BYD Dolphin: electric Volkswagen from China in the test

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Niko Bünten, video journalist:

“Jürgen, have you been fishing?”

Jürgen Pander, DER SPIEGEL:

»Niko, everything is frozen over.

Too cold.

But it's still about fish.

And those on wheels.

Car manufacturers repeatedly name their models after aquatic animals.

Opel Manta, Corvette Stingray, Plymouth Barracuda and also the electric car manufacturer from China, whose model we are looking at today, belong to this series.

We take the BYD Dolphin for a spin.

The Chinese company is now one of the new heavyweights in the automotive world.

The company was founded in 1995 as a battery manufacturer and BYD has also been building cars since 2003.

Last year, BYD replaced the Volkswagen Group as market leader in China.

And BYD was in a neck-and-neck race with the US manufacturer Tesla as the largest electric car manufacturer in the world.

And this BYD Dolphin car could consolidate this dominance even further.

It is the brand's new entry-level model in Europe and it is very close to the VW ID 3 in size and positioning.

However, the Dolphin is around €4,000 cheaper.

Although, the thing about them being cheaper isn't entirely true at the moment.

Because VW has reduced the prices for its ID electric models at short notice and for a limited period until the end of March, for example the ID 3 by around €7,000.

That means it's now even cheaper than the Dolphin.

Let's take a closer look at the car from the outside.

BYD has developed the so-called Ocean Aesthetics Design for the Dolphin and the Seal limousine.

Oceanic motifs should therefore be reflected in the exterior design.

For example, it says: "The headlights resembled dolphins jumping out of the sea." Well, I think they look more like headlights.

The rear LED taillights, you can at least see a wave motif.

Otherwise, we're dealing with a five-door, five-seat compact car with a pretty average exterior.

And in this respect too, the Dolphin is similar to the VW ID 3. There is a little more independence, a little more ocean design inside.

Let's take a look around there.

Poor on the outside, wow on the inside.

This is the first impression after boarding.

The designers were allowed to be a little creative in here.

And there are many details that show that Ocean Aesthetics Design is not just marketing gibberish.

For example, these door openers are supposed to imitate the fins of fish or this curved center console and also these metallic-looking trim parts around the outer air flows.

These could be interpreted as waves.

And up here on the dashboard there are decorative elements that are reminiscent of fish scales.

So the name Dolphin isn't that far-fetched.

And whether you like it or not, it certainly looks fresher and stands out clearly from the interior monotony that bores many other cars.

There are a few other special features, such as a rotating central touchscreen.

Below there is a large storage tray centrally on the dashboard and underneath a row of semicircular control buttons, including those for the transmission.

However, these buttons cannot be pressed; you have to move them up or down to trigger the function.

It looks special, but it's not particularly easy to use.

So much for the first impressions in here.

Now the Dolphin should swim along in traffic and we'll buckle up, Niko.

It is said that dolphins constantly make noises, also to orientate themselves using sound waves.

And also our Dolphin, he likes to make sounds.

For example, if you drive slower than 30.

Like now.

Or when blinking.

Or when the car wants to warn the person behind the wheel.

And it wants to do that very often.

Because the assistance systems are set up quite sensitively.

Here he's already beeping because he still thinks I'm in town and now I'm driving a little faster than 50.

The car beeps at you if you drive just one km/h too fast.

And that happens very often because traffic sign recognition works quite imprecisely.

Overall, driving the Dolphin is quite pleasant and relaxed.

You can adjust steering and recuperation in two different levels.

Three different driving modes can be selected: Eco, Normal and Sport.

This works with this button and the all-round visibility is also decent.

However, there is a limitation, this time not when looking backwards, but rather when looking forwards.

Because this big box here, under which some sensors for the assistance systems are hidden, obstructs the view.

Especially when you're driving in the city and want to look at a traffic light.

The manufacturer states that the average consumption for the BYD Dolphin is 15.9 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers.

However, this can only be achieved in city traffic, as soon as you drive across country and a little faster over 100, so it would easily be 19 to 20 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers.

And then even with the WLTP standard range of 427 kilometers, that's no longer quite possible.

Then it becomes more like 300 to 350 kilometers.

Another word about the battery.

BYD installs lithium iron phosphate LFP batteries in its electric cars.

Although they have a lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries, for example, they are cheaper, safer and longer lasting.

And they do not contain cobalt, nickel and manganese.

This means that they are comparatively environmentally friendly energy storage devices.

The battery, the LFP battery, can be charged with up to eleven kilowatts of alternating current and up to 88 kilowatts of direct current.

This DC charging power is not particularly exciting, not particularly good.

Example VW ID 3: it charges with up to 170 kilowatts of direct current.

It sounds dramatic, but it's not at all when you look at the loading time again.

In the best case scenario, it only takes 40 minutes to fill the battery from ten to 80 percent with the BYD Dolphin.

So much for driving.

Now we want to take a look at the back seat and see what space there is and under the flap.

And only under the tailgate, because there is nothing to see under the front lid.

There is no front trunk.

Let's first take a look under the tailgate.

A trunk of 345 liters opens here.

That's a little less than the VW ID 3, but definitely average in the compact class.

There is a loading floor that can be opened.

There is an extra compartment underneath, for example for the charging cables.

And when the rear seat backs are folded down, a cargo space of 1310 liters is created.

There is quite comfortable space in the rear seats for a car of this size.

There is a continuous flat floor here at the back, here there are storage pockets on the backrests of the front seats.

And here in the center console there are two USB ports.

So much from back here.

Now I'll sit forward again and we'll do another lap.

The BYD Dolphin is a thoroughly average electric car.

All key parameters are within the range of the competition.

Models among the compacts.

Above all, the VW ID 3, for which the car is properly tailored.

There are actually only two main differences between the two cars.

When it comes to fast charging, VW is ahead and BYD is ahead when it comes to price.

However, there is now the exceptional situation that we have already spoken about.

VW has a limited discount campaign.

We like the BYD Dolphin: the sensible format, the extensive equipment and the conveniently coordinated electric drive.

The negative points are the hyper-sensitive assistance systems, this black block on the windshield and the slow direct current charging.

Niko Bünten, video journalist:

»And the price?

How much does this cost?”

Jürgen Pander, DER SPIEGEL:

»The BYD Dolphin costs €35,990 in the basic equipment, which is what we are traveling with.

The car will soon be available even cheaper.

Then a variant with a smaller battery will come onto the market.

As bait for electromobility, so to speak.

Because so far, electric cars have usually been pretty big and expensive fish.