BYD Dolphin Surf, the most affordable model from the Chinese brand, starts sales in Spain

BYD is making a strong entry into the European market and, of course, the Spanish market too. A good example of this is the new addition to its range, the Dolphin Surf, with which it aims to bring electric mobility for urban environments to a wider audience, both as a vehicle and in terms of price.

The BYD Dolphin Surf is based on the e-Platform 3.0, wrapped in an eye-catching design with sporty touches, and measures 3,990 mm in length and 1,720 mm in width, ideal for the city. At the front, an aggressive look is provided by its headlights made up of six angled light bands, along with a bumper featuring a lower grille section of generous proportions.

From the side, its silhouette can be clearly appreciated, and how the roofline forms an arch that benefits interior space, a profile with upward-sloping lines that aim to reinforce its dynamism. From this angle we can also see how the C-pillar features a dot-pattern element inspired by ice crystals, visually separating the roofline so that it appears to float. At the rear, a striking rear spoiler has been fitted which, together with the light bar running horizontally across it, creates a greater sense of width.

Inside the BYD Dolphin Surf, four people can in principle travel comfortably thanks to a wheelbase of 2,500 mm. Its design is simple, though not spartan, partly thanks to features such as the infotainment system with rotating screen, a hallmark of BYD, the digital instrument cluster and the sporty front seats. It has a boot capacity of 308 litres, which can be expanded to 1,037 litres by folding down the rear seats, plus 20 compartments for storing small objects spread around the cabin.

The BYD Dolphin Surf will be sold in Spain in three trim levels, the entry-level one in the range being called Active, which includes the following as standard:

• 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen with electric rotation
• Rear parking sensors
• Rear-view camera
• LED daytime running lights
• Vehicle-to-Load (V2L)
• NFC keyless entry and start
• Adaptive cruise control
• Intelligent cruise speed control
• Automatic emergency braking
• Lane departure assist
• Intelligent high-beam control
• Air conditioning
• Vegan leather sports seats
• Electrically adjustable side mirrors

The second trim level is called Boost, and in addition to everything above it includes equipment such as the following:

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Electric adjustment for the front seats
• Rain sensor
• Electrically folding mirrors

The third and final trim level, and therefore the top of the range, is called Comfort, adding to all of the above features such as the following:

• 360-degree parking camera
• LED headlights
• Tinted rear windows
• Underbody lighting in the exterior mirrors
• Heated front seats
• Wireless charging for smartphones

Mechanically, the Active trim is linked to a 30 kWh Blade Battery and an electric motor delivering 88 CV, with which it achieves a combined-cycle range of 220 kilometres. The Boost and Comfort trims also use a Blade Battery, but in this case of 43.2 kWh together with the same 88 CV motor, so that range is extended in the best case up to 322 kilometres on the WLTP combined cycle. Both batteries support DC charging power of 65 kW (Active) and 85 kW (Boost and Comfort), allowing a charge from 10 to 80% in about 30 minutes, while using three-phase AC at 11 kW, a full charge from 0% takes 3.5 hours (Active) or 5 hours (Boost and Comfort).

The BYD Dolphin Surf will have a recommended retail price of 19,990 euros for the Active trim, 23,990 euros for the Boost trim and 26,490 euros for the Comfort trim. These prices can be reduced to 11,780 euros, 15,780 euros and 18,280 euros respectively by applying the brand’s campaign discounts and the Plan Moves III scheme.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackBYD Dolphin2 versions · from 36,690 €