BYD may just have silenced the EV critics who claim that you can't buy an electric car for a reasonable price. The new Dolphin hatchback - a rival to the likes of the MG 4 and the Volkswagen ID.3 - will have a starting price of just €25,570.
Active and Boost models arrive in early 2024
Well, not quite yet. The most affordable Dolphin models - the Active and the Boost models - will come with a 44.9kWh battery, with a range of up to 340km, and prices from €25,570 and €26,507, respectively. However, those two versions won't arrive until early next year.
In the meantime, the Dolphin is hardly over-priced, with the Comfort model, which comes with a 60.4kWh battery and a range of up to 427km, starting at €29,318. There's also a slightly pricier Design version which uses the same battery, priced from €31,192.
Crucially, that means that for in and around the same price as the 340km-ranged entry-level MG 4, BYD is offering a similarly-sized car with 420km of range. Truly, the Chinese EV price wars have begun...
Rotating touchscreen
Basic Active models will have a 95hp electric motor driving the front wheels. As standard, it will get a 12.8-inch central rotating touchscreen, electrically adjustable vegan leather sports seats, 16-inch bi-colour alloy wheels, and a 360-degree parking camera. Standard safety equipment includes adaptive headlights with high-beam assist, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, rear collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking, lane-keeping steering, and adaptive cruise control.
Boost models get a more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels, and an upgrade to a 176hp electric motor.
Faster charging
Comfort models get the 204hp electric motor, the bigger 60.4kWh battery, front parking sensors, a six-speaker audio system, and front heated seats. There's also faster 11kW AC charging for Comfort versions (Active and Boost make do with 7.4kW - the AC charging system makes up a surprising amount of the per-car cost). Active and Boost models can charge at up to 60kW on a DC charger, allowing a 10-80 per cent charge in about 38 minutes. Comfort and Design models get an 88kW DC charging system. There's also a 3.3kW vehicle-to-load connection, which allows you to charge other devices from your Dolphin.
Speaking of Design, the top-spec model comes as standard with 17-inch 'tri-colour' alloys, a panoramic glass roof, dual-tone exterior paint, wireless smartphone charging, and rear privacy glass.