2025 BYD Dolphin owner review

Overall impressions of the BYD Dolphin 

Why did you buy an EV?

We are a two-car family, and it was time to upgrade the second, runaround car.

My husband and I are environmentally conscious and believe EVs are the future. At first, we looked at getting a hybrid, but ultimately decided we’d go for a full electric vehicle.

We quickly discovered there are many more options these days for entry-level EVs at an affordable price, so knowing the market is moving in the right direction made us more confident in purchasing one.

Why did you buy the BYD Dolphin?

We were looking for a smaller, runaround car – about the size of a Toyota Corolla. The BYD Dolphin Premium fits this criterium while also having enough space in the back for booster seats.

While a lot of the talk around EVs centres on range anxiety, I felt the 480km you get on a full charge with the BYD Dolphin is more than enough – especially as it’ll just be used around town.

The tech available in the BYD Dolphin Premium feels quite fancy. A large dash screen, bird’s-eye view camera, and heated seats (absolutely not needed in Sydney but feel luxurious) all added to the decision to purchase this car.

The price (sub-$40,000 including on road costs) was another selling point. This felt affordable for our family. We want reliable cars but don’t want to spend crazy amounts of money – especially on an EV where the technology may become eclipsed far sooner than with an ICE vehicle.

What were the BYD Dolphin’s rivals?

The other two cars we looked at were the MG4 and the GWM Ora.

I was originally leaning towards the MG4, but after a test drive I felt the BYD Dolphin was a nicer experience – especially with the premium tech included.

We didn’t test drive the GWM Ora because we could tell just from looking that it was too small – especially for a six-foot-four driver. I think it’d be better suited to teens and young adults getting their first car.

How has driving and charging the BYD Dolphin been?

Is the car’s charging rate fast enough for how you use the car?

For how we use the car, yes.

‘Granny charging’ (i.e. plugging the car directly into a wall outlet) is surprisingly slow – it needs to be plugged in at least overnight to get back to a full charge. But my family only needs to do this once a week, so it’s not too much hassle. 

Alternatively, I find a fast charger near my office and charge there once a week. Doing it this way takes less than an hour. 

We’re not at the point yet where we need a faster charger at home, but maybe into the future. 

How does the car drive overall? Is its performance and handling adequate?

The BYD Dolphin drives smoothly and quietly, and everyone has been impressed so far. 

For someone who has driven ICE cars up until this point, I am very impressed with the refinement and the overall feeling of stability in the car. 

It is slow to accelerate, which I don’t find ideal, but that may be my only complaint. 

Has range been an issue? What kind of real-world range do you find you’re getting?

The range of 480km feels sufficient but hard to gauge given that we only use the BYD Dolphin around town. 

With two kids, we’d be unlikely to use the car on a long road trip, and it’s not what we intended when we bought it. 

There’s enough range to last a week’s worth of around town driving and that meets the requirements for my family. 

Has the BYD Dolphin represented value for money?

The BYD Dolphin Premium just snuck in under our $40,000 budget limit. I was shocked to find out EV companies don’t haggle on price, as this seems like the ‘normal’ way to buy a car. But it felt refreshing to know the asking price was everything I’d be paying.

I think the Dolphin is very good value for money – especially the Premium model. It has features found in more luxury cars but is still accessible to the masses. 

Has the car been reliable? Have you had any issues maintaining it?

So far the car has been incredibly reliable. It's less than six months old, so I wouldn’t have expected any issues yet. 

We did think that a reversing light had gone out, but it turns out the law only requires a car under six metres in length to have one reversing light. And while I would probably prefer two, this isn’t the defect I worried it might be. 

What have running and repair costs been like? More or less than you expected?

The costs have been undetectable so far.  

While the car may charge slowly on the granny charger, that once-a-week charge hasn't changed our electricity bill at all. 

What do you think about the BYD Dolphin tech and styling?

I absolutely love the interior and styling of the BYD Dolphin Premium. It feels luxurious with leather seats, seat warmers, and side mirror defrosters.  

I really enjoy driving with the pano roof open on a cloudy day to see the rain splatter on top of the car – though it does get dirty quickly! 

The included tech is everything you could want, and it will be very hard to live without the bird’s-eye view camera when driving other cars. 

Does the car have all the tech/safety you would expect and want?

In today’s world I would hope that all cars came with dashcams automatically fitted, this is unfortunately not the case. 

One real perk of a Tesla in my opinion is the automated dashcam and sentry mode. 

Are there any standout features?

The centre console has an easy slot for your phone so there’s no need to plug in to connect it to the car. The slot is also equipped with a fan to make sure your device doesn't overheat.  

I’m thoroughly impressed with the space in this car. It can fit a family of four easily and comfortably, though it is still compact and zippy. 

Room for improvement?

As mentioned, the acceleration is lacking. Not too much of a problem for someone like me, who views driving as an A-to-B transaction, but it would definitely be too sluggish on start for anyone who enjoys a drive.