Spot the Dolphin

BYD DIVES INTO THE BUDGET ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET WITH QUALITY SURF FOR CITY TURF

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ALL of a sudden, it seems the new car market is flooded with more affordable EVs.

Chinese firm BYD arrived in the UK in 2023 and has now entered the race with its Dolphin Surf.

After focusing on big saloons and SUVs, it’s now chasing after the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03.

WHAT'S NEW?

This is the smallest car in the firm's lineup and sits in a rapidly growing market of urban EVs.

Everything about it is new and it sits on BYD’s e-Platform 3.0 architecture, so it can have a selection of battery packs.

It promises to be one of the best in class for range and features BYD's Blade Battery tech, which uses fewer precious metals and is claimed to be stronger than lithium-ion units.

WHAT'S UNDER THE BONNET?

This compact city car comes with a choice of two battery packs, either a 30kWh or larger 43.2kWh.

Our test car comes with the larger 43.2kWh one and an electric motor that pumps out 154bhp and 220Nm of torque.

It manages 0-60mph in 11.9 seconds and tops out at 93mph. The bigger battery is also compatible with speeds of up to 85kW DC rapid charging, enabling it to be topped up from 30 to 80% in 22 minutes.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?