BYD launched the Dolphin Surf with two variants, both priced under R400,000.
Image: Supplied
Those of us in the industry have always maintained that for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) to increase their market share in South Africa, it needs to be a small and affordable car that can attract the masses.
Chinese Manufacturer BYD has now done exactly that with the launch of the compact hatchback Dolphin Surf, aimed directly at the vibrant urban market with two variants, both priced under R400,000.
As the country’s most affordable BEV, the Dolphin Surf comes in two variants: the Comfort and the Dynamic.
The Comfort model features BYD’s 30kWh Blade Battery with a WLTP combined range of 232 kilometres, powered by a 55kW front-wheel-drive motor with a maximum DC charging rate of 30kW.
The Dynamic model is equipped with a 38.8 kWh Blade Battery, offering a WLTP combined range of 295 kilometres. It provides 55kW (75 PS) of power driving the front wheels and supports DC charging up to 40 kW, allowing for a 30-80% charge in 30 minutes.
It’s also fitted with Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, which allows the car to act as a mobile power source for external devices.
The BYD Dolphin Surf has a range of 232km and 295km depending on the model.
Image: Supplied
At 3.925m in length and 1.720m wide, the Dolphin Surf is truly compact, but it’s an attractive design with a cheeky rear spoiler, black wheel arch covers over 16-inch powder-coated steel rims, a shark fin antenna, narrow front headlights, full-width LED tail-lights and a neat side view.
The interior feels solid and well put together, with soft-touch pleather featured on most of the touch points.
There’s a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a seven-inch digital instrument screen, and voice control activated by "Hi, BYD". The cabin includes a 15W wireless charging pad and, who knew we needed it: a built-in karaoke function.
It has 20 smart storage solutions throughout the cabin and a 230-litre boot capacity that expands to 930 litres with the seats down.
The steering wheel is rake and reach-adjustable.
The BYD app allows owners to precondition the cabin's air conditioning settings, remote locking and unlocking, provides live feedback of range and recharging and sends users service reminders and diagnostics alerts.
The interior is neat and well presented.
Image: Supplied
In a short driving stint along the Cape Town beachfront to Camps Bay, the Dolphin Surf proved ideal inner city transport while weaving through the notorious Cape Town traffic.
Seating is comfortable, and I particularly liked the solidly moulded front seats.
There’s more than enough power to take a gap with brisk acceleration.
It also seems that BYD has put extensive focus on noise levels, with virtually no road noise, but we were driving on maintained Cape Town tar with no potholes or missing pieces of road.
There’s no regenerative braking, but considering its urban design brief, this is no biggie.
With a maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, the BYD Dolphin Surf is the only compact EV in its range to secure this recognition.
There are also a host of advanced safety-assist systems, which they have thankfully toned down so that it doesn’t ping to warn you that a pedestrian or vehicle is too close to their liking.
At this price point, the BYD Dolphin Surf looks like a winner at first glance.
It’s perfectly suited for the daily commute and people who don’t venture too far from urban areas. It’s also ideal for students and even as a second car for families that don’t need large vehicles to get around town every day.
It will be interesting to see how South Africans react to it in the next few months.
It comes with a three-year/60,000km Service Plan, a three-year/100,000km warranty, and an eight-year/200,000km Power Battery warranty.
There’s a launch “early adopter package” that includes a R10,000 discount, a V2L socket, portable charger, point-to-point cable, a 7kW home-charger wall box and a R999 a month insurance package through Absa.
Pricing: