BYD Dolphin Surf Review 2025

It’s starting to feel as though the era of affordable, urban-centric electric cars is just about here, with another battery-powered small hatchback arriving in the UK later in 2025 in the shape of the BYD Dolphin Surf.

If you wondered whether imminent sales of the BYD Atto 2 compact electric SUV was an indicator that the Chinese brand was ditching its aquatic mammal-themed names, then think again. Slotting beneath the suffix-less BYD Dolphin in the range, the newcomer also follows the Seal and Sealion ranges with animal badges that UK customers seem happy to accept.

In truth, the Dolphin Surf’s morphed from one vertebrate class to another — it’s marketed as the BYD Seagull in its home market, but presumably the bad press the chip-pinching feathery aggressor receives here warranted the name change. Its South American markets name of Dolphin Mini wasn’t an option unless BYD wanted to fund BMW’s legal team’s Christmas parties for the next few years.

Labelling whimsies aside, there’s a real sense of porpoise [groan] to the smallest BYD’s UK launch, with electric city cars becoming a major growth area. Early indications are that the cheapest Dolphin Surf will have a sub-£20,000 price tag, suggesting that it will be positioned away from being a direct competitor to the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03.

Given BYD’s other models are pitched as being good value cars rather than inexpensive ones, it’s safe to expect the Dolphin Surf will be aiming to woo customers who might otherwise be about to opt for either of the Citroen e-C3 and Fiat Grande Panda Electric cousins, or the cute-but-pricey Hyundai Inster — and those are just the models available today.

Styling-wise, there’s an air of a tiny MPV about the BYD Dolphin Surf's looks, accentuated by its similarly angled short bonnet and deep windscreen, plus a generally tall appearance for a 3780mm-long car. This should mean it’ll feel spacious for four adults — there’s no central rear seatbelt for a fifth passenger — although occupants will likely be sat in a more upright fashion.

As we’re all accustomed to these days, its dashboard plays hose to a couple of screens — a smaller one with key information immediate ahead of the driver, with a larger, centrally mounted touchscreen for controlling the multimedia system. We also approve of BYD punctuating the two-tone interior plastics with banks of physical buttons and a twisting drive selector.

From the photos, the boot doesn’t look to be an especially generous size, but that would be a tricky feat in a small car and none of the BYD’s rivals can haul colossal loads either. Whether the rear bench split-folds on UK models remains to be seen, although when tipped over it doesn’t appear to lie on a continuous plane with the boot floor.

There’s no definite word on drive systems and energy storage for UK market Dolphin Surfs at this stage, but in China the BYD Seagull has a choice of 30kWh and 39kWh battery packs, yielding driving ranges of 190 and 250 miles respectively. Note those are achieved by employing a testing method that’s different to the WLTP Combined cycle — reducing those numbers by 20% will be closer to what to expect here.

Similarly, we’re still awaiting confirmation on how much power will be available to drive the front wheels. Given other markets have a choice of 74PS and 100PS electric motors, performance is likely to be more than sufficient for an EV that’s likely to tip the scales at under 1.25 tonnes.

Order books for the BYD Dolphin Surf are expected to open in the second half of 2025 with the first cars in customers’ hands before the end of the year.

Keep this page bookmarked for updated news and to read our comprehensive electric Dolphin Surf review in the months ahead.