BYD Dolphin review (2024): Better Than The MG4 EV!? | TotallyEV

The BYD Dolphin is an affordable compact all-electric hatchback! Find out how it performs and compares to its rivals, such as the MG4 EV, by watching the review!

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Video timestamps:
Price & trims: 00:00
Range: 01:21
Charging: 02:52
Performance: 05:13
Driving comfort: 06:27
Interior & tech: 09:08
Storage: 11:34
Seat comfort: 13:40
Interior design: 14:42
Exterior design: 15:46
Safety & parking: 16:33
Verdict: 17:44

#byd
#byddolphin
#electricvehicle
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[TotallyEV]

Video timestamps:
Price & trims: 00:00
Range: 01:21
Charging: 02:52
Performance: 05:13
Driving comfort: 06:27
Interior & tech: 09:08
Storage: 11:34
Seat comfort: 13:40
Interior design: 14:42
Exterior design: 15:46
Safety & parking: 16:33
Verdict: 17:44

[Clarioner]

Nice review,

I don't think at £26k new (with deals available) anyone can say EVs are still expensive (in this class) - especially when you consider most people buy on PCP anyway.

Comparable ICE cars like VW Golf, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra all start from £25-£28k. Given EV whole of life running cost savings - fuel, servicing, congestion charges, road tax, company car tax etc. and not forgetting lowering CO2 and making air cleaner for our kids - no excuses anymore.

Saw the Dolphin at the EV show Farnborough as well as the MG4 - both are good "family" cars, but I do think the quality of the interior on the Dolphin (and tech) is better quality on the Dolphin than the MG4. They both drive basically the same - quiet, smooth etc. The Blade battery is a game-changer though, so safe and efficient.

BYD are going to be massive in UK/Europe - they have a distinct advantage over most others - they make their OWN batteries!

So no supply chain issues, and (as batteries form the largest cost in the car price) - more profit margin. BYD are making profits on EVs, where VW, Ford, BMW, Mercedes and many others are losing loads on each car made. VW will make a profit, when their partnership with XPeng produces "Chinese" VWs. All the ICE manufacturers are going to need to do these Chinese manufacturing/design partnerships to survive imo.

[petersimms]

Ive driven the MG 4 and it was fantastic 😊

[peterarmstrong]

I absolutely love mine in urban grey.Byd changed my tyres to hankook which made a huge difference!! I have recorded 6.4 to 60 on cold 5; degree roads so looking at just over 6 in warm weather. I prefer this over my old mg4, cupra born and niro. I purchased mine with quite good discount 😁. Only negative from me is the driver aids which can be turned off in 5 seconds.

[peterjones]

Looks a good car for the price. I have an MG 4 which I am very happy with, but when I change cars probably in about 2 years certainly look at BYD. It would be useful though if they both had 22kw AC charging ( I have three phase power at home and the appropriate charger — I also have a Zoe) and a faster DC charge, at least 250kw as most chargers now being installed are at least 250kw with many at 350kw.

[ISuperTed]

Nice review of an interesting car. We really need more cars like this for EV ownership to continue to grow, not the £50k+ monster SUV’s and £40k+ saloons. It’s a pity that the big selling legacy makers like VW, ford and Vauxhall still haven’t been able to get something like this out there (yes I know we have ID3’s, Corsa etc but they are £10k more).

[berhanumelese]

What is the difference between byd dolphin and byd segual specifically ground clerance

[karlschleifenbaum]

Been driving the top spec, and it's splendid. Better quality and feel than my 2014 Octavia. Quiet interior, fantastic infotainment with modern design and quick reaction. Long-term quality needs to be assessed, and that's the only gripe I have. A friend of mine manages BYD forklifts and they break down after 2 years occasionally ... Worst bunch of his pack.

[wasbikebloke]

Just ordered one but I wish they'd kept the bright interior colour scheme. Also wish it had one peddle driving, seat cooling and the dash cam was fitted as standard.

[remakeit]

Not everyone likes one pedal driving... and I am one. The Dolphin however loses no regen because once you start to brake the regen (aka one pedal effect) kicks in.
You can step from an ICEv into the Dolphin seamlessly, with the key difference being no engine noise.
Best thing about the Dolphin is that its offers a real EV choice at the lower price end of new cars.

[davidjohn]

Looks modern and very nice plus it sounds quite quiet

[rogerstarkey]

PLEASE learn the difference between battery General Chemistry, Specific Chemistry and Form Factor.
.
Let's start in reverse order.
"Form Factor" (shape).
This is a "blade".
About 960mm long (across the width of the vehicle)
90mm "tall" (standing in the vehicle)
13.5mm "thick" (front to back in the vehicle).
.
Compare this to "Prismatic" cells, which vary in size, but tend to be shaped more like a paperback book.
.
Then there are Cylindrical cells.
Common dimensions
18650 (18mm diameter by 65mm tall)
2170 (21mm dia, 70mm tall)
Or the latest fashion
4680 (46mm dia, 80mm tall, ref the new Tesla cells)
.
Next.... CHEMISTRY.
Examples.
Lithium Iron Phosphate.
(LiFePo4)
Medium power, medium weight.
....
Nickel based.
Example NMC, Nickel Manganese Cobalt
(LiNixMnyCo1-x-yO2)
Higher power, lighter.
.
PLEASE note that both of these contain the symbol "Li"/ *Lithium* in the formula!
.
*BOTH are "Lithium ion" cell chemistries*
.
There's a VERY common mistake where a commentator will differentiate between "Lithium IRON" and "Lithium ION" Cells.
(I believe you may have made that mistake at 1:32?)
That's wrong.
.
To recap.
Battery....
...
General chemistry (eg)
Sodium ion (another subject!)
or
Lithium ion
.
(And others)

*Specific* chemistry
.
Lithium ion
INCLUDES
1) Lithium IRON phosphate, often aka "LFP"
.
2) Nickel Manganese Cobalt,
Often aka "NMC"
.
3) Nickel Cobalt Aluminium, often aka "NCA"
.
I'll stress again.
*2+ 3 BOTH contain Lithium*
.
They both rely on the transport of *Lithium ions* through the cell to carry charge.
.
"LFP" (LiFePo4/ Iron based) cells tend to be in "flat" formats, blade, or Prismatic.
.
"NMC/ NCA" (Nickel based) cells tend to be Cylindrical.
.
Each format has advantages.

[petersimms]

Cute little EV, probably take my mother to test one 😊

[keacyut]

I tested BYD and MG4 and ended up with MG4. I just like the driving in MG4. BYD to me felt driving an old man's car. Stable and quite but it just didn't appeal to me & the accelation was a bit of drag, you have to really press on the pedal as you said here since it is front wheel drive. Maybe it is just me. The one pedal driving also was an edge for MG4 but the biggest turn off in BYD was the battery range. Short and slow on the charging. But the software on BYD is probably better than MG4. I hope BYD has more options. I might consider the car again in 3 years.

[robertmuster]

It’s unfortunate that you and other reviewers don’t understand the regenerative braking on the BYD EVs. Using the brake pedal starts regeneration and the disk brakes don’t engage until the end of the braking that brings the car to a complete stop. This type of regenerative braking is controlled by the driver and allows for more coasting and greater efficiency. It’s also the favoured method of regenerative breaking favoured by some other manufacturers. It is less likely to cause motion sickness to passengers.

[Rafaelinux]

Wow. The trims and prices... So lucky.

[darrenmarshall]

Whats the manufacturer's warranty if anything goes wrong ?

[catherinegrimes]

Very nice review.
I am a bit puzzled with your comment about the brightness of the infotainment screen. I have watched quite a lot of reviews for this car and some have been filmed in Australia and New Zealand where it is a lot more sunnier than in the UK. Only one other reviewer mentioned that the screen looked dim and that was when he was commenting on the buggy software in the Dolphin, MG4 and Ora Good/Funky Cat, he said that the Dolphin screen was stuck in a dim mode that couldn't be corrected until the computer was reset.

[andrewcumming]

Try the MG 4 out here in Australia its $30990 on the road. Thats £15500!!!

[syarizansulaiman]

In Malaysia BYD Dolphin is not best choice due to single phase onboard charging, prices will be high to pay