BYD DOLPHIN

How did the small electric hatch cope with family life?

- Andy Pringle

YOU can learn an awful lot when you go through the photos on your phone.

And what the past few months' snaps have taught me is that the BYD Dolphin wasted no time in becoming part of the family.

So alongside all the photos I've taken to remind me of family days out, my daughter's football team and her theatrical triumphs, my photo stream is also full of snaps of the Dolphin. Since Auto Express snapper Pete Gibson took the first pictures of our BYD in March, I've taken more photos on trips to National Trust properties, at various sports tournaments and even at recycling centres in Sussex. The sheer range of locations and activities shows just how integral the car became to our family life.

Mind you, that should perhaps come as no surprise, because even before it had turned a wheel, the Dolphin already satisfied most of the items on the wish list for this three-person family living in south-west London.