BYD DOLPHIN SURF
Boost electric FWD automatic
Sustainability Rating: 5 stars
Our verdict:
The DOLPHIN Surf is a new fully electric supermini by BYD, which impresses with its sustainability scores. Euro NCAP awarded it 5 stars for safety in 2025. In Green NCAP it excelled with 5 stars and an average score of 96%.
- The DOLPHIN Surf has no tailpipe emissions and scores well on tyre and brake abrasion due to its low weight and strong energy recuperation. Production and energy supply emissions have minimal impact on the score.
- Energy use is low overall. Even the highest value (27.9 kWh/100 km in the Highway Test) is modest for EVs, while urban and real-world tests recorded 17.2–11.2 kWh/100 km).
- The DOLPHIN Surf's small size, low consumption and small battery result in high environmental scores. Lifecycle emissions are 112.5 g CO2-eq./km, 61 of which stem from its production in China.
Driving Experience
Our comments:
- Most of the estimated real-world consumption values of the BYD DOLPHIN Surf are considered 'good' in both warm weather and cold winter scenarios. The 43 kWh battery is quite small, which limits the achievable driving ranges and clearly positions the car as a city vehicle and somewhat limits its suitability for longer distances. The consumption readings on the board computer display are generally adequate, but, as seen with some previously tested BYD vehicles, sometimes show higher deviations.
- Drivers are advised to preheat the vehicle before cold winter trips, if possible. By doing so, an increased driving range can be achieved. The possible values are not high for the DOLPHIN Surf but are still a valuable contribution to a longer driving range in cold conditions. The tested car version only featured manual climate control and delivered acceptable cabin heat-up in cold winter conditions. However, the rear footwell did not reach the target temperature of 16°C during the test. The functions available to provide additional heating comfort are fairly limited for the tested equipment level. The cabin thermal insulation is evaluated as 'adequate'.
- The vehicle's home charging efficiency is slightly below standard with a measured grid-to-battery-output value of 86.8%. The fast DC charging is seen as adequate. Commendably, the car provides basic vehicle-to-load charging functionality, which allows it to supply 230 V to external devices with up to 3.3 kW – a function increasingly valued by consumers.
See datasheet for more details.