BYD Dolphin Surf review

Chinese giant's latest EV is meant to allow buyers on a budget to go electric without making any compromises

It was always expected that truly cheap cars would be the most difficult to electrify. Some people even feared that it might be impossible. And indeed, while 60% of E-segment cars sold in Europe at present are electrified, just 9% of A-segment cars are. The new BYD Dolphin Surf is billed as the car to end that discrepancy.

Given we’re talking about the world’s leading maker of electrified vehicles, and prices are expected to start at only around £18k, there is a great amount of credibility to that claim.

In South America, the Dolphin Surf is called the Dolphin Mini. You can guess why BYD didn't try to use that suffix over here...
Kris Culmer
Chief sub-editor

You might recognise the Dolphin Surf as the BYD Seagull – an electric car that recorded almost half a million sales in its first year on sale.

The resemblance of its ‘face’ to that of a seagull dive-bombing to steal your chips is no coincidence – and us making that negative association is why the name has been changed over here. As for the new one? The first half draws an obvious link to the larger electric hatchback that BYD sells; the second half is intended to give the car a fun, zesty, youthful image.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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The few previous attempts at an affordable A-segment EV have produced acceptable enough but rather cheap-feeling results in the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03.

The Surf is intended to feel entirely like a ‘proper’ car while being no more expensive than those rivals. As such, it’s based on the same e-Platform 3.0 that underpins the deeply impressive BYD Seal electric saloon, which incorporates BYD’s cutting-edge Blade Battery technology (it’s said to be safer and more durable than rival batteries and features no rare cobalt), and uses BYD’s ‘eight-in-one’ electric powertrain, which improves efficiency and saves space by combining the motor, reducer, charger, DC converter, power distribution box, battery management controller, vehicle control unit and motor controller.

At 3990mm long, 1720mm wide and 1590mm tall, the Surf is the same length as the Renault 5 but narrower and taller.
Kris Culmer
Chief sub-editor

There are two variations of the lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery on offer in the Surf, with usable capacities of 30kWh and 43.2kWh and maximum rapid-charging rates of 65kW and 85kW. That's from the fastest on the market, but then they’re also far from the biggest.

The smaller battery is paired with an 87bhp motor in the Active model for a 137-mile range and an 11.1sec 0-62mph time. The larger battery is teamed with the same motor for a 200-mile range and a 12.1sec time in the Boost model; or with a 154bhp motor for a 193-mile range and a 9.1sec model in the rather confusingly named Comfort model, which we’re driving here.

This puts the Surf far ahead of the Spring (140 miles) and T03 (165 miles) and roughly on par with the Citroën ë-C3 – despite its pricing being in line with the Spring and T03, rather than the ë-C3.

Standard equipment is generous as well: the T03 feels quite basic inside in comparison to the Surf and its large, Apple CarPlay-equipped touchscreen, array of attractive, soft-feeling materials and faux-leather sports seats. 

You can then add 15in alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, a parking camera, keyless entry and adaptive cruise control to the count.

Step up to the Boost for larger (16in) alloys, electric seat adjustment and automatic wipers; and to the Comfort for a 360deg camera, LED headlights, tinted rear windows, heated front seats and a wireless phone charging pad.

INTERIOR

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The practicality of this interior also impresses. Two average-sized adults can fit in the rear (albeit strictly two; as in the T03, there is no middle seat), the boot capacity matches that of the ë-C3 almost exactly (308 litres versus 310 litres) and there’s plenty of oddment storage.

The touchscreen infotainment system will be familiar to anyone who has ever sat in another BYD (complete with the capacity to rotate between landscape and portrait orientation), which means it’s well equipped and relatively easy to navigate but perhaps a little too demanding of someone who is meant to be driving. 

The boss of the steering wheel is a large disc of shiny black plastic, which daylight turns into a kind of smoky make-up mirror.
Kris Culmer
Chief sub-editor

Commendably, especially for a Chinese car, there is a row of physical buttons on the dashboard to complement those on the steering wheel (which control the adaptive cruise control and media). These silver plastic dials control the gears (tap the left side to engage park, air conditioning and ventilation).

Annoyingly, however, it simply turns the fan on or off. To adjust its intensity, you have to tap the permanent but small shortcut icon bar at the bottom of the touchscreen.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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You might fairly wonder whether this is a case of BYD chucking in all the goodies in an attempt to compensate for a fundamentally underwhelming product. After all, the driving experiences offered by the company’s UK-market cars have been curiously hit-and-miss: whereas the Seal is supple and engaging, the Seal U suffers from vague steering and overly soft suspension.

Well, the Surf falls somewhere in the middle of those two descriptions.

Floor the accelerator with a little bit of lock on and you can get punished with some scrabbly torque steer.
Kris Culmer
Chief sub-editor

In urban environments, where it will spend most of its time, it’s excellent. Suspension that’s on the softer side gives it a generally comfortable and composed ride, even if it does struggle to deal with ripples and potholes.

The powertrain is likewise smooth, and the extra power of the Comfort version meant the various old Fiats that make up Roman traffic had absolutely zero chance of stealing ahead of me during my test drive. If anything, it’s a bit too much: floor the accelerator and the Hankook tyres will often scrabble as they’re overloaded with instant torque.

Interestingly, the regenerative braking is weak even when put into its Strong mode (as with the steering, changed via a sub-menu on the touchscreen), meaning that one-pedal driving is an impossibility. Whether that’s a good or bad thing will be a matter of taste. 

RIDE & HANDLING

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The steering, meanwhile, has a nice medium weighting to it in Normal mode (there’s also a Sport mode, but the difference is hardly noticeable) and the springy self-centring works well in traffic.

Get onto faster roads and the dynamic appeal of the Surf diminishes notably. The handling offers no interest to the keen driver; the body control feels loose as you tackle the bends of a faster country road; the sports seats' bolsters fail to stop you rocking from side to side; and the character of the steering now serves to hamper your confidence.

Try and hustle the Surf down a good road and you will pretty quickly think better of the endeavour.
Kris Culmer
Chief sub-editor

At least it doesn’t feel out of place on the motorway, where it will cruise along in comfort and admirable quietness (you do hear some wind noise at times, but only because there’s no engine noise) with plenty of power in reserve for swift overtakes.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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After a day of driving in all scenarios, our car’s digital instrument readout reported overall energy efficiency of 4.8mpkWh – a figure that, amazingly, equates to a range (207 miles) that is actually longer, not shorter, than the official figure. 

 

My day of driving around Rome and the surrounding countryside used only 35% of the battery. Just shows how well an EV can work for many people.
Kris Culmer
Chief sub-editor

VERDICT

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BYD boss Stella Li described the Surf to us as “the car for everyone” and I’d agree that it should appeal to a great many people.

It may be no dynamic wonder, and it may lack the retro chic of the Renault 5, but it is an attractive, generously equipped, practical EV that offers an agreeable range at a keen price – an amount of money that will otherwise only get you something that feels significantly less mature.