigh support „So, head room, that's good enough. Knee room is pretty decent. The seats aren't too close to the floor like they are in many electric cars. So, you do have some under thigh support, and you can stretch out a little bit underneath the seat in front. That is good. And you got a completely flat floor” ▶️ 00:06:36
- Versatile electrical utility with 60W USB-C laptop charging and standard Vehicle-to-Load functionality „The car's USB ports output 60 W of power, which means you can run your laptop off it... Also, all models get vehicle to load. So, you get an adapter, you can plug it into the charging port, and then you can plug into that any household appliance and it will run it.” ▶️ 00:10:44
Key Cons 👎
- Unstable feel and poor stopping distance during emergency braking tests „Oh, that is That is sketch under braking. Didn't like that at all. And 41 m. It was like all over the place. That is not great.” ▶️ 00:18:52
- Complete absence of one-pedal driving mode and selectable regenerative braking strength „What I don't love though is the fact that you don't have one pedal drive like you do in some other electric cars. So, you always have to press the brakes to slow down and you can't even alter the amount of regen you have like you can in pretty much every other electric car.” ▶️ 00:16:56
- Fiddly cabin touchscreen ergonomics combined with overly sensitive driver attention nagging „That is a little bit too small. And when you're trying to drive and press things, it's impossible. Especially when you're being monitored by this little device here, which is making sure you got your eyes on the road and you know, one glance like and it's the whole car's screaming at you” ▶️ 00:04:08
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Surf offers remarkable urban agility, surprising punchiness, and strong standard equipment for a budget EV, but compromised high-speed emergency braking distances and fiddly touchscreen climate controls mean stronger rivals like the Renault 5 warrant serious comparison.
👤 BYD Stoke
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 2:05 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.5/2
TL;DR Summary: BYD Stoke presents the flagship BYD Dolphin Design 60.48 kWh, highlighting its upscale cabin appointments such as heated and ventilated seats and panoramic glass, while noting its 40-minute rapid charging benchmark.
Key Pros 👍
- Premium interior equipment includes standard electrically adjustable heated and ventilated front seating and a panoramic glass roof „we also have your panoramic sunroof perfect for the summer months. And here you can see your front seat is electrically adjustable... your climate control, and heated and ventilated seats” ▶️ 00:00:58
- High-definition 360-degree camera system engages automatically in reverse to facilitate effortless urban parking „when we shift the car into reverse, a 360° camera is provided to make maneuvering easier than ever” ▶️ 00:01:45
- Thoughtfully equipped second row features a folding central armrest with cupholders and dual dedicated USB charging points „And into the back now, we have the stunning upholstery with the ISOFIX anchor points, as well as a movable armrest with cup holders, and two charge ports in the rear” ▶️ 00:00:30
- Comprehensive infotainment suite combines a heated steering wheel toggle with wireless smartphone replication and built-in Spotify integration „The heated steering wheel is also controllable via the infotainment system, as well as the ability to connect to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and third-party apps like Spotify” ▶️ 00:01:25
Key Cons 👎
- Rapid charging requires 40 to 43 minutes for a 10-80% charge, lagging faster 800V and premium 400V rivals „as a rapid charge can get the vehicle from 10 to 80% in about 40 to 43 minutes using a 100 kW charger” ▶️ 00:00:47
- Comfort features such as seat ventilation and steering wheel heating require navigation through infotainment submenus rather than physical buttons „The heated steering wheel is also controllable via the infotainment system... like the sound system, your climate control, and heated and ventilated seats” ▶️ 00:01:22
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Design 60.48 kWh sets a high benchmark for compact electric car specification, delivering ventilated front seats, panoramic glass, and sophisticated 360-degree cameras at an accessible price point, even if its 40-minute rapid charging is merely average.
👤 DavesEvDreams
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 5:14 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +0.9/2
TL;DR Summary: DavesEvDreams tests the battery preheating feature on the BYD Dolphin Surf 43.2 kWh, discovering that while it warms the pack using just 1-2 kW of power, the lack of mobile app preconditioning scheduling is a frustrating limitation in sub-zero weather.
Key Pros 👍
- Integrated battery preconditioning warms cell chemistry to ensure optimal DC fast-charging reception in freezing weather „Then you've got there battery preheating. Turn it on and it tells you there after battery preheated is enabled the battery will be to a temperature range suitable for DC charging thus shortening the subjected DC charging time” ▶️ 00:00:36
- Modest thermal power consumption draws just 1 to 2 kW, keeping the cost to precondition the battery pack negligible „And what it's now using is 2 kilow... Using just over a kilowatt really... it's roughly going to cost you and they reckon it takes about 20 to 30 minutes depend on how cold it is for that to become effective. So, in theory, it's cost you 4 p to warm the battery” ▶️ 00:01:04
- Transparent real-time infotainment energy consumption readout instantly reveals active electrical loads „Turn it back on again. Using just over a kilowatt really... Look over there. So that's the that's where we were up there. Turn it on. That's where we are now. That's showing the consumption” ▶️ 00:01:33
Key Cons 👎
- Battery preheater cannot be scheduled or activated remotely from the mobile app, forcing manual physical activation inside the cabin „Obviously, I don't know how it's going to work because at the moment, you can't program that on the app, which I think is a bit silly because that means you got to come out at half past 11, turn it on, go back in, go to bed” ▶️ 00:02:32
- Noticeable range reduction occurs in sub-zero British winter weather prior to warming the battery pack „find it a bit difficult to get any real mileage out, but it's gone really, really cold” ▶️ 00:00:06
- DC fast-charging throughput throttles sharply above 80% state of charge, prolonging full top-ups „And I've also been told it's a lot quicker from 20% to 80. And the last 20% takes forever” ▶️ 00:04:19
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Surf provides a valuable onboard battery preheater to combat freezing conditions and speed up charging, yet the current inability to trigger or schedule pack preconditioning remotely via the smartphone application creates an unnecessary inconvenience for winter EV ownership.
👤 Juic'd Garage
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 8:49 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.1/2
TL;DR Summary: In an 18-month, 18,000 km ownership review, Juic'd Garage praises the BYD Dolphin's supportive seats, outstanding 360-degree parking cameras, and unbeatable budget value. However, the owner endured a failed air conditioner that took weeks to diagnose amid dealer backlogs, erratic regenerative-to-friction brake blending jolts, and substandard factory tires that suffered sidewall blistering.
Key Pros 👍
- Exceptional front seat comfort and lumbar support during daily commuting „These seats, absolutely love these seats. They're super comfortable, super supportive. So, there's no complaints there.” ▶️ 00:02:40
- Class-leading high-definition 360-degree surround parking camera system „Everyone knows how much I love the camera system in the BYD. um really really good for parking.” ▶️ 00:04:27
- Unbeatable purchase price to feature ratio for an everyday urban electric vehicle „all in all, despite all the hiccups, I've really enjoyed owning the BYD and driving it around for the past year and a half. Um, and I think for 30 to $40,000, it's really hard to beat, and it's probably the best value for money you can get at the moment.” ▶️ 00:08:31
Key Cons 👎
- Jerky, unrefined blending transition between regenerative deceleration and mechanical friction braking „how the brakes works on the BYD is when you apply the brakes, it would first use regenerative braking and then it will transition to frictional braking. So sometimes that transition could be quite aggressive and on and off. So, what that means is even if you apply the brakes very gradually and slowly, when the frictional brake engages, you can feel a sudden jolt. Um, so which makes it very hard to drive the car smoothly.” ▶️ 00:03:48
- Substandard factory tires that developed sidewall bubbling and offered poor wet grip „you would know how rubbish these tires that initially came with the car. And I've actually had a bubble that was formed on one of the tires. So, I basically just rip them all out and replace them with the Continental UC7... And the differences are night and day. So, these tires are so much grippier.” ▶️ 00:01:37
- Air conditioning failure during peak summer coupled with excessive two-month dealer diagnostic wait times „there are actually a couple of issues where the rear washer jet and the air con has stopped working on separate occasions... but they said they can't book me in until 2 months later. Um, to which I was thinking, and this was, mind you, this was in the middle of summer, so basically the car without the air con is not drivable.” ▶️ 00:06:33
🎯 Verdict: Over 18,000 kilometers and 18 months, the BYD Dolphin proves an exceptional value proposition with comfortable seats and superb parking cameras, though sudden regenerative brake grab, poor factory tires, and dealer servicing backlogs highlight ownership compromises.
👤 EV Chat
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 5:45 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.4/2
TL;DR Summary: EV Chat analyzes the market impact of the upcoming BYD Dolphin in Australia following right-hand drive price releases in Hong Kong, arguing that BYD's battery manufacturing pedigree and competitive sub-$40k pricing will challenge the MG4 despite lingering brand hesitation regarding Chinese manufacturing.
Key Pros 👍
- Established expertise and reputation as a vertical battery manufacturer providing strong EV engineering credibility „I think I'm more excited about the dolphin over the mg4 because of the fact that byd is a battery manufacturer like we've discussed earlier it is a I have I feel like they have a better reputation for building EVS” ▶️ 00:01:01
- Disruptive entry pricing from approximately $37,000 in right-hand-drive launch markets threatening the MG4 „pricing for another um right hand drive market and that was Hong Kong with the pricing of 37 000 for the standard range that is really so equivalent it's converted and forty six thousand dollars” ▶️ 00:00:26
- Rapid sales success in Australia cementing BYD as the second-highest selling EV brand behind Tesla „they are the second highest selling manufacturer in Australia for EVS right now” ▶️ 00:01:21
- Prompt vehicle supply and availability bypassing long 7-to-8 month waiting lists of legacy Korean rivals „what was the waiting time was like seven or eight months wasn't it... and diatos is not as bad for what I understand” ▶️ 00:03:41
Key Cons 👎
- Consumer prejudice and political media skepticism regarding vehicles manufactured in China „there's a lot of people that are very I want to say angry but they are very they don't want to buy stuff from China even one of the things that especially in Australia if you watch a little bit of Sky News which you shouldn't but but if you do... that do not appreciate buying stuff from China” ▶️ 00:01:36
- Unconfirmed local delivery timelines and final Australian landing tariffs create market anticipation „we don't know when it's gonna happen when is it going to release in Australia yet we don't know” ▶️ 00:05:03
- Intense head-to-head competition against well-received budget electric hatchbacks such as the MG4 „it's gonna be 40 something thousand it's going to compete with the mg4” ▶️ 00:00:53
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin is primed to become a major electric sales volume leader in right-hand-drive markets by leveraging BYD's battery manufacturing strengths, prompt delivery supply chains, and sharp pricing to directly undercut European and Japanese alternatives.
👤 EVDealer Group
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 9:42 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.4/2
TL;DR Summary: A comprehensive dealer walkthrough of the BYD Dolphin Premium highlighting its configurable cargo space, rotating infotainment, and wireless phone mirroring alongside modest DC charging speeds.
Key Pros 👍
- Dual-level adjustable luggage floor provides flexible cargo depth or a seamless flat surface when rear seats fold „you get this little shelf that you can raise and lower to either give you more storage in a deeper boost, or you can make it a flat floor if you were to lower the rear seats” ▶️ 00:01:04
- Convenient wireless smartphone integration for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with rapid pairing „With connecting your phone for things such as Bluetooth and your wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there's various ways to do this on the screen... at which point it will then wirelessly connect” ▶️ 00:05:21
- Clever three-finger touch gestures allow quick climate adjustments directly from the screen „While it is displayed your temperature and your fan speed down the bottom, if you use the typical BYD three-finger shortcuts, left and right, you can adjust your fan speed. And if you go up and down, you can adjust your temperature” ▶️ 00:06:42
- Comprehensive active safety suite with intelligent lane keeping and adaptive cruise control „In your A-dash, you'll have things such as your intelligent cruise control. Now, if you were to flick this on, when you adjust or turn on your cruise control via your steering wheel, the car will not only set a speed for you, but will also adjust to the car in front, and keep you in your lane” ▶️ 00:08:25
Key Cons 👎
- Modest DC fast charging throughput peaking at only 60 kW on Essential and 80 kW on Premium trims „On the Dolphin Essential, your max DC will be 60 kW. On the Premium model, your max DC will be 80 kW” ▶️ 00:02:01
- AC charging capped at single-phase 7 kW across the lineup rather than three-phase 11 kW „On both variants of the Dolphin, you have a max charging on an AC at 7 kW” ▶️ 00:01:57
- Desirable features like panoramic glass roof and high-speed 50W wireless phone charging are reserved exclusively for the top Premium grade „In the Premium model, you'll also have your panoramic roof and sunshade... In the Premium model, you'll also have a 50 W wireless charging pad here” ▶️ 00:02:50
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Premium delivers an approachable and tech-forward electric hatchback experience boasting generous interior practicality, customizable touchscreen controls, and abundant ADAS equipment, although peak fast-charging speeds remain comparatively modest.
👤 Juic'd Garage
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 1:16 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.5/2
TL;DR Summary: Juic'd Garage highlights six key advantages of the BYD Dolphin over the larger Atto 3, highlighting its grippier seat upholstery, more practical interior cubbies (including a sunglasses holder), superior air vent placement, standard rear privacy glass, and punchier, more agile handling. However, non-black models feature polarizing matching pastel interior themes, and overall luggage space is inherently tighter than the SUV.
Key Pros 👍
- Grippier and more supportive seat upholstery compared to the slippery Atto 3 seats „first up check out these seats I don't know what material they are but compared to the AO 3 it's so much grippier the reason why I bought this color is because the byd dolphin has got a more conservative interior now you can see this is all black” ▶️ 00:00:10
- Superior cabin organization with multiple dedicated phone trays and an overhead sunglasses case „it's got more practical storage area so you've got a place for your phone got a place for your keys and then you got a place for your sunglasses and then a shelf for your second phone uh but more importantly there's also a sunglasses holder check this out you don't get that in the ATO three” ▶️ 00:00:30
- Lighter, more compact dimensions yield noticeably sharper acceleration and nimble dynamics „this being a smaller car means that the acceleration is going to be better and it will handle much much much better” ▶️ 00:01:04
Key Cons 👎
- Vibrant exterior color options force loud color-matched interior cabins that won't suit conservative buyers „if you want to go wild you can also pick some Wild colors like pink and then the interior will be pink as well” ▶️ 00:00:22
- Compact hatchback packaging inherently trades off boot capacity compared to the larger Atto 3 SUV „this being a smaller car means that the acceleration is going to be better and it will handle much much much better” ▶️ 00:01:04
🎯 Verdict: Compared directly to its Atto 3 sibling, the BYD Dolphin proves punchier, more agile, and ergonomically superior with grippier seats, sensible air vent positioning, and clever cubbies, easily compensating for its smaller hatchback footprint.
👤 DavesEvDreams
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 25:00 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.4/2
TL;DR Summary: An owner shares real-world ownership costs and public charging experiences with the BYD Dolphin Surf Boost on Christmas Day, celebrating exceptional PCP value (£189 down / £200 a month) and durable Blade battery chemistry that allows 100% charging, despite slow 35-37 kW draw at a 150 kW public charger.
Key Pros 👍
- Extremely economical monthly PCP terms costing around £200 per month for a 10,000-mile annual contract „It's costing me 200 and a penny roughly a month for 10,000 mi with a £189 down. Will it pay for itself? I think it will. virtually.” ▶️ 00:07:13
- Resilient Blade battery chemistry supports regular 100% top-ups without premature cell degradation „the battery on a BYD, you can charge to 100% every time. It's not the 80% rule like a lot of the EVs, which is why I didn't go for another one by a German manufacturer... I was told this battery the blade will not degrade. It will do 20,000 charges.” ▶️ 00:18:13
- Commendable everyday real-world energy efficiency achieving between 3.8 and 4.3 miles per kilowatt-hour „So, for the last 100 miles, it's been 3.8 kilow for 100 miles... I've had days, like I say, we've only had it 5 days. I've got it to 4.3 kW per mile. So, that's the numbers we're doing is per mile.” ▶️ 00:23:02
- Convenient digital key capability allows unlocking and operating the car remotely via mobile smartphone application „And it has keyless entry, so you can download an app and just open it with your phone. You can also give permission to somebody else on their phone on the app and they can also open lock and drive the car without a key” ▶️ 00:11:45
Key Cons 👎
- Sluggish DC fast-charging intake drawing only 34 to 37 kW at an unrestricted 150 kW commercial charging station „So, it says we're on 54%. It's charging at 34 35 kW. It says another 50 minutes. Well, let me assure you, I won't be staying here Christmas Day for another 50 minutes.” ▶️ 00:14:04
- Misleading contactless payment scanner placement on commercial chargers causing confusion and delays „Plug in your EV paper card. Stop. retap card on or on the app and it looks like you tap in here to pay... and I was swiping me card there and it kept saying not accepted, not accepted. Download the app. So, I scanned that, downloaded the app, and I hadn't realized that the pay is down here.” ▶️ 00:16:12
- Fiddly dual charging port protective caps require a strict bottom-first insertion sequence to latch closed „So, if you don't if you put that one in first, that one doesn't fit. Look. So, you do have to put the bottom in first. And that shows you that recess there.” ▶️ 00:21:22
- Lengthy multi-week waiting periods for domestic wallbox installation force temporary reliance on costlier public chargers „I can't plug it in at home because when I bought it, there was a 4-week wait for the charge to be fitted.” ▶️ 00:08:19
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Surf Boost proves that budget EV motoring can effectively pay for itself via low PCP rates and cheap home charging, though frustratingly slow public DC charge speeds and confusing charger payment terminals complicate long-distance travel.
👤 What Car?
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 15:57 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.2/2
TL;DR Summary: What Car? tests the BYD Dolphin Surf in Rome, highlighting its compelling price advantage of thousands of pounds over the Citroën ë-C3 and Renault 5, alongside generous rear knee and foot room and punchy 8.28-second 0-60 sprint in top Comfort spec. On the flip side, the chassis suffers from pronounced body pitch and dive under braking, an inconsistently grabby brake pedal, and a relatively narrow front cabin.
Key Pros 👍
- Significantly undercuts mainstream small electric rivals by thousands of pounds „it undercuts cars like the Citron EC3 and the Renault 5 by thousands of pounds... but it's around £4,000 less than an entry-le Renault 5 and around £3,000 less than the cheapest Citroen EC3.” ▶️ 00:00:04
- Impressive rear seat packaging with superior knee and foot clearance compared to class benchmarks „I have a decent amount of knee room, I would say. Also, very good foot space. This seat in front is set up for my driving position. It is as low as it will possibly go. And look at that. I can move my feet around quite easily... In fact, this is actually slightly better in the back than a Renault 5 for someone of my height because I've got a little bit more knee room and also headroom.” ▶️ 00:01:32
- Punchy 150 hp motor delivers real-world 8.28-second 0-60 mph sprint beating factory claims „Acceleration certainly feels pretty strong given the class and we have hit naugh to 60 in 8.28 seconds. That is quicker than this car can officially go. The official time is naugh to 62 of course in 9.1 seconds but 8.28 not bad at all.” ▶️ 00:12:37
Key Cons 👎
- Excessive suspension pitch and nose dive under braking alongside modest cornering grip „Let's start with the amount of pitch there is in the car. So, if you accelerate quite quickly, you'll notice the nose of the car rear up. And when you break, and I'm not talking about doing an emergency stop, but just moderately quickly for a tight corner on a country road like this, then the nose does dive down towards the road quite noticeably. And on top of that, there isn't a huge amount of grip in this car.” ▶️ 00:13:06
- Grabby and difficult-to-modulate brake pedal feel during moderate deceleration „Another disappointing thing is the brake pedal. If you want to slow down very gently, then it's quite easy to do that. But if you want to slow down a little bit faster again for a tighter corner on a road like this, then you will find that they can quickly become quite grabby and it makes it difficult to know or to judge how much pressure you need to apply to slow down smoothly.” ▶️ 00:13:57
- Narrow front cabin architecture with wide center console creating a hemmed-in feeling „The first thing to point out is that it does feel quite narrow in here. This is a slightly narrower car than a Citroen EC3 or a Renault 5. And it does feel it because this B-pillar here is quite close to my shoulder. And also this big floating center console in the middle just makes you feel slightly hemmed in.” ▶️ 00:07:52
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Surf effectively fills a crucial gap in the entry-level EV market, offering surprisingly spacious rear accommodation and punchy acceleration for thousands less than mainstream rivals, despite choppy suspension control and inconsistent, grabby braking.
👤 CarGurus UK
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 13:27 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.1/2
TL;DR Summary: CarGurus UK evaluates the BYD Dolphin Design, commending its high equipment levels, cushy ride comfort, and innovative Cobalt-free Blade battery, but noting intrusive driver assistance, poor winter efficiency, and front-wheel wheelspin under acceleration.
Key Pros 👍
- Exceptional value proposition offering top-tier equipment and long range for the price of base rivals „that means that the top spec byd dolphin with that long range is the same price as a very entry level Perse E28 or fat 600e for instance so it really is a lot of car for the money” ▶️ 00:01:48
- Plush and relaxed ride comfort with multi-link rear suspension absorbing road bumps well „Beyond the lane keep assy it's really comfy it's got quite a slightly wallowy ride you can really feel the body moving about but I don't mind that because actually it's well enough controlled that it doesn't feel too kind of you know sort of sickness inducing” ▶️ 00:09:40
- Innovative Cobalt-free LFP Blade battery architecture delivering safety and environmental benefits „this is a lithium ion phosphate that's Ion with an R ion phosphate lfp battery different cell design different chemistry no Cobalt it's good news these batteries I think are really really good” ▶️ 00:07:45
- Impressive rear passenger legroom and space efficiency for a vehicle under 4.3 meters in length „where the dolphin does really well is with rear passenger space which is definitely been prioritized over that boot so you got loads of leg room here so you really will get a tall adult in here fairly comfortably” ▶️ 00:03:33
Key Cons 👎
- Overly intrusive and abrupt Lane Keep Assist that requires tedious multi-step menu navigation to disable „and there's just things like the lane keep assist really intrusive in this car much more so than in most other cars and that's saying something so around here we got lots of narrow roads with solid white lines on the side of the roads and the lane keeper syst is really kind of really tugs you across the road” ▶️ 00:05:26
- Poor energy efficiency in cold weather resulting in a real-world range drop to around 160 miles „in practice it only managed about 2.7 m per kwatt hour which is really quite poor efficiency despite the cold weather so that suggests a real world range of more like 160 m to a charge” ▶️ 00:11:39
- Front tires struggle to put down torque cleanly, producing noticeable wheelspin and scrabble out of junctions „you've got 2011 brake horsepower not to 62 in 7 seconds so it's actually reasonably quick but you do get still quite a lot of Scrabble from those tires so even kind of like you know a middling acceleration out of a junction especially if you've got a bit of steering lock on and you get those tires spinning up” ▶️ 00:09:09
- Shallow and modest 345-liter boot capacity compromised to prioritize rear legroom „the boot size is quite a disappointment in the dolphin at 345 L it's quite a bit smaller than the mg 4S and it's quite a shallow boot too” ▶️ 00:03:10
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin provides unbeatable specification and comfortable long-distance cruising for its price tag, yet compromises like aggressive driver-assistance interventions, mediocre cold-weather efficiency, and a small boot constantly remind drivers of its budget engineering.
👤 Electrifying
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 16:00 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.1/2
TL;DR Summary: Following a three-month long-term test, Electrifying praises the top-tier BYD Dolphin Design for its surprisingly expansive rear cabin space, effective motorway adaptive cruise control, and keen starting price in the mid-£20,000s. However, daily life exposed glitchy Apple CarPlay audio switching, a flimsy unhooking parcel shelf, aggressive lane-keep steering intervention on rural roads, and absent one-pedal regenerative braking.
Key Pros 👍
- Huge rear passenger cabin space achieved by pushing the wheels out to the vehicle corners „Inside it is so roomy back here so roomy that is set up for my driving position I am 5' 6 and a half and I have great leg room look at that look at that there's so much space they've pushed the wheels all the way out to make the interior feel huge back here which you just wouldn't expect of a car of this size and I'm genuinely impressed by it” ▶️ 00:04:11
- Smooth and dependable motorway adaptive cruise control easily toggled via physical steering buttons „the adaptive cruise control is very very good very good I mean I am that person as soon as I get onto the motorway I put on the adaptive cruise control and just live my best lazy driving life and it works really really well and you can adjust all the settings on the steering wheel” ▶️ 00:12:30
- Automated electric panoramic roof blind that closes on shutdown to prevent interior overheating „and then every time you turn the car off it closes itself which I think is a really good thing cuz sometimes especially in summer your car might end up getting absolutely boiling so that will completely close every time you turn off the car which is good” ▶️ 00:05:36
Key Cons 👎
- Glitchy wired Apple CarPlay connection that frequently routes media audio back through the smartphone „it's not the best carplay like I'll be listening to a podcast or something like that while I'm driving and then if someone phones me I'll speak to them on the phone through carplay and then I'll try and go back to the podcast and then for some reason it's playing out my phone so then I have to disconnect it reconnect it disconnect it reconnect it” ▶️ 00:06:44
- Forceful and tugging lane-keep assist system that struggles on narrow British B-roads „you may want to switch off your lane keeper assy this is purely because on our Great British B- roads it can get a bit all over the place and when it tries to keep you in Lane it's a tad on the forceful side” ▶️ 00:13:05
- Absence of genuine one-pedal driving and negligible variation between regenerative braking modes „in terms of one pedal driving no it doesn't have one pedal driving at all there are two settings when it comes to the regen braking you have standard and high and I can tell you now there's not much difference between the two you will lift your foot off the accelerator and it just won't really give that much feedback” ▶️ 00:10:57
🎯 Verdict: After three months of daily driving, the BYD Dolphin proves an impressively spacious, well-equipped, and affordable electric hatchback with competent adaptive cruise control, though temperamental CarPlay connectivity and forceful lane assist require patience.
👤 Carbuyer
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 11:06 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.5/2
TL;DR Summary: Carbuyer praises the BYD Dolphin as a standout, value-for-money electric hatchback that comfortably undercuts legacy rivals like the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric. Upgraded European Hankook tires significantly improve wet-weather grip and chassis maturity, though overly sensitive driver-assist warning chimes and clumsy rolling center console switches remain annoying.
Key Pros 👍
- Exceptional value proposition undercutting legacy supermini rivals by thousands of pounds „in its most basic guys the dolphin is the cheapest new electric car that money can buy but work your way up the range and for 30 grand give or take you get a 265m M Tech fied small family car with room for four and a whopping great rotating touchcreen this is value for money personified... This thing is Thousands less than an electric corser so sit take notice cuz this is not a cheap car it's a good value car and there's a difference” ▶️ 00:00:52
- Upgraded European-spec Hankook tires significantly improve road maturity and wet cornering grip „very early models some of the ones we tried in Spain and the early ones in the UK came on and I'm not joking linglong Comfort Master Tires but since then the company has done a deal with hanook which means that all UK and European models get this uprated Rubber and the difference is tangible you're not constantly scrabbling for grip on wet roundabouts or fighting the steering it just makes the car feel much more mature” ▶️ 00:04:01
- Dedicated EV platform architecture affords generous rear passenger foot room and a completely flat floor „you know I'm just over 6 tall and even with the top spec cars panoramic roof the way the roof kind of Bubbles at the back here means that I've got enough head room and I've got decent knee room as well and because this car is based on electric platform from the off and the wheels are stretched right out into the corners... there's a completely flat floor so I've got loads of space for my feet” ▶️ 00:07:54
Key Cons 👎
- Hyperactive, nannying driver assist chimes that require frustrating menu diving to silence „one thing I will say is that we found ourselves having to dive into some of the infotainment menus to turn off some of the safy systems you can probably hear it binging and bonging as we're driving along it's setup is just a bit too intrusive it likes to keep you in its Lane and and tell you when you're speeding and not that that happens very often or tell you that you're too close to the car in front that kind of thing it's all a bit too well nannying” ▶️ 00:05:23
- Unintuitive center console rocker switches that feel awkward to toggle while driving „This row of buttons down here this is a bit of an area of complaint for me... these buttons you expect to click but actually even the hazard lights you kind of have to rock it and that just doesn't seem as easy to use as it should be” ▶️ 00:02:44
- Mild off-throttle regenerative braking with no true one-pedal driving functionality „Probably our biggest issue and actually this is subjective so it may or may not matter to you is that the regenerative braking isn't very strong... The byd system isn't particularly noticeable it's not particularly aggressive” ▶️ 00:06:07
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin emerges as an exceptionally compelling electric supermini, delivering immense standard equipment, refined Hankook-shod road manners, and generous four-seat space, while easily undercutting established European rivals despite hyperactive driver assistance chimes.
👤 benEV
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 28:29 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.3/2
TL;DR Summary: Owner 'benEV' reviews his BYD Dolphin after one year and over 7,000 miles of daily use in the UK, praising its remarkably cheap running costs (under £200 in home charging electricity), comfortable long-distance seats, and flawless winter performance in heavy snow. On the negative side, the boot parcel shelf repeatedly pops out of its grooves, the front air vent reflects noticeably on the windscreen in sunny weather, and the wireless phone charging pad frequently overheats.
Key Pros 👍
- Extremely economical daily running costs with under £200 spent on home electricity over 7,000 miles „the cost of running this car has been absolutely next to nothing really. Since I had the charger installed in September when I got the car, uh I think I've used just shy of £200. So, and that is the majority of the miles that I put through this car through home charging.” ▶️ 00:07:22
- Exceptional traction in deep winter snow when utilizing dedicated Snow driving mode „On that morning of the snow of a team of 12 us, they all live within pretty much the same distance of me. I was the only one and one other person who has a polo to get into work. This car in snow mode with these tires was absolutely fantastic. It was going up hills. It managed it all for me. It it just kept going. Didn't get stuck once.” ▶️ 00:10:33
- Supportive seating and robust, hard-wearing interior trim suited to family errands and camping gear „It's rugged inside. The materials inside the car are really rugged. It's really nicely put together. It's It's just a nice place to be be the cabin, even when it's full of stuff like camping gear we've had in the other day. It's comfortable. These seats, I've never get bored of driving on these seats. They're absolutely fantastic and I absolutely love them.” ▶️ 00:15:10
Key Cons 👎
- Poorly engineered rear parcel shelf that slips out of its alignment pins and remains stuck upwards „sometimes when I open the boot and close it, the partial shelf gets stuck up. Um, it's that is a bad design. I don't know if any any other car has it or similar, but I really don't like that. It's like it's like the grooves that slot in aren't fantastic. Um, so it just slips out of place and then you end up with your parcel shelf stuck up.” ▶️ 00:06:34
- Prominent windshield reflection from dashboard defrost vents under bright direct sunlight „the reflection of the front vent on the windscreen really grinds me. And it genuinely probably is my biggest hate on this car. I have very few things to complain about, but that is one of them. It's just as soon as there's any sun out, it's just reflecting at the bottom.” ▶️ 00:16:16
- Wireless charging cradle triggers severe smartphone overheating without delivering effective charge „the wireless phone charger, I don't know what it is. It's so slow and also it just overheats my phone. Something rotten... within about 5 10 minutes of it being in there, it's flashing up on my screen, removed from charger to improve phone's performance, and the phone is roasting hot and it's barely charged.” ▶️ 00:18:08
🎯 Verdict: After one year and over 7,000 miles, the BYD Dolphin proves an impressively economical, comfortable, and reliable electric commuter with surprising snow traction, though an annoying windscreen vent glare and a poorly designed parcel shelf detract from daily usability.
👤 Autogefühl
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 30:29 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.3/2
TL;DR Summary: Autogefühl evaluates the BYD Seal 6 Touring DM-i estate, applauding its remarkable 1,500 km combined long-haul range and near-luxury interior appointments, while pointing out restricted pedal clearance for tall drivers and persistent ADAS alert chimes.
Key Pros 👍
- Tremendous real-world hybrid touring range reaching 1,400 to 1,500 km via low highway consumption and a 65-liter tank „calculated to the 65 L fuel tank. Really something between 1,400 km plus. Really interesting... you can indeed score this 1,500 km or around 900 miles range with this vehicle” ▶️ 00:28:38
- Exceptional interior perceived quality, soft-touch neoprene trims, and animal-free perforated leatherette rivaling premium German wagons „The quality of the materials and so on is really good... Also, the individual detailing and so on. So, it's really astonishing that they can offer this at that price” ▶️ 00:28:06
- Well-judged suspension compliance and balanced steering absorb road imperfections and potholes comfortably „Suspension is tuned on a good average setting, so you get enough comfort also when there are potholes and so on. So, I think that's actually quite good. I also have a good steering feel” ▶️ 00:24:44
- Expansive panoramic glass sunroof includes both a physical shade and a rare power-opening glass section „You can actually also really open that one. And this is also very rare these days. And it's also a very large sunroof as I say. And with uh yeah, also quite substantial opening” ▶️ 00:06:33
Key Cons 👎
- Constricted driver footwell causes larger shoes to catch awkwardly between the accelerator and brake pedal „when I'm soon about to switch again from brake pedal to throttle or back again, I really tend to get stuck with my feet down there somehow because my feet are just probably too long, too big shoes... and that's actually a really dangerous thing I feel” ▶️ 00:26:51
- Overly sensitive driver monitoring and traffic sign recognition trigger persistent loud acoustic chimes buried deep in menus „And this keep eyes on the road thing is really, you know, obtrusive. And also the like when you have the traffic sign recognition... it's always like a really really loud beep every time the traffic sign is recognized... it's really really deep in the menu” ▶️ 00:25:33
- Pungent artificial chemical odor lingers noticeably inside brand-new vehicle cabins „Still, there is a distinct artificial chemical smell here when you enter the vehicle. This one has just 1,385 km on the clock... I think this is another aspect they have to work on” ▶️ 00:10:02
- Elevated seating cushion angle compromises thigh support and reduces available headroom for drivers over six feet tall „I'm sitting relatively high in a VGA, it's still okay... I also feel when when city driving, I'm almost sitting in the ceiling basically. Um, knees very high” ▶️ 00:11:52
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Seal 6 Touring DM-i makes an extraordinarily compelling case against established European family estates by combining genuine 1,500 km range capability with luxurious cabin finishes at a bargain price, provided BYD refines pedal footwell clearance and acoustic assistance alarms.
👤 The Future is Electric
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 22:20 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.6/2
TL;DR Summary: The Future is Electric reviews the BYD Dolphin Surf in Malta, celebrating its sensational sub-€11,000 subsidized price tag and class-leading 10 kWh/100 km real-world efficiency, while lamenting the lack of true one-pedal regenerative braking.
Key Pros 👍
- Unprecedented affordability starting from just €10,500 after local EV subsidies for a fully equipped modern electric car „And I'm excited because the headline here is €10,500 for a brand new BYD dolphin surf out on the road thanks to 2025 Maltese government incentives” ▶️ 00:00:07
- Stellar low-speed efficiency delivering 10 kWh/100 km and a calculated 430 km real-world urban range on the 43 kWh battery „So I've achieved an efficiency of 10 kilowatt hours per 100 km from my essentially real world driving test which if we do some math knowing the size of the battery which is 43 kW hours dividing that by 10... implies a real world driving test in today's very hot conditions of 430 km” ▶️ 00:19:44
- Distinctive exterior styling penned by renowned automotive designer Wolfgang Egger giving it aggressive mini-Lamborghini proportions „I think what strikes me about this car is the exterior design which I think immediately stands out and it's a testament to the guy who actually designed it none other than Wolf Gang Edgar who is a legendary car designer who's designed cars for Audi for Lamborghini” ▶️ 00:04:33
- Natural freewheeling and coasting behavior in standard drive mode avoids jerky deceleration on open roads „the standard mode, which is the mode that's going to be by default on, the car does coast naturally. So, as soon as you let go of the accelerator, there is very little to no um braking experience, which I think is very important” ▶️ 00:15:09
Key Cons 👎
- Regenerative braking is underpowered even in high mode and lacks true single-pedal hold capability „Even in its highest setting, the car gives you very little braking region and we are very far from say a one pedal driving mode which this certainly does not have” ▶️ 00:14:44
- Regen level adjustments require navigating screen menus rather than using a convenient physical rocker switch „Different to other BYD vehicles, you operate the region setting not from a physical switch as I'm used to seeing, but toggled from the screen inside one of the menus” ▶️ 00:14:18
- Climate control interface omits explicit Celsius/Fahrenheit temperature readouts, relying on vague relative heat bars „I can't tell you the temperature reading because there is no degrees measurement indicated. I can just tell you this cold” ▶️ 00:19:14
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Surf represents an unbeatable value proposition in entry-level urban electromobility, pairing striking Wolfgang Egger styling with benchmark 10 kWh/100 km efficiency, despite its weak regenerative braking and missing physical regen toggles.
👤 SDA Dan Cars
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 36:40 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.4/2
TL;DR Summary: SDA Dan Cars evaluates the European BYD Dolphin Surf in top-spec 154 hp guise, praising its remarkably compliant suspension over city bumps, standard Level 2 driver assist, and impressive real-world energy efficiency of around 13-15 kWh/100 km. However, noticeable wind noise intrudes above 110 km/h and the regenerative braking setup lacks true one-pedal deceleration.
Key Pros 👍
- Plush, comfort-focused suspension that glides over city cobblestones and speed bumps „the suspension quality, I mean the comfort is very good. The car is not set up to be sporty. The car is set up to be comfortable and you feel that every time you go over the bumps, small to medium bumps is doing fantastic. It feels soft. It feels nice.” ▶️ 00:14:27
- Full Level 2 intelligent cruise control and lane centering included as standard equipment across all trims „This is the most impressive thing on this car. I don't think there are many cars in this class that are allowed to work so good as this BYD dolphin surf. It has the same intelligent cruise control that it's using on the bigger cars. And you just set up from here. It stay between the lanes, accelerate, brake, keep the distance. It works very, very good. And it's also um yeah, it's level two autopilot.” ▶️ 00:17:34
- Eager and responsive power delivery from the 154 hp electric motor „And you can see immediately when you need acceleration, and I will show you in a second, you have that quick response. Look at this. Accelerate and you have that quick response. And the car is reaching the high speed extremely quick” ▶️ 00:18:14
Key Cons 👎
- Intrusive wind and road noise penetrating the cabin at motorway speeds exceeding 110 km/h „Now, the asphalt here is not that good quality, but yeah, 120 you start to hear some noise. So, I guess the I guess the the the negative thing in the car is somehow the sound insulation at high speed, but other than that, it's it's really good. Also, stability on the road at high speed, it's fine. But there they can work a little bit more as well.” ▶️ 00:23:54
- Soft regenerative braking without genuine one-pedal driving functionality „Even though if you are in high, but they didn't uh set as a one pedal drive. So it's not that one pedal drive feeling. They they leave it a little bit more freely regarding the recuperation. So don't expect to have a strong recuperation on this car.” ▶️ 00:09:23
- Noticeable body lean and minor front wheel slip under aggressive cornering „Of course, it's not a sporty car. So, in curves, you will feel like it's a little bit bouncy, like it's not so planted on the ground. So, don't expect to be a sporty car.” ▶️ 00:15:33
🎯 Verdict: The European-spec BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort delivers plush suspension compliance, punchy 154-horsepower urban acceleration, and a surprisingly competent standard Level 2 driver assistance suite, even though elevated motorway wind noise and absence of genuine one-pedal driving temper high-speed cruising appeal.
👤 cinch
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 5:46 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.4/2
TL;DR Summary: Cinch reviews the BYD Dolphin, praising its comfortable ride, intuitive cabin ergonomics, and golf-like sensibility as a major threat to European legacy rivals, despite noticeable body roll and mediocre fast-charging speeds.
Key Pros 👍
- Understated and functional interior with intuitive physical buttons and generous storage „and the interior feels well built and functional as well just like the best of golves but this one doesn't have an infotainment system that makes you want to pull your hair out plus it has buttons so it feels more usable than the spacious but spar mg4” ▶️ 00:01:39
- Compliant, comfortable suspension that smothers rough road surfaces effectively „plus the dolphin has over 200 horsepower which is comparable with Golf GTI of recent years and yet it rides like a much more sensible model smothering out the worst of UK roads” ▶️ 00:01:58
- Generous rear passenger space with ample legroom, headroom, and a completely flat floor „and there's plenty of space in the back as well not only do I have good amounts of foot and knee room but the middle passenger does as well because there's no tunnel like you get in a gulf” ▶️ 00:02:42
- Competitive 265-mile claimed range on the 60 kWh battery version at an attractive price point „at least 265 m a claim range is decent for this 60 K model and comparable to the equivalent price mg4” ▶️ 00:05:17
Key Cons 👎
- Soft suspension setup results in noticeable body lean through roundabouts and quick corners „mg Corners flat this thing has a bit more role to it especially if you carry speed into a roundabout and that's because it's so comfortable” ▶️ 00:03:57
- Rotating barrel switches on the dashboard are awkward to operate accurately on the move „I love that they're analog switches and an easy reach rather than being hidden behind menus in the touchcreen but they don't press they rotate which makes them less easy to operate when you're driving” ▶️ 00:04:36
- Regenerative braking does not offer true one-pedal driving to a complete stop „maximum regen setting still doesn't let you fully one pedal drive even at low speed which feels like a shame in such an otherwise optimized EV platform” ▶️ 00:04:48
- Wired-only Apple CarPlay and subpar DC fast charging rates compared to leading competitors „although there is one negative for Apple users in that carplay only works when you connect your phone with a wire Boo” ▶️ 00:03:28
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Design emerges as a comfortable, practical, and sensibly priced electric hatchback that feels surprisingly close to the classic Volkswagen Golf formula, though its soft suspension causes noticeable body roll and DC charging speeds lag behind newer rivals.
👤 Cars for Mars
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 8:40 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.1/2
TL;DR Summary: Cars for Mars spends four winter weeks with the BYD Dolphin after trading in a £51,000 Mercedes, praising its incredible value, standard 360-degree cameras, semi-autonomous cruise control, and surprising 6.6-second 0-60 sprint. However, the car suffered severe front-wheel wheelspin in damp cold, elevated road noise, surging adaptive cruise control calibration, and frost-induced sensor errors accompanied by interior roof glass condensation.
Key Pros 👍
- Tremendous standard equipment including full 360-degree cameras and semi-autonomous steering at half the price of luxury rivals „Mercedes, you had to pay extra at £51,000 to get adaptive cruise control. Here, it does the steering, everything for you... The Mercedes had just a tiny little camera in the back. This has all 360 view, so you can really easily get your car parked. It's amazing.” ▶️ 00:01:46
- Surprising straight-line punch clocking a 6.6-second 0-60 mph sprint under optimal conditions „one of the evenings when I managed to put it down, and if you look on the screen, the best one I've got is 6.6 seconds 0 to 60. That is4 seconds faster than what BYD says you're able to get it, which is pretty impressive.” ▶️ 00:05:04
- Convenient keyless door handle buttons and accessible physical switchgear for climate and driving modes „when you approach this car, you see this little button on the handle there. That is what makes all the difference in terms of usability... you just forget about the keys... It's got all the buttons for the right features here physically, so you don't need to actually go into your screen to find some kind of settings.” ▶️ 00:00:27
Key Cons 👎
- Severe front-wheel traction loss and axle tramp on cold or damp road surfaces „Oh, it struggled for grip. Still struggling for grip... we've just tried to get a few runs of 0 to 60 in, and it's too slippery and cold outside. when it spins the wheels, it doesn't count it because it says acceleration failed.” ▶️ 00:04:27
- Compromised cabin sound deadening leading to noticeable ambient road and tire roar at speed „in terms of the cabin noise when driving this car. there is quite a bit of it and you can notice that okay perhaps this is a lower budget car and there's not that much noise dampening around” ▶️ 00:05:21
- Freezing-weather sensor glitches and dripping interior panoramic glass roof condensation „today, this morning when I turned it on, it had all sorts of errors on and it couldn't really make all the sensors work. Probably due to the cold weather. And bear in mind, this wasn't that cold. It was only maybe one or two minus° cold. Another interesting thing is because it's got a panoramic sunroof in the morning when it's freezing cold, it actually freezes on the inside and then when it melts, there's condensation inside the glass and my kids were like, 'Hey, the roof's leaking.'” ▶️ 00:06:07
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin offers astonishing feature content and 6.6-second real-world pace for less than half the price of a premium German EV, but poor wet traction, unrefined acoustic insulation, and freezing-weather sensor faults require compromise.
👤 Planetauto
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 1:13 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.5/2
TL;DR Summary: Planetauto previews the BYD Dolphin at Fully Charged Live North, noting its ocean-inspired styling, standard energy-efficient heat pump for winter driving, and anticipated £28,000 entry price, alongside its modest 30-minute rapid charging from 30% to 80%.
Key Pros 👍
- Factory-fitted energy-saving heat pump preserves battery range in low winter temperatures „it comes with a range of around 260 miles and the good news is that it has a heat pump meaning no more range degradation in the colder months” ▶️ 00:00:45
- Highly competitive anticipated pricing around £28,000 poised to disrupt the UK electric hatchback market „here in September we expect the prices to be around 28 000 pound Mark some more when we have it is this the electric car that's going to shake up the market” ▶️ 00:00:58
- Distinctive oceanic design cues including water-breach headlights and flipper-styled interior door pulls „the name reflects the design philosophy as the front lights take inspiration from how Dolphins breach the water as they fly through the waves... this design feature can be seen inside too with Clipper light door handles” ▶️ 00:00:13
- Useful claimed driving range of around 260 miles suited for everyday urban and intercity trips „it comes with a range of around 260 miles” ▶️ 00:00:45
Key Cons 👎
- DC fast charging rate remains moderate, requiring almost 30 minutes just for a 30% to 80% replenishment „rapid charging aims to get you from 30 to 80 in under 30 minutes too” ▶️ 00:00:53
- Quirky flipper-shaped door handles and aquatic design touches may alienate conservative hatchback buyers „this design feature can be seen inside too with Clipper light door handles” ▶️ 00:00:41
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin previewed at Fully Charged Live demonstrates strong market-disrupting potential with an expected sub-£30,000 price tag, standard winter heat pump, and distinctive aquatic styling, though charging speeds remain conservative.
👤 BYD Auto Australia
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 1:03 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.3/2
TL;DR Summary: BYD Auto Australia details the charging workflow for BYD electric vehicles, highlighting the provision of two factory cables, compatibility with rapid 100% charging via LFP Blade battery technology, and clear dashboard telemetry, while noting slow three-pin granny charging rates and variable external factors affecting speed.
Key Pros 👍
- Factory inclusion of two charging cables covering standard domestic sockets and public untethered Type 2 AC infrastructure „When it's time to charge your BYD, two cables are provided for different scenarios. The three-pin charger plugs into a standard power outlet... This is the second cable provided.” ▶️ 00:00:08
- Durable Blade battery chemistry allows regular and safe charging up to a full 100% state of charge without degradation concerns „With BYD's battery technology, rapid charging to 100% is safe and efficient.” ▶️ 00:00:49
- Informative instrument cluster display clearly shows live charging power delivery and exact time remaining „The instrument panel displays the current charge rate and estimated time to full charge.” ▶️ 00:00:44
- Seamless compatibility with dedicated home wallboxes delivering up to eight times the replenishment speed of 3-pin outlets „For faster charging, consider a wall-mounted AC charger, which can be up to eight times quicker. Your BYD dealer can assist with these units.” ▶️ 00:00:25
Key Cons 👎
- Standard 3-pin domestic outlet charging is extremely slow, providing only approximately 10 km of range per hour plugged in „The three-pin charger plugs into a standard power outlet. Open the charging port on the side of the unlocked car, plug in, and charging begins. This option is best for home use, providing roughly 10 km of charge per hour.” ▶️ 00:00:11
- Charging performance remains subject to external variance based on ambient weather temperatures and grid capacity „Charging speed may vary based on temperature, battery level, and grid power.” ▶️ 00:00:55
- Owners must actively monitor app alerts to avoid incurring penalty idle fees at busy public DC charging bays „Remember to monitor your charging sessions via the BYD app or the charging provider's app to avoid idle fees.” ▶️ 00:00:58
🎯 Verdict: BYD delivers a reassuring and user-friendly charging ecosystem by supplying dual cables and supporting safe 100% rapid top-ups on its Blade battery, though basic 3-pin domestic charging remains extremely slow and vulnerable to ambient temperature variations.
👤 carwow
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 22:56 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.2/2
TL;DR Summary: Carwow reviews the BYD Seal U, praising its generous standard equipment, impressive 4-socket vehicle-to-load feature, and smooth town driving, while criticizing unsettled suspension over bumpy B-roads, weak regenerative braking, and heavy projected depreciation.
Key Pros 👍
- Exceptional standard specification featuring a versatile four-socket Vehicle-to-Load setup capable of running multiple appliances „One of the great things about the CLU is all the technology you get on this car as standard and for a great price... This one has four. We have four plugs here.” ▶️ 00:00:34
- Real-world straight-line acceleration easily outperforms manufacturer claims, completing 0-60 mph in 7.8 seconds „Actually did it in 7.8. What's with 8.9? So, it's good that this car couldn't do n 60 quicker than they said.” ▶️ 00:04:52
- Effortless urban maneuvering with light steering, tight 11-meter turning circle, and transparent under-chassis camera views „The turning circle 11 m. That is pretty blooming tight. And we've got the excellent camera system to help out.” ▶️ 00:19:06
- Plush, supportive heated and ventilated seats paired with standard panoramic sunroof and heads-up display „You get leatherrett seats which are heated and ventilated here in the front. You also get ambient lighting. You get a sunroof which opens and you get amazing surround view cameras.” ▶️ 00:02:41
Key Cons 👎
- Soft suspension becomes flustered, clunky, and unsettled across bumpy or undulating road surfaces at speed „while the suspension is soft, it does sometimes clunk like it did then when you hit a bump. Also, when there's lots of little kind of imperfections in the road, it's always just a little bit unsettled like, oh, I don't know really what to do about this.” ▶️ 00:22:03
- Virtually non-existent regenerative braking effect regardless of menu mode, omitting one-pedal driving „The regenerative braking on this car is almost non-existent. Yet, there is an option to change it from standard to high. But when I do that, I can't feel any change.” ▶️ 00:16:24
- Steep projected residual depreciation with forecasts predicting a loss of nearly half its value in three years „The depreciation on this car is pretty hefty. So this £35,000 car is projected to lose almost half of its value after 3 years and 30,000 mi.” ▶️ 00:15:23
- High and shallow rear window aperture significantly obstructs rearward visibility of following vehicles „What's not so good though is the view out the back window. It's very very shallow and quite high. So really low cars like sports cars, if they're close to you, you won't see them which is not good.” ▶️ 00:18:46
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Seal U delivers extraordinary value-for-money with its lavish standard specification and versatile multi-plug V2L technology, but its unsettled chassis composure over bumpy roads and near-absent regenerative braking prevent it from matching class dynamics.
👤 Ben Alexxander
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 8:29 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.5/2
TL;DR Summary: Ben Alexxander analyzes workshop teardown reports of high-mileage BYD Dolphins operating as commercial taxis past 200,000 km and 220,000 km. The vehicles demonstrated exceptional mechanical stamina, retaining roughly 40% of their factory brake pad material, squeak-free suspensions, and solid battery health, with only minor shine and denim dye transfer on the synthetic leather upholstery.
Key Pros 👍
- Staggering brake longevity with approximately 40% friction material remaining after 200,000 km of taxi duty „obviously the BYD dolphin is electric, so the brakes don't get used nowhere near as much as an ICE car. Uh so, they are in brilliant shape. Obviously, the brakes are really, really good. Probably about 40% left after 200,000 km. he reckons, and I would agree, 300,000 km at least if you drive just like this taxi driver is driving.” ▶️ 00:01:31
- Tightly assembled chassis maintaining silent, rattle-free cabin refinement over high mileage „Suspension, no issues. Apparently, as good as nude. Uh the car has no noises at all. No rattles or anything like that. Especially important because it's electric. And as we all know, if you drive an electric car, they're very, very quiet. So, you can hear any rattle, any rattle at all.” ▶️ 00:01:50
- Massive total cost of ownership savings with minimal scheduled servicing costs „The guy saved huge money like major major dollars... the cost of this latest service was €55 or €9ie dollars, which includes fluids and you can swap the tires around. I think that's a bargain to be honest for those two things.” ▶️ 00:02:51
Key Cons 👎
- Surface wear and slight denim dye discoloration on the cream synthetic seat upholstery „Things start to look a little bit shiny cuz I've had 200,000 km on them in the back seats and the front seats and the drive seat, but literally no issues. No crumbling, no uh tears or anything like that. the material is not falling off or falling apart that a slight bless on the cream part because of maybe some blue from someone's denim trousers” ▶️ 00:02:27
- Routine requirement for periodic differential oil and fluid renewals during heavy commercial cycles „So, the oil in the diff uh has been replaced by 200,000. Tires were replaced at 200,000. Uh the brake fluid that was replaced as well, but no issues at all other than they just obviously chose to replace it cuz it's a good thing to do. Coolant as well that was replaced.” ▶️ 00:02:07
🎯 Verdict: Real-world inspection of 220,000-kilometer fleet BYD Dolphins confirms stellar commercial durability, retaining original brake pads and rattle-free suspension, cementing its status as an electric successor to legendary Japanese runabouts despite minor synthetic leather wear.
👤 carwow
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 32:25 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.1/2
TL;DR Summary: Carwow pits the BYD Seal against the facelifted Tesla Model 3, praising the Seal's superior cabin ergonomics with physical stalks, driver instruments, and head-up display, while declaring the Model 3 victorious due to faster charging, better efficiency, sharper road dynamics, and vastly superior navigation route planning.
Key Pros 👍
- Sensible driver-centric cabin layout featuring a dedicated digital driver display, head-up display, and physical gear lever „this is not a problem with the byd seal because they have sensibly given their car a digital driver's display so this Speedo is just there oh and you've also got a heads up display so you can have the speed there projected on the road in front of you” ▶️ 00:09:08
- Brutal dual-motor straight-line performance edging ahead in a standing quarter-mile drag race at 12.6 seconds „the slow motion action replay reveals that it was the byd that crossed the line first ahead of the Tesla however both cars recorded a standing quarter mile time of 12.6 seconds” ▶️ 00:05:59
- Plush, sculpted rear seat bench with generous recline angle and easily accessible Isofix mounting points „the seats a bit more sculptured to your bottom so you sitting the more and the seat backs are bit more sculptured as well and more reclined so the sitting position is just a bit more relaxing” ▶️ 00:17:37
- Standard integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring missing from Tesla „at least you do get smartphone mirroring unlike in the model 3” ▶️ 00:10:07
Key Cons 👎
- Significantly slower DC fast-charging cap of 150 kW compared to Tesla's 250 kW Supercharger peak „that's because it's only capable of DC charging up to 150 KW the Tesla however can charge up to 250 KW which means you can charge it from 10% to 80% full in just 14 minutes” ▶️ 00:21:38
- Unpleasant, grabby brake pedal feel that makes smooth low-speed stops and parking tricky „oh my God first thing the brakes are really grabby can I alter the brake sensitivity break this mode let's try again oh it feels weird no that's horrible... but the brakes are awful so grabby” ▶️ 00:15:29
- Softer, looser chassis setup that lacks the precise body control and poise of the lighter Model 3 „It just feels looser less tied down bit more floaty bit more leany bit more vague ultimately it's just not as good dynamically as that Tesla” ▶️ 00:27:44
- Built-in satellite navigation cannot automatically plan and schedule charging stops along long-distance journeys „The byd system is easy to program and it shows a couple of different root options but it doesn't automatically add EV charges along the way... you have to add charges manually along your route which is a ban” ▶️ 00:11:00
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Seal successfully retains driver-friendly traditional ergonomics, standard smartphone projection, and blistering straight-line pace, but the Tesla Model 3 remains the superior ownership proposition thanks to sharper road-holding, 250 kW Supercharging, and peerless route integration.
👤 Marek Drives in English
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 16:27 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.1/2
TL;DR Summary: Marek Drives in English reviews the top-spec BYD Dolphin 60.4 kWh, admiring its remarkable limousine-like suspension suppleness and upscale interior materials, while calling out atrocious outward visibility, jerky brake blending, and mediocre 88 kW fast charging.
Key Pros 👍
- Astonishingly supple suspension compliance glides over broken city tarmac and tram rails like a luxury flagship „the dolphin on the other hand goes over bumps like a limousine I have several bumpy roads and Trum trucks around in my area and nothing below a seven series or an S-Class can go over them with Grace nothing except the byd dolphin it's literally like an assclass” ▶️ 00:06:10
- High perceived cabin quality and tactile surfaces matching premium German compact benchmarks „the dolphin interior at least in this top trim I'm reviewing today feels very expensive this is the level of finish I'd expect from an Audi A1 bmw1 series or a Mercedes-Benz a class” ▶️ 00:09:32
- Standard factory heat pump combined with structurally dense and thermally stable Blade LFP cells „the dolphin is powered by lfp batteries which are more efficient more thermally stable and more dense than older Battery Technology byd calls its setup blade battery... the heat pump is standard on the dolphin which I'm sure helps boosting efficiency” ▶️ 00:04:32
- Expansive rear passenger legroom and a completely flat floor facilitate comfortable second-row accommodation „the back rest splits 4060 but there is an armrest with cup holders and the flo floor is flat in the middle there is also a lot of leg room and okayish Headroom” ▶️ 00:14:30
Key Cons 👎
- Extremely restrictive outward sightlines hampered by bulky A-pillars and compromised mirror angles cause disorientation when parking „visibility is terrible especially the first impression is bad not only the a pillars are thick and their base feels too high but also the wing mirrors don't help and in the rearview mirror I see a bit of the front seat headrests... overall the visibility is so bad that in my opinion the 360 camera doesn't help much I feel disoriented during parking Maneuvers” ▶️ 00:06:33
- Leisurely 88 kW peak DC charging requires 40 minutes to replenish from 10 to 80 percent „DC charging Peaks at 88 KW which means charging from 10 to 80% takes 40 minutes in 2025 this is subpar” ▶️ 00:04:23
- Unrefined brake pedal blending creates an abrupt, jerky threshold transition from motor regen to mechanical calipers „with regen set to high I noticed an unpleasant transition from recuperation to friction braking as you push the brake pedal... only after crossing a certain threshold I feel as if region braking is suddenly turned off and friction brakes are applied with Force... causing an unpleasant jerk” ▶️ 00:08:45
- Ineffective HVAC temperature calibration requires dialing up to 28°C just to obtain mild cabin warmth „in order to feel any warmth I have to set the interior temperature to 27 28° C that's like 80° fahr and this barely heats up the cabin” ▶️ 00:05:00
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin provides surprising limousine-grade ride smoothness and premium-feeling cabin materials at an affordable price, but subpar DC charging rates, awkward brake blending, and restricted outward visibility compromise its urban agility.
👤 AutoBears
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 41:05 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.6/2
TL;DR Summary: AutoBears spends a week living with the BYD Dolphin Design, concluding it is one of the best-value small electric family hatchbacks on the UK market thanks to its rich standard equipment, refined town driving, and impressive battery safety, despite elevated motorway wind noise and absence of adjustable lumbar support.
Key Pros 👍
- Comprehensive standard safety equipment including 360-degree cameras and blind spot monitoring across every trim level „even if you go for one of the lower trim levels with the smaller battery you get your 360 cameras as standard so that is a big positive there” ▶️ 00:33:46
- Highly reliable range estimation that consistently matches official range claims during real-world driving „and then when it comes to range bydc I should get up 265 miles and I do believe them because every single time I've charged this car up it's given me 265 miles of claimed range” ▶️ 00:25:41
- Robust passive safety backed by a five-star Euro NCAP rating and ultra-resilient Blade battery construction „this has got a five-star Euro encap safety rating so if safety is important to you then this is definitely one car to look at” ▶️ 00:20:46
- Fatigue-free long-distance seating and supple chassis comfort over multi-hour journeys „my first drive of the dolphin was from Worcester to Lincoln that took me around 3 and 1 half to 4 hours and I came out the other end not feeling worn out or tired okay granted I was tired it was a very long day but I didn't feel as though this car was taking away some of my energy” ▶️ 00:30:56
Key Cons 👎
- Wind noise buffeting around the thick A-pillars and road roar become prominent at motorway cruising speeds „when it comes to refinement I'm going to say this is a bit of a weak area on the dolphin because it's not the most refined car you do get some Tire Raw coming into the cabin but the main intrusion can be wind noise particularly around the a pillar” ▶️ 00:31:24
- Complete absence of adjustable lumbar support on both the driver and front passenger seats „I have got electric adjustment as well and also for the front passenger but I don't have electrically adjustable lumbar support in fact I have no adjustable lumbar support at all which is a little bit disappointing” ▶️ 00:04:45
- Regenerative braking in its highest setting lacks sufficient deceleration for true one-pedal driving „and even in its strongest setting I wouldn't call it one pedal Drivin you do need to give some assistance with your right foot on the brake pedal so that's something I find a little bit disappointed” ▶️ 00:28:29
- Lack of front trunk (frunk) storage space despite utilizing a dedicated bespoke EV platform „even though this is a groundup EV we don't have a frunk on the dolphin it's just a bit of extra empty space there which is a bit little bit disappointing in this segment of car” ▶️ 00:19:44
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin proves itself as an exceptional value-focused urban electric hatchback, matching punchy performance with extensive standard equipment and outstanding battery safety, despite exhibiting elevated wind noise at motorway speeds and omitting front lumbar adjustment.
👤 Electrifying
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 17:09 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.5/2
TL;DR Summary: Electrifying compares the BYD Dolphin to the facelifted VW ID.3, concluding that the Dolphin offers incredible value with standard heat pump, V2L, and £6,000 to £7,500 in savings, despite slightly slower 88 kW DC charging and a smaller boot opening.
Key Pros 👍
- Substantial price advantage undercutting the equivalent Volkswagen ID.3 by between £6,000 and £7,500 „this is actually six grand cheaper than this and that's if you go for the top spec of that if you go for like the Comfort model like the the specs slightly less so you get slightly less equipment they're seven and a half Grand between the two” ▶️ 00:13:42
- Standard energy-saving heat pump included to preserve driving range during winter temperatures „unlike Ginny's VW the dolphin comes with a heat pump as standard so we would expect to see less range drop-off in Colder Weather” ▶️ 00:11:47
- Comprehensive standard equipment list featuring V2L bidirectional power, panoramic roof, and rotating 12.8-inch display „this will have loads of equipment as standard whereas you would have to pay extra when it comes to a VW things like a panoramic sunroof... things like vehicle to load a heat pump that nice rotating screen thing a reversing camera” ▶️ 00:14:10
- Ground-up EV architecture maximizes passenger cabin legroom with a completely flat rear floor „this has been designed as an electric car from the ground up that's not how they did the Corso that's not how they did the e208 so when it comes to building electric car from the ground up it means you can push the wheels all the way out to the side to make more space in the cabin” ▶️ 00:02:49
Key Cons 👎
- Modest 88 kW peak DC rapid charging capability takes around 40 minutes for a 10-80% top-up „the DC rapid charging isn't as fast as you'd want it to be I mean it's 88 kilowatts so it will do 10 to 80 in around 40 minutes could be quicker” ▶️ 00:12:10
- Smaller 345-liter boot capacity with a pronounced sill lip and awkward curved loading aperture „the boot is what I would call okay you've got 345 liters of space when you fold down these seats you've got 1 310 liters right but it's the shape of it that makes it quite fiddly so you've got a lip there and the sill is kind of circular” ▶️ 00:09:20
- A few isolated areas of scratchy plastics and lightweight switchgear around the gear selector „there's only like a few dotted about cheap feeling bits so like scratchy Plastics down here the gear selector feels a bit cheap” ▶️ 00:06:15
- Divisive and polarising full-text 'Build Your Dreams' tailgate badging „that is with the band at the back I mean build your dreams it's lovely I like an inspirational quote but this is a small car you know it's not running for president build your dreams stick with byd it's fine” ▶️ 00:03:34
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin makes a powerful case as the true electric people's car, delivering generous standard equipment, inclusive heat pump tech, and substantial price savings over the Volkswagen ID.3, though DC charging rates and boot aperture fall slightly behind.
👤 Electrifying Everything - Neerav Bhatt
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 10:19 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.3/2
TL;DR Summary: Neerav Bhatt reviews the BYD Dolphin Premium on Australian motorways, emphasizing five core highlights including a standard cold-weather heat pump, brisk 7.0-second 0-100 km/h acceleration, standard V2L hardware, and nimble sub-1.7-ton curb weight. However, the car lacks true one-pedal regenerative braking, maxes out at a modest 7 kW AC charging rate, and features a bulky center console that impinges on taller drivers' knees.
Key Pros 👍
- Factory-fitted energy-saving heat pump preserves battery range in cold weather „First one is that heat pumps come as standard. Why is this important? Well, it's especially important if you live in a cold part of Australia... So, having a heat pump as standard in the BYD Dolphin means that it'll get better efficiency. You'll be able to drive for further without using up precious range from your battery compared to a lot of other electric cars that don't have a heat pump and suck up a lot more energy” ▶️ 00:00:04
- Complete charging hardware kit included as standard, featuring a dedicated Vehicle-to-Load adapter „The third thing that you might not know about the BYD Dolphin is that all BYD EVs, including the Dolphin, include a vehicle-to-load adapter and a standard three-prong power point charging cable as standard, which is really great because some other brands don't include any cables at all, or they only include the standard wall socket power cable.” ▶️ 00:01:57
- Punchy 7.0-second 0-100 km/h sprint and nimble road agility aided by lighter EV mass „Second thing is that the premium performance version one of the Dolphin, which I have at the moment, is surprisingly peppy... It's got 0 to 100 in 7 seconds... The fourth thing... but compared to other electric cars, it's definitely much lighter than a lot of them, which means that it has a lot more nimbleness.” ▶️ 00:01:09
Key Cons 👎
- Sub-par 7 kW AC onboard charger and conservative 88 kW DC fast charging ceiling „the DC fast charging speed is not that great. Uh and the AC charging rate, unfortunately, is not that great, either, at only 7 kW. It would have been nice if this car could charge at 11 because then it could add quite a lot of capacity to the battery from a curbside pole charger or a shopping mall charger.” ▶️ 00:08:25
- Absence of one-pedal driving requiring frequent manual brake pedal application to stop „The fifth thing that you should know about the BYD Dolphin, and again, this applies to all BYD electric cars, is that none of them have one-pedal driving, also known as full regenerative braking. All BYD electric cars have only a high and a low setting for regenerative braking. So, you will have to use the brake pedal.” ▶️ 00:03:19
- Bulky center console design restricting knee room and lateral comfort for tall drivers „There's a fairly chunky center console here. I would prefer if that was more open space personally because I'm a tall person, 1.91 m in height.” ▶️ 00:06:44
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Premium excels as an urban and regional electric runabout, packing a standard efficiency-boosting heat pump, peppy 7-second acceleration, and standard V2L hardware, though modest 7 kW AC charging and missing one-pedal deceleration limit touring convenience.
👤 FanoneCar
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 17:23 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +0.9/2
TL;DR Summary: FanoneCar takes a BYD Dolphin on highway and mountain road test runs in China, praising its instant electric torque, smooth acceleration response, and generous cabin roominess for a compact hatchback. However, high-speed cruising reveals noticeable electric motor whine and wind buffeting, while the interior features widespread hard plastics and lacks rear cupholders.
Key Pros 👍
- Smooth and punchy electric acceleration providing effortless overtaking pace „Oh, the acceleration is very smooth. Oh my god, this car is really fast. Oh, it's be like acceleration. Oh, that's crazy.” ▶️ 00:07:55
- Practical cargo space expanding from 345 liters to a cavernous flat area „This car delivers a respectable 345 L of dedicated cargo volume. Needed to haul. Storing the rear bench instantly transforms that into a cabinous 1,310” ▶️ 00:04:23
- Generous rear passenger knee room and comfortable headroom for a compact EV „I'm 5'9. I sit behind my own drum position. How much leg room? I have roughly four inches between my knees and the s head about 2 in to spare. That's a decent for a compact EV.” ▶️ 00:04:38
Key Cons 👎
- Pronounced high-speed cabin noise with prominent electric motor whine and wind flutter „It's 100 kilometers right now. I can hear wind noise also I can hear the motor noise. A little bit of a little bit of tire noise here. I think the motor noise accounts for maybe 60%. The wind noise maybe 40%, something like that.” ▶️ 00:09:49
- Scratchy dashboard plastics and complete absence of rear passenger cupholders „The downside that is there is no cup holder back here. The appholstery feels like a faux leather plasticky but function... Up front, you get slapped with a wave of hard plastic. The dash body is mostly scratchy plastic.” ▶️ 00:04:59
- Noticeable body lean and poor poise on winding mountain switchbacks „This AP is not good. I don't have really good vision. This car is not just for the curves, right?” ▶️ 00:13:27
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin provides swift, seamless electric acceleration, respectable hatchback packaging, and low running costs, but pronounced high-speed motor whine, scratchy plastic cabin surfaces, and excessive cornering body roll compromise its driving refinement.
👤 carwow
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 18:22 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.0/2
TL;DR Summary: Carwow conducts a drag race and high-speed braking comparison between the BYD Seal AWD and the Tesla Model 3 Long Range, highlighting the Seal's 530 hp launch edge over the quarter mile (12.6 s) but noting throttle kick-down lag, lower 117 mph top speed limiter, and worrying suspension clunks under emergency braking.
Key Pros 👍
- Brutal off-the-line launch traction powering the 530 hp dual-motor Seal to a quarter-mile victory at 12.6 seconds „as you can see it's very close on the line but the slow motion action replay reveals that it was the byd that crossed the line first ahead of the Tesla however both cars recorded a standing quarter mile time of 12.6 seconds” ▶️ 00:12:31
- Massive 670 Nm torque output supplies effortless, rapid acceleration all the way to 100 mph „so this up to 100 is very very fast and then up to 117 which is a limiter it's not very fast” ▶️ 00:13:41
- Surefooted dual-motor all-wheel-drive traction launches cleanly without losing grip „530 horsepower powering all four wheels with dual electric motors single speed gear box it weighs just over 2 tons starting price 48,000” ▶️ 00:02:48
- Attractive pricing structure undercutting the Tesla Model 3 Long Range while delivering higher headline power „It costs £50,000 now let's find out about the new kid on the Block the build your dreams seal... starting price 48,000” ▶️ 00:01:04
Key Cons 👎
- Noticeable throttle lag mimics a sluggish automatic kick-down response rather than instant EV power delivery „ooh this is quick there is a delay though that's weird why would this possibly have a delay as if it's a kick down what is the point maybe it's just so they don't accidentally hit the pedal and go accelerating straight through your garage” ▶️ 00:07:25
- Strict electronic top-speed limiter caps the car at 117 mph where high aerodynamic drag becomes apparent „up to 117 which is a limiter it's not very fast and there is a lot of drag in this car you can feel it you can also hear it through the glass roof... this has a limiter at 126” ▶️ 00:13:44
- Audible mechanical clunk from the suspension and burnt brake odor during severe high-speed stops from 100 mph „when I hit the brakes really hard the suspension went clonk I hit the brakes like proper then and the brakes or I don't know the suspension went clunk I got a clunk as well I wonder if it's like the regen just getting overwhelmed” ▶️ 00:16:02
- Over-sensitive safety logic triggers hazard flashers under moderate braking and sounds constant speed warnings „and another thing that just happened I break ever so gently to pull up alongside you there and I got the hazard warning you know when like in fats and stuff when you smash the brakes get the hazards on I I literally broke so broke break so gently the hazards came on” ▶️ 00:06:50
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Seal AWD demonstrates formidable dual-motor electric power by edging out the Tesla Model 3 across the quarter mile, but pronounced throttle hesitation, a lower top-speed limiter, and disconcerting chassis clunks under emergency stops reveal areas needing mechanical polish.
👤 CarExpert
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 22:57 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.1/2
TL;DR Summary: CarExpert evaluates the 2025 BYD Dolphin in Australia, applauding its punchy 150 kW front-motor acceleration, responsive steering, generous interior equipment, and surprising cabin plushness given its entry-level pricing. However, tester Paul Maric highlights underdamped highway body float, front torque steer under load, weak regenerative braking, and a long 42-meter emergency stopping distance.
Key Pros 👍
- Substantial cabin perceived quality and equipment value compared to price-equivalent rivals „one of the cheapest EVS in Australia it does not feel cheap inside the cabin I I keep saying this about these Chinese market Vehicles they just look and feel so much more premium than everything else in this segment” ▶️ 00:04:14
- Punchy 150 kW powertrain delivering strong mid-range pace and snappy throttle response „this top spec will do like 0 to 107 seconds and the entry level is over 12 seconds so it is sort of Fairly Zippy to drive around it has a single electric motor mounted to the front axle and when you sort of punch at it a nice little push in the back and you're right at the limits of torque there on that front axle 150 KW of power 310 newm of torque” ▶️ 00:11:29
- Direct and accurate steering response reminiscent of more expensive electric sedans „I'm actually quite impressed with the steering it's it's so Direct kind of feels like a model 3 in terms of how accurate it is” ▶️ 00:16:56
Key Cons 👎
- Under-damped, boat-like body float over undulating highway dips at higher speeds „while it is nice and soft for driving in and around town if you do venture out you know into the country and I mean the more weight you have in the vehicle the more Amplified that is going to be it just feels quite floaty and and boaty so um yeah it will get nauseating after a while” ▶️ 00:15:00
- Subpar emergency stopping performance with early onset brake fade „brake pedal feels like it's starting to fade a little as well so yeah we had the same thing with the uh Seine 6 the brakes were definitely not a strong suit” ▶️ 00:17:17
- Inconsequential regenerative braking with no true one-pedal driving functionality „even in high regen I don't feel a great deal of regen breaking so it would be nice to see a bit more effort paid on that and perhaps even like a one pedal driving setup” ▶️ 00:13:42
🎯 Verdict: The 2025 BYD Dolphin impresses with an upscale interior ambience, direct steering, and punchy 150 kW performance at an accessible price point, but underdamped highway suspension float and underwhelming brake stamina reveal clear scope for dynamic refinement.
👤 Unsolicited Opinions and Cu si Despre Masini
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 27:35 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.3/2
TL;DR Summary: Reviewing the European-spec BYD Dolphin G in Berlin, the presenter praises its hushed electrified refinement, seamless regenerative brake blending, practical 425-liter boot, and impressive 95 km real-world electric range on the larger battery pack. Minor gripes include a firmer suspension setup than the rival Dacia Sandero, restricted rear toe room, and a steering wheel rim that partially obscures the digital instrument binnacle.
Key Pros 👍
- Impressive real-world pure electric range matching 95% of official manufacturer claims „the BYD Dolphin G should offer a range of about 100 km on this version with the bigger battery, right? And I got 95 km yesterday. I think getting 95% of the claimed range is pretty good. I think it's impressive.” ▶️ 00:16:21
- Subdued combustion engine engagement and seamless blending between regenerative and friction brakes „Even when the engine kicks in, it's very subdued. You barely hear it. You do notice it in harder acceleration sprints, but other than that, you barely notice it. It's very well balanced, very refined... The brake pedal is very well set up. There's a nice blend to it. You don't really notice when you're going from regenerative braking to actual mechanical braking.” ▶️ 00:17:23
- Substantial 425-liter luggage capacity equipped with practical cargo tie-down hooks „It has 425 of space. This is my travel luggage, and you can see you could easily fit three of them in here, and there's more room under this floor. You have anchor points over here, two of them, and two of them over here, which is pretty good.” ▶️ 00:10:52
Key Cons 👎
- Noticeably firmer damping than class benchmarks like the Dacia Sandero to handle hybrid battery mass „The Sandero is softer overall. The the damping is softer and it feels a bit more refined because of that, but I think because this is a heavier car because it is a plug-in hybrid... So, they had to do something about the suspension to make it cope with the weight, but it's not uh it's not uh a suspension that's uncomfortable. It's actually quite okay, just a bit on the stiffer side of things.” ▶️ 00:19:43
- Steering wheel position blocks the top portion of the digital instrument display „What I don't like is the fact that I cannot raise it a bit higher. And from my driving position, it kind of blocks the upper side of the 8.8 inch instrument cluster. This is the instrument cluster. It looks good as you can see you have Google Maps integrated into it, which is pretty nice. And this comes as standard. What I don't like about it is the fact that it's quite tilted and it's quite reflective.” ▶️ 00:13:17
- Restricted rear foot space preventing rear passengers from sliding shoes under front seats „What I don't like is the fact that I cannot slide my feet under the front seat. Um this is an electrically adjustable seat on the Comfort version. The Active version only gets manually adjustable seats.” ▶️ 00:11:30
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin G presents a formidable electrified B-segment challenge to the Dacia Sandero with impressive 95 km real-world electric range and hushed refinement, though firm low-speed damping and slight driving position quirks require consideration.
👤 Cars.co.za
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 26:17 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.5/2
TL;DR Summary: Cars.co.za reviews the BYD Dolphin Dynamic in South Africa, celebrating its disruptive entry-level pricing, practical vehicle-to-load capability, and real-world efficiency, while criticizing narrow low-grip eco tires in wet weather and pedestrian straight-line acceleration.
Key Pros 👍
- Remarkable real-world efficiency achieving 14.3 to 14.8 kWh/100 km and an honest 340 km range „And on this trip, we are averaging 14.8 kwatt hours to the 100, which is very good. And in the past 50ks, it's averaging 14.3. So, you could probably get that into the 13s. Now, that's really, really good.” ▶️ 00:18:46
- Extremely versatile Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) hardware included to power external equipment and household loads „Now, this is the only car of the three cars that we've spoken about, and one of the only cars on the market right now at any price point. Not even the BMWs do this, but it's called vehicle to load. This actually can supply power out of the vehicle.” ▶️ 00:11:38
- High-grade vegan interior upholstery with ventilated front seats fitted as standard „You do get ventilated seats as standard in here, you then also get heated seats. I wish it had heated seats for winter, but obviously summers in South Africa are much longer, so it's really nice. It blows cool air on your lower back and your upper back.” ▶️ 00:06:40
- Agile, go-kart-like urban handling thanks to a low center of gravity from the floor-mounted Blade battery „it is a hoot to drive. It feels like a go-kart. The center of gravity is super low because obviously the batteries in the floor. And in summary, I've just really been enjoying driving this car like a lot.” ▶️ 00:05:04
Key Cons 👎
- Narrow eco-compound factory tires exhibit noticeable lack of grip and confidence on wet pavement „I was driving around last night in the rain and I was in a little bit of a hurry for various reasons and on some wet roads, and to be honest with you, it didn't feel that great. I I'm not sure. Maybe the bigger one has better tires, the more expensive one, uh, bigger, wider tires. I did not feel road holding in the wet was particularly good in this car.” ▶️ 00:04:37
- Tame 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 12.3 seconds on the base 45 kWh battery specification „0 to 112.3 which is slow but um the more faster one the more expensive one the bigger battery bigger motor more powerful motor that's 0 to 100 in about 7 seconds” ▶️ 00:03:52
- Intrusive forward acoustic pedestrian alert sound that projects noticeably into the cabin „The car now has speakers in the front of the car which project a noise going forward. And I have a feeling it's coming through the sound system as well. And it is a little bit annoying. I'm not going to lie. And you cannot turn it off by law.” ▶️ 00:20:34
- Open lower console storage lacks a concealed, secure storage bin for personal belongings „You do get this nice storage here and this floating center console which looks very nice but a bin is obviously a bit better because then you get you know safer storage you can leave things in the bin. So I think I would have preferred a bin here.” ▶️ 00:05:53
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Dynamic delivers game-changing EV value for the South African market with genuine 340 km commuter range and standout V2L functionality, though narrow eco tyres compromise wet-weather grip and base model straight-line acceleration remains pedestrian.
👤 Autogefühl
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 22:32 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.5/2
TL;DR Summary: Autogefühl pits the BYD Seal against the Tesla Model 3, praising its refined Autobahn sound deadening, generous headroom for tall drivers, and standard driver instrument cluster while criticizing 40-plus minute DC fast charging and intrusive European ADAS calibration.
Key Pros 👍
- Exceptional acoustic insulation and chassis stability at high Autobahn speeds outperforming the Tesla Model 3 „noise installation wise great job so it was really silent that once again speaks for the build quality and even at the higher speeds very much in control... Does it drive better than the Tesa model 3 yes it does” ▶️ 00:18:53
- Superior front headroom for tall drivers complemented by a dedicated 10.25-inch instrument display and HUD „here is a lot more room over my head so definitely better suitable for tall drivers... then you can see these 10.25 digital instruments I'm really glad we have them that's a pro in comparison to the Tesla Model 3... And you also get a proper headup display” ▶️ 00:05:00
- Competitive real-world driving efficiency delivering an estimated 480 km (300 miles) of mixed touring range „so the overall realistic realwood range then today would be 480 km or 300 Mi and that is once again very competitive overall” ▶️ 00:22:04
- Cell-to-body battery architecture integrates the 82.5 kWh cobalt-free LFP pack as a structural member, boosting torsional rigidity „lower part of the vehicle is being also stabilized by the battery housing itself and that is actually something that is really interesting and adds to the stability of the whole vehicle to the torsional rigidity” ▶️ 00:03:06
Key Cons 👎
- DC fast-charging plateau takes over 40 minutes for a typical top-up, lagging Tesla Supercharging convenience „disadvantage is that the fast charging is a little bit slower so we can expect although it has a 150 KW DC Peak it does take most of the time more than 40 minutes there for example Tesla Model 3 is quicker in fast charging” ▶️ 00:02:20
- Uncalibrated driver assistance alerts emit persistent audible warnings and require manual deactivation at every vehicle reboot „they need more time to implement all the assistant systems that are working quite well on the Chinese market but they don't do that wi here so I have deactivated them all... however you always have to do that at each startup of the vehicle” ▶️ 00:17:02
- Coarse adaptive cruise control adjustment restricted to 5 km/h increments alongside drafty central climate vent airflow „the ACC only goes in 5 km steps up and down this I think needs to be fixed... there was still a lot of very cold air coming from the middle part even if they set the temperature a little bit higher and therefore when I had my hands here at the steering wheel the left hand was always very cold” ▶️ 00:19:45
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Seal establishes itself as a formidable electric saloon that surpasses the Tesla Model 3 in ride comfort, high-speed cabin quietness, and tall-driver ergonomics, even though slower 40-minute DC fast charging and nagging ADAS software reminders keep it from complete segment dominance.
👤 Shane Assad
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 23:18 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.2/2
TL;DR Summary: Shane Assad tests the entry-level standard-range BYD Dolphin (44.9 kWh) in South Africa, celebrating its surprisingly plush rear cabin accommodation, physical climate controls, and invaluable Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability during power outages. Downsides include modest 70 kW power output, lack of driver lumbar adjustment, gentle regenerative braking that rules out one-pedal driving, and budget factory Linglong tires.
Key Pros 👍
- Unexpectedly generous rear cabin roominess offering plush seating and ample legroom „It's actually pretty comfortable back here. I'm not going to lie. I didn't expect this to be this comfortable. It's pretty good. It's very cozy. So, first things first, the driver's seating position is in my actual driving position. So, we have quite a lot of leg room. There's a ton of headroom as well.” ▶️ 00:14:13
- Accessible physical dashboard toggles for air conditioning and drive modes „The air con on the other hand is absolutely fantastic. What I will say is I love the fact that we have some buttons over here because I know most Chinese cars, everything is integrated within the touchcreen and that is very counterintuitive... The fact that it's here and it's a push of a button helps a lot.” ▶️ 00:12:09
- Versatile Vehicle-to-Load adapter capable of powering domestic home appliances during blackouts „over here we do have our home charging cable and our V2L cable known as vehicle to load... if the power is simply out at home like it sometimes is here in South Africa, no need to worry. You can power a lot of the items in your house simply from the car itself.” ▶️ 00:04:00
Key Cons 👎
- Modest 70 kW motor output delivers relaxed rather than brisk acceleration „After all, this car does only have about 70 odd kW and I think 160 Newton meters of torque or so. So yeah, I don't think there's a need to turn off traction control.” ▶️ 00:13:58
- Mild regenerative braking system lacking true one-pedal driving functionality „There's normal and there's high. Now, high is pretty good, but it's not enough for you to basically do one pedal driving. It is good, but it's not that strong.” ▶️ 00:12:40
- Concerns regarding replacement availability and wet grip of factory-fitted Linglong tires „One thing I'm a little bit concerned about is that the tires on this car. Now, this is obviously a press car from BYD South Africa. These tires are called Ling Long. Yes, Linglong. Now, that's all good and well, but my main question is that when you do buy one of these cars and you do need to replace the tires at some point or stage, how easy can you get access to these tires?” ▶️ 00:16:23
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin Standard Range proves a thoroughly sensible, comfortable urban runabout with generous rear legroom and versatile V2L power, though modest 70 kW motor output, absent lumbar adjustability, and mild regenerative braking restrict its open-road appeal.
👤 What Car?
📅 01.10.2024
⏱️ 8:42 min
👁️ 1.850 vizualizări
💬 32 comentarii
⭐ +1.4/2
TL;DR Summary: What Car? examines the UK-specification BYD Dolphin, praising its visually engaging vegan leather cabin, natural right-hand drive driving position, and competitive 265-mile range, while noting compromised rear headroom beneath the sunroof mechanism and wobblier dashboard switches.
Key Pros 👍
- Visually appealing and distinctive interior layout that looks significantly more premium and stylish than an MG4 „does this feel like a budget-focused EV inside well certainly not at first because you've got this nice look and layout that's definitely more visually appealing than what you get in an mg4” ▶️ 00:02:46
- Ergonomically sound driving position with well-aligned pedals and generous wheel and seat adjustment for the UK market „there's lots of adjustment in the wheel there's lots of adjustment in the seat as well so it's very easy to get a natural driving position and also the pedal alignment all feels quite natural as well” ▶️ 00:04:14
- Standard Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) bidirectional power capability enabling external appliance use „as standard you also get 2L which essentially turns this into a massive portable 3-pin plug that means you can use it to charge your laptop or even boil a kettle” ▶️ 00:07:24
- Brisk 201 bhp front electric motor sprinting from 0-62 mph in seven seconds alongside a 265-mile WLTP range „The dolphin gets a 201 brake horsepower electric motor driving the front wheels it has a 100 mile an hour top speed and it will do not to 62 miles per hour in a pretty Swift seven seconds” ▶️ 00:06:28
Key Cons 👎
- Sunroof blind mechanism creates an intrusive ceiling bulge that restricts rear passenger headroom „what you have in the dolphin is fairly limited Headroom at least in this model that we're sat in because it's got this sunroof fitted which is standard on the range-topping versions of the dolphin and with it fitted you can see there's this big bulge in front of your forehead” ▶️ 00:05:08
- Inconsistent switchgear quality with cheap-feeling rocker switches and slight wobble in the center console „it's not particularly consistent in here because these buttons and rocker switches down here feel a bit cheap to be honest there's a bit of wobble in this center console as well” ▶️ 00:03:09
- Lack of front trunk underbonnet luggage space despite ground-up dedicated electric architecture „still a very practical space it's just a shame that isn't a front boot with a dolphin” ▶️ 00:06:22
- Modest peak DC rapid charging rate of 88 kW trailing more advanced segment leaders „when it comes to charging the dolphin can accept 11 kilowatts AC charging or if you're rapid charging up to 88 kilowatts” ▶️ 00:07:15
🎯 Verdict: The BYD Dolphin is poised to disrupt the affordable European electric hatchback market by offering high equipment levels, standard V2L functionality, and strong performance, though rear headroom under the panoramic roof and cheaper cabin plastics show where costs were clipped.