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BYD has just unveiled the new Dolphin Surf, its most affordable and most compact electric model so far, with prices starting below €21,000. It is the Chinese brand’s tenth model launched in Portugal in only two years.
Don’t confuse the new Dolphin Surf with the Dolphin already on sale: they are different models. What they share is the name - and the fact they are both 100% electric.
Where the Dolphin takes on cars such as the Volkswagen ID.3 or the Renault Megane E-Tech, the Dolphin Surf is smaller and targets rivals like the Hyundai Inster, Citroën ë-C3 or the FIAT Grande Panda.
Prices start below €21,000
The model can already be ordered in Portugal, with pricing from €20,865 - and the first deliveries are expected in June. That figure undercuts its main competitors.
Active and Boost: range and battery choices
At this price point, you get the entry-level Active version, pairing a 65 kW (88 hp) electric motor with an LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery of just 30 kWh. Range is 220 km on the combined WLTP cycle, rising to 356 km on the urban cycle.
If you want extra range, you’ll need the Boost version. Output stays the same, but it uses the larger-capacity 42.3 kWh battery. In that case, range increases to 322 km (combined) and 507 km (urban). The price, however, climbs to almost €25,000.
Comfort: higher power and quicker acceleration
At the top of the line sits the Comfort version, with 115 kW (156 hp) for stronger performance - 9.1s from 0 to 100 km/h versus 12.1s for the Boost.
To recharge, the Dolphin Surf accepts up to 11 kW on AC, allowing a 0–100% charge in 3h30min (30 kWh) or 5h (42.3 kWh).
On DC, it supports up to 65 kW or 85 kW (depending on battery size), enabling a 10–80% top-up in just 30 minutes. BYD also provides an eight-year or 200,000 km warranty for the battery.
The BYD Dolphin Surf
The new BYD Dolphin Surf is built on e-Platform 3.0 and measures 3990 mm in length, 1720 mm in width, 1590 mm in height, with a 2500 mm wheelbase - dimensions close to the Citroën ë-C3.
Even so, the BYD Dolphin Surf offers only four seats, like the Hyundai Inster, while the boot provides 308 litres of capacity (expandable to 1037 litres with the rear seats folded), again broadly in line with the French model.
As is typical for the brand, the dashboard features a 10.1” rotating central touchscreen, running BYD’s latest user interface. The instrument display is digital as well.
Vegan leather-trimmed seats come as standard and, depending on the version - there are three - you can add electric adjustment and heating. Every version includes three ISOFIX mounting points.
Standard equipment includes Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) - up to 3.3 kW - rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, keyless entry and start via NFC, adaptive cruise control, and electrically operated door mirrors.
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