BYD beefs up popular Dolphin in China without raising prices

Less than six months after the latest update with the Glory Edition, Chinese EV maker BYD beefs up its popular Dolphin hatchback in its homeland with a bigger 48 kWh or 60.48 kWh battery for more range without raising prices. Meanwhile, the 700,000th Dolphin has rolled off production lines.

Like the Glory Edition, the Dolphin 2025 comes in four variants: Vitality, Free, Fashion, and Knight, with unchanged prices starting at 99,800 yuan (€12,570) to 129,800 yuan (€16,480) for the top version, Knight.

Boosted range

The three lower-priced variants get a 44.9 kWh blade LFP battery boasting a range of 420 kilometers. That’s according to Chinese CLTC standards, which are up to 25% more favorable than European WLTP. Before, the basic model had 32.2 kWh, good for a 302 km CLTC range. They keep the same motor as the Glory Editon, with 70 kW (94 hp) of peak power and 180 Nm of torque.

The Knight is the most powerful, producing 150 kW (201 hp) and 310 Nm. It has a larger blade battery with a capacity of 60.48 kWh and a CLTC range of 520 km.

BYD is leading a price war in its homeland and wants to prove to the Chinese that EVs can be cheaper than cars with combustion engines. In Europe, one can only dream of such prices, although the Dolphin is still among the most affordable and was already offered with the bigger batteries.

Family Car of the Year 2024

In Belgium, BYD still offers three Dolphin versions today: Active (starting at €29,240), Comfort (€34,490), and Design (€35,990). The Active has a 44.9 kWh battery and a 70 kW motor, good for a WLTP range of 310 km. Both other versions feature the 150 kW motor and a 60.48 kWh battery for 427 km (WLTP).

The Dolphin has been sold in Belgium since 2023 and was crowned ‘Family Car of the Year’ in the 37th edition of the Belgian mobility organization VAB’s yearly contest.

With a km cost of €0.54 (10,000 km) and €0.33 (20,000 km), the Dolphin already proved cheaper in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) than most contenders with a classic combustion engine in the category of up to €38,000. That was also the case for the MG4, second in its category with even lower TCO of €0.48 and €0.30, at a list price of €27,285.