Your Definitive Guide the new BYD Dolphin Electric Car Lease

The new BYD Dolphin Electric Car Lease - Your Definitive Guide 

This week (February 2024) has been a busy one with the UK’s news and media outlets covering a mix of headlines and statements about electric cars - some great and others more concerning. One of the interesting pieces to arise was the BBC article on the House of Lords review of the EV industry  which identified a number of crucial factors that needed resolving as part of moving more consumers into all-electric technology.

While many are common-knowledge, and common sense, it’s rewarding to see that the upper level of our political and social hierarchy are addressing these. One of the main elements identified within this is the “mistruths on cost and range” which are commonly propagated by many sources.

The so-called scare tactics have been used all too much in the UK with sensational statements more concerned about clicks and gossip, as opposed to genuine facts and analysis. In a free democracy, it is only right that pros and cons of EVs are identified to the general public but it is important to remember the phrase “don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story” as part of this. Only yesterday, Sky News  and the Telegraph linked on to a story about Rowan Atkinson / Mr Bean. Entertaining as it is, it’s key to separate the story from the underlying facts. This is why the Government are trying to sanitise the conversation with their Guidance Booklet on Electric vehicles . At e-car lease, you will note we have an EVC™ which supports this with every quotation.

Another one of the issues identified within the article was that of vehicle cost. And while many EVs have perhaps been targeting the luxury and prestige markets, it is no longer fair to say that all BEVs are expensive nor are they misaligned to the price of combustion options.

Indeed, we are seeing more pricing parity between combustion vehicles and battery ones, without taking into account the running costs and whole of life costs. Very much a part of this is the BYD brand, or Build Your Dreams, which arrived into the UK in 2023.

Worldwide the BYD Auto group have been performing robustly, with over 3 million sold last year. This actually allowed the BYD group to surpass Tesla as the largest plug-in manufacturer worldwide. But while much of this is down to the Chinese and East Asian markets, the group are now pushing into the UK’s electric vehicle market with a series of options including:

• Seal 
• ATTO 3 
• Dolphin 

It is the Dolphin which our supplier partners,  City West   , kindly brought to the electric expert team here at e-car lease to test and review. Priced between £25,490 - £31,640, this hatchback is aiming to bring value and cost-effectiveness to the UK but not at the cost of functionality and performance.

And delivery time on the BYD product will become even quicker, with a production facility aimed to be installed in Hungary to serve the European markets. But what specifications of Dolphin can you choose from? In terms of specification choose between:

•  Active (from £25,490) - this includes 16” alloys, LED headlights, electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors, high beam assist, electrically heated windscreen, heated seats, vegan leather, front and rear LED lights, 5” instrument panel, 12.8” internal screen, 6-speaker audio system, 360 camera, rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start, heat pump, V2L, adaptive cruise control, front and rear traffic alert, emergency braking, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition;                

• Boost (from £26,490) - this includes 17” alloys and the 11kW AC;
•  Comfort (from £30,140) - includes 17” alloys, folding mirrors, 2 rear USB ports, 4 x one click window function, sound optimisation and the 11kW AC; and
•  Design (from £31,640)  - this includes 17” tri-colour alloys, rear privacy glass, windscreen privacy glass and colour contrast paintwork.

And how does the BYD Dolphin perform? Is the battery and range good

•  Active  - this FWD hatchback will have a 44.9 kWh usable battery which will offer 0 – 62 times of 10.0 seconds, 93 mph top speeds and 70 kW (or 94hp). Expect a combined winter range of 135 miles with warmer weather allowing for 180 miles. On charging, the 7.4 kW AC max will allow 7 hour and 15 minute 0 – 100% charging times with the 60 kW DC maximum allowing 40 minute 10 – 80% times. A cargo volume of 345L is available with this car. It has a vehicle fuel equivalent of 144 mpg. This car cannot tow. This is based on the E-Platform 3.0 which is an EV dedicated platform and includes a heat pump;
•  Boost  - this FWD hatchback will have a 44.9 kWh usable battery which will offer 0 – 62 times of 8.0 seconds, 99 mph top speeds and 130 kW (or 174hp). Expect a combined winter range of 130 miles with warmer weather allowing for 180 miles. On charging, the 7.4 kW AC max will allow 7 hour and 15 minute 0 – 100% charging times with the 60 kW DC maximum allowing 40 minute 10 – 80% times. A cargo volume of 345L is available with this car. It has a vehicle fuel equivalent of 140 mpg. This car cannot tow. This is based on the E-Platform 3.0 which is an EV dedicated platform and includes a heat pump; and  
• Comfort / Design - this FWD hatchback will have a 60.5 kWh usable battery which will offer 0 – 62 times of 7.0 seconds, 99 mph top speeds and 150 kW (or 201 hp). Expect a combined winter range of 175 miles with warmer weather allowing for 240 miles. On charging, the 11 kW AC max will allow 6 hour and 30 minute 0 – 100% charging times with the 88 kW DC maximum allowing 41 minute 10 – 80% times. A cargo volume of 345L is available with this car. It has a vehicle fuel equivalent of 140 mpg. This car cannot tow. This is based on the E-Platform 3.0 which is an EV dedicated platform and includes a heat pump;

A big thank you to our BYD partners - BYD South West   for supplying the Dolphin EV pictured here. Based in Devon, the City West Country can assist you, or the business, with any queries you might have on this amazing product.

In terms of the car shown, the BYD Dolphin Hatchback 150kW Design 60.4kWh 5Dr Auto Pure electric Vehicle, this is based on the following:

• Two tone - Surfing blue / Urban grey
•  Vegan leather - Black
•  17" Tri-colour alloy wheels

Any queries? Just get in touch with our Electric Car Experts via the website or email at [email protected]

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