BYD DOLPHIN G DM-i review

Driving position

While it may be a supermini (rivals include the Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio and Toyota Yaris), the BYD DOLPHIN G sits pretty upright, so it instantly feels a bigger car from inside.

That’s good for visibility, because the driver benefits from a higher viewpoint, plus it's easy to judge the sides of the car.

However, being a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with a pretty chunky battery under the floor, you do lose some footwell depth.

It means the seat doesn’t go quite as low as we’d like it to, so taller drivers over six foot might want to check out the seating position before buying.

Entry-level Active and mid-spec Boost models get manually adjustable seats, while Comfort and Sport get electric adjustments for the driver.

We tried Boost and Comfort – the electric adjustment certainly makes it easier to finetune the backrest, but it was easy to find a good position in both variants.

The seats themselves are supportive enough in the sides and feel comfy around town, but on a longer journey you start to feel like some extra padding on the base wouldn’t go amiss.

We also noted that the armrest on the door is pretty firm despite a faux-leather covering, so your right arm won’t be as comfortable as your left arm after a few hours.

Still, kudos to BYD for fitting a wide central armrest in the front of the DOLPHIN G, because many other superminis either go without or have, at best, a poor excuse of an armrest.

One final gripe, which is a pretty consistent one across this class of car, is that you can’t fully extend your left leg due to the size of the footwell. If BYD could just find a way to carve out some extra space, it would make long drives a bit more palatable.

Still, much bigger cars like the Tesla Model Y suffer from the same problem, so it’s more a physics problem than a BYD issue.

Tech and features

BYD DOLPHIN G trims

– Active

– Boost

– Comfort

– Sport

BYD uses the same trim level names across most of its models, which is good news for knowing what's what.

Entry-level Active models come with a lot more than the bare essentials – an 8.8-inch driver’s display, a 10.1-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera make it ideal for anyone on a tighter budget.

BYD’s also excited about future generations of learner drivers getting to drive this new supermini, and as far as learner cars go, it’s pretty swish. Standard sensors and cameras should make those bay spaces far easier.

Active also gets the smaller of the two batteries, but with no difference in performance. More on those details below, though.

Boost models are likely to be popular because they’re the cheapest trim to offer the bigger battery, but they feel far more luxurious with heating for the front seats and steering wheel, a ventilated wireless phone charger, vehicle-to-load (V2L) and interior ambient lighting.

Range-topping Comfort versions add a 360-degree parking camera, a panoramic sunroof with an electric blind, a head-up display and part-faux-leather trim on the seats.

It’s also the third time BYD’s included Google software in its UK cars, which means you can use apps and interact with its voice assistant, but this is a Comfort and above feature.

A new Sport trim for the DOLPHIN G also introduces a few stylistic changes, like black versions of the same alloys Comfort gets and colourful pops of interior trim that match the exterior paintwork.

Our pick would probably be Boost, which offers exceptional value for money, or Comfort if you want big-car comforts for a small-car price.

Engines and power

BYD DOLPHIN G DM-i performance stats

– Power: 175 to 212hp

– 0-62mph: 8.3 seconds

– Top speed: Up to 112mph

– Driven wheels: Front-wheel drive (FWD)

BYD’s DM-i plug-in hybrids aren’t like all the generations of hybrid that came before – they’re actually pretty special because, in most cases, they’re electric first.

It means the 1.5-litre petrol engine will act as an onboard generator to keep the battery topped up so that the motor can drive the wheels.

The engine will only drive the wheels in very specific circumstances, such as at high speeds, depending on the battery level.

While battery sizes (7.4kWh and 18.3kWh) vary by trim level, as does power (175hp or 212hp), outright performance is identical across the board, with 0-62mph covered in a very decent 8.3 seconds.

It’s more than quick enough for all types of driving, including around town where the electric motor provides fast off-the-mark acceleration, and on the motorway, where that same motor gives plenty of grunt for overtaking.

Those electric-first driving characteristics really work well for this small hatchback, and make it feel far more responsive than many of its rivals.

Handling and ride comfort

The DOLPHIN G comes with a choice of 16- or 18-inch wheels, depending on trim level.

We tried both and can confirm that the ride feels slightly softer on 16s, but you shouldn’t discount higher trim levels with 18s if you want the other extra kit.

It’s actually BYD’s first car designed in Europe for Europe, and you can tell as much from the way it handles.

While some of the company's earlier models might have been criticised for being a bit ‘vague’ and ‘uninspiring’, we had plenty of fun on a twisty country road. We’d say near-Fiesta levels of steering fun, and that’s a very high benchmark.

Wind noise isn't really an issue, but it’s more apparent at motorway speeds than some other cars, but road noise through the tyres is more evident at lower speeds. Maybe a model-year upgrade with some extra sound deadening could be in order?

On the noise front, it’s worth noting that the engine can get loud when it’s in generator mode topping up the battery on the go. Hondas, which use a vaguely similar electric-first approach, manage engine revs considerably better.

Boot space

BYD DOLPHIN G boot space:

– Boot space: 425 litres

– Incl. rear seats folded: 1,225 litres

This is where the DOLPHIN G stands out, because with 425 litres of boot space, it trumps any of its rivals by a long way.

No other superminis have plug-in hybrid options yet (at the time of writing), so in theory, they should have smaller batteries and, potentially, more boot space.

But that’s not the case, because self-charging versions of the Honda Jazz (304 litres), Renault Clio E-Tech (301 litres), MG3 Hybrid+ (293 litres) and Toyota Yaris (286 litres) all have a lot less space.

You can also choose to store your hybrid cables in the boot with their Velcro bags (so they don’t slide around) or underneath, where a 45-litre cubby (included in the 425-litre figure) exists.

Rear seats

Rear-seat space is good, but there’s no denying this is a B-segment hatchback, not a fully-fledged C-segment car like a Volkswagen Golf or, indeed, BYD’s own DOLPHIN.

The result is, while legroom and headroom in the back are good for the class, taller passengers will still feel a bit cramped.

The middle seat is also raised, further impacting headroom, but thankfully the floor is flat.

Aim for Boost models and upwards, because they add rear air vents and two 18W USB-C chargers – features that aren’t necessarily a given among other small hatchbacks.

Storage solutions

BYD has moved its gear selector onto the column, which it’s done with other cars, but it means there’s no wasted space on the centre console.

Talking about the centre, there's a floating console design with lots of space underneath and no fewer than three cupholders up top.

BYD DOLPHIN G DM-i dimensions

– Height: 1,575mm

– Width: 1,825mm

– Length: 4,160mm

– Kerb weight: Up to 1,555kg

Safety

While the DOLPHIN G hasn’t been crash tested by Euro NCAP, it does have stacks of safety kit available like adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, cross traffic alert, blind spot detection and even door opening warning.

All models get assistive tech like front and rear sensors and a reversing camera, but you’ll need to pay more for a 360-degree camera.

Some of the systems can be intrusive, but that’s down to EU legislation. BYD’s merely adding in what it’s being told to. You can toggle some of those on or off via shortcuts, if you prefer.

Fuel economy

– PHEV range: 24 to 65 miles

– Battery size: 7.4kWh or 18.3kWh

– MPG: 65mpg (claimed)

It really doesn’t get better than this. Let’s start with electric-only range – it’s 24 miles for Active (7.4kWh battery) and an impressive 65 miles for all other trims (18.3kWh battery).

That should be enough for a lot of local trips as it is.

Note that the smaller battery is limited to 3.3kW charging (around 2 hours and 15 minutes for a full charge), but the bigger battery takes a quicker 6.6kW of charge (for a full charge in around 2 hours and 45 minutes).

The bigger-capacity battery also takes a rapid/DC charge of 39kW, but we wouldn’t really recommend this, because public rapid charging becomes so expensive that it’s cheaper to run this as a pure hybrid.

Now that we’re on the topic, fuel economy with a flat battery is highly impressive.

BYD claims 65mpg, and that’s exactly what we got. 60-70mpg+ was easily attainable around the 30-50mph mark, but even in the 50-70mph region we were hitting 55-60mpg.

Benchmarked against a 50mpg hybrid, BYD says a 12,000-mile-a-year driver could save around £400+ in fuel annually.

But we’d probably take that a step further, because if you can charge the battery off-peak with cheaper rates, you could save hundreds more. Maybe even a four-figure sum.

Adding a plug-in hybrid to the compact hatchback sector is a no-brainer, and this one from BYD is a real gem.

Reliability

Both the DOLPHIN G and the new-generation DM 5.0 hybrid architecture under the surface are brand-new, but BYD itself has sold over 8.5 million DM vehicles globally and previous generations aren’t all that different at the crux of it.

This affordable hybrid still gets big-car tech, like an LFP battery that’s designed to last a long time with regular charges.

Ultimately, the BYD DOLPHIN G DM-i is too new to judge for reliability, but the brand’s six-year vehicle warranty and eight-year battery cover should reassure you.