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By Jonathan Crouch

The BYD Dolphin Surf is a model of its moment - and aims to reinvent the citycar genre. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 46

The Dolphin Surf is a small EV runabout that will really put BYD on the map in Western markets. It blurs the boundaries between city cars and superminis - and between sensible and fashionable small runabouts, but could be the ideal compromise for many urban folk.

Backgroundword count: 181

One day, Chinese maker BYD aims to become the world's biggest car maker. And when it does, perhaps much will be owed to this model, the Dolphin Surf. It's the smallest car BYD makes but perhaps has the biggest challenge to face. Today, over 60% of new large car sales are fully electric. At the opposite end of the market, in the citycar sector where the Dolphin Surf competes, that number from the launch of this car in mid-2025 was just 9%. And that's despite the fact that the majority of citycar models these days are EVs, with cheap models like the Dacia Spring and the Leapmotor T03 at one end of the segment and pricier trend-setters like the Renault 5 E-Tech and the Hyundai Inster at the other. This Dolphin Surf, called the 'Seagull' in China and the 'Dolphin Mini' in South America, targets a place between those two extremes. And, unlike cheaper citycar EVs, aims to provide the longer-ranging maturity you'd get from an electric supermini in the segment above. To side-step Western tariffs, it'll soon be European-built too.

Driving Experienceword count: 368

This car certainly has an innovative powertrain - what the Chinese maker claims is 'the world's first 8-in-one electric powertrain system'. This combines electric motor, charger, reducer, DC converter, power distribution box, battery management controller, vehicle control unit and motor controller into a single module that saves space and, BYD reckons, improves efficiency. You wouldn't necessarily know that from a glance at the drive range figures. The 137 mile figure of the smaller-battery base 30kWh 'Active' version is easily bettered by a rival Leapmotor T03; while the readings you get from the bigger-battery 43.2kWh model (193 or 200 miles, depending on trim) do nothing more than match the prevailing - and not especially impressive - class standard. As for power output, well the smaller-battery 'Active' version only comes with an 87bhp front motor, also used in the mid-range 43.2kWh 'Boost' model we'd recommend, though this latter variant's 12.1s 0-62mph time is a second slower because of its greater battery weight. If you'll be using your Dolphin Surf on slightly longer trips, it's worth considering the top 'Comfort' variant we're trying here, which mates the 43.2kWh battery with a much more powerful 154bhp motor with 220Nm of torque that drops the 0-62mph time to 9.1s. Top speed on all versions of this BYD is limited to 93mph. Don't expect particularly engaging handling on faster roads, or much steering feel. Highway refinement isn't exemplary but matches the class norm. And it's the same story when it comes to ride quality, which is reasonably smooth but can get caught out by poorer surfaces and sharper speed humps. A fiddly dashboard button scrolls you through four drive modes - Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow. But BYD provides only two brake regen settings - 'standard' and 'high', which you won't be adjusting all that often because you can only get at them through a rather hidden screen menu option, which you won't be wanting to take your eyes off the road to try and find. Of course, as every citycar should be, the Dolphin Surf is at its best in town, where its light steering and tight turning circle are both welcome and the lethargic response of the Eco drive mode hardly noticeable.

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