BYD Dolphin review
The BYD Dolphin is an electric hatchback with 5 seats, a 60.4 kWh battery and a quoted WLTP range of 315 km. On paper it suits drivers who want a straightforward everyday electric car. Prices start at around A$53,700, with leases quoted from about A$450 a month.
Figures checked:
How we write this: every figure here comes from published manufacturer specifications, and the write-up is a structured comparison of those numbers against every other EV we hold for this market. We don't road test cars, so you won't find driving impressions here — just the maths, shown openly. Read our full methodology.
- From
- A$53,700
- WLTP range
- 315 km
- Battery
- 60.4 kWh
- 0–100 km/h
- 7s
- Body
- hatchback
- Seats
- 5
- Boot
- 345 L
- Lease from
- A$450/mo
Overview
The BYD Dolphin is an electric hatchback with 5 seats, a 60.4 kWh battery and a quoted WLTP range of 315 km. On paper it suits drivers who want a straightforward everyday electric car. Prices start at around A$53,700, with leases quoted from about A$450 a month.
Its headline specification point is straightforward: rotating touchscreen and lots of kit as standard. The sections below break the published figures down and set them against the other electric cars in our Australian database.
Design & practicality
Bodystyle is a hatchback with 5 seats and 345 litres of boot space. Against every EV in the database that puts it among the weakest for outright carrying capacity, and around mid-pack among other hatchbacks.
Boot space volume is modest, so this is a car best suited to one or two people and light loads.
Range & charging
The quoted WLTP range is 315 km from 60.4 kWh of usable-plus-buffer capacity — among the weakest in the database for distance between charges. Real-world figures are typically 10–25% lower in cold weather and at sustained highway speeds.
That is a mid-size battery with mainstream rapid-charging speeds. As with any EV, the running-cost picture depends far more on whether you can charge at home overnight than on the charging speed itself.
Performance
The published 0–100 km/h time is 7 seconds, which puts it below average for acceleration here and makes it brisk by the numbers. Electric drivetrains deliver that pull instantly from a standstill, so town-speed responses tend to feel stronger than the figure suggests.
Tech & features
We score cabin technology at 8/10 based on published equipment levels, which is below average across the database. The specification highlight is that rotating touchscreen and lots of kit as standard.
Expect a large central screen, over-the-air updates and driver assistance as standard on most trims.
Price & value
New prices run from A$53,700 to A$64,950, with three-year-old used examples from around A$35,900 and leases quoted from A$450 a month. That sits at the affordable end of the electric cars in this database, and the affordable end of the hatchbacks specifically.
Our value score, which weighs the price against range, space and equipment, is 8/10. Whether it works out cheaper than your current car depends on your distance, fuel price and charging setup — the cost calculator does that maths properly.
Pros & cons
Generated from how this car scores against every other EV in our database on range, price, space, performance, tech and value.
- Priced at the affordable end, from A$53,700
- High value score (8/10) for what you pay
- rotating touchscreen and lots of kit as standard
- Short WLTP range of 315 km
- Limited space: 345 litre boot space, 5 seats
- Leisurely acceleration at 7s to 100 km/h
- Basic cabin technology (8/10)
See how this compares to other EVs
Run the running-cost numbers against your current petrol or diesel car, or let the recommender rank this against every other EV for your budget and distance.
Compare with another model
Set the BYD Dolphin against a close rival on price, range, battery, space and pace — all from published specifications.
Similar hatchbacks to review next
Guides worth reading first
EV vs PHEV vs hybrid: which is right for you?
A plain-English comparison of full electric, plug-in hybrid and self-charging hybrid cars, and who each one actually suits.
MythsSix EV myths, checked
Battery lifespan, cold weather range, grid capacity and more — the common claims about electric cars, tested against the evidence.
BatteriesEV battery health & degradation: what every buyer should know
How lithium-ion packs age, what typical degradation looks like over eight years, and the charging habits that make the biggest difference.