BYD has big plans in Europe. But in order to achieve them, it needs a very good small car. Europeans know small cars, and one that’s just cheap—and feels cheap—will not go very far on the continent.
But the BYD Seagull, renamed Dolphin Surf for the Euro market (and also called the Dolphin Mini elsewhere), is pretty convincing. I had the chance to briefly try one in Romania two weeks after the brand’s official debut in the country, and I came away impressed.
The traditional European automakers may come away spooked. The Seagull is a top-selling car in China, it's on sale or going on sale soon in several Latin American countries, and now it's taking the fight right to Volkswagen and Dacia and the rest on their home turf. Here's why it matters.
BYD Dolphin Surf: Specs And Design
Having never been to China, it was my first time seeing a Dolphin Surf/Seagull in person, and it made a really good first impression. The design is interesting and fresh, much better than most small EVs, and up to the level of what I think is the best-looking vehicle of this type, the Hyundai Inster.
The Seagull aims for an aggressive rather than cutesy aesthetic, unlike the Hyundai, and it's not bad on the eye. Lamborghini clearly inspires the front end, although I would stop short of calling it a copy, making this one of the few small cars that scream “get out of my way” when you see one in your mirrors.
The shade of “toxic” green chosen by BYD is also Lambo-inspired, as is the design of the Y-spoke wheels and their gunmetal grey finish.
Its side profile reveals a very long wheelbase for its overall size, with some of the shortest overhangs I’ve ever seen on a car. This not only makes the Dolphin Surf look sporty and planted, but it also frees up a lot of room inside. Its back seat is way roomier than I thought possible for a vehicle this small.
The roofline falls toward the rear, and it ends with a big roof spoiler that wouldn’t look out of place on a hot hatch. Part of the C-pillar features textured gloss black plastic trim that gives it a floating roof effect, and there’s a triangular body-colored protrusion above the light cluster that adds a surprising amount of visual interest.
The back is pretty upright and not as interesting as the rest of the car, but it gets a full-width light bar and there’s even a dinky faux diffuser to tie all of the sporty aesthetic together. This is a little car with a lot of presence, and it looks a lot more unique than other Chinese EVs from its class available in Europe, like the Leapmotor T03.
BYD Dolphin Surf: Interior
It beats the T03 in terms of interior design, too. The materials that the dashboard is made out of may not feel especially good, but the design is still interesting and thoroughly modern. It gets a nice three-prong steering wheel that feels surprisingly good to hold, and the driving position is much better than in its Leapmotor rival or the Dacia Spring.
The seats also deserve a mention with their sporty design (although not much in the way of side support), with their integrated headrests, perforated vegan leather upholstery, and even electric adjustment in my fully equipped tester.
Build quality was another area that impressed me, although I will say some of the plastics seemed to scratch a little too easily and they were already full of marks in all three vehicles I examined at the launch event.
Being able to electrically rotate the 10.1-inch infotainment screen between landscape and portrait orientations seems like a gimmick, but it’s ultimately cool to see on a car this cheap. It felt like BYD flexing its production muscles and ability to deliver flashy features at such a low price point.
Physical controls for important functions are thankfully present in this car. I really like how they’re integrated into the design, looking like a half-sunken cylinder, in a way that I would call Bauhaus-inspired. My tester also had electric and heated front seats, which I don’t think I’ve seen in another car this size—this might be a first for an A-segment vehicle.
Gallery: BYD Dolphin Surf live photos
What made me question my senses was the level of rear legroom. I’m exactly six feet (183 cm) tall, and I still had three fingers before my knees touched the seat back set in my driving position. It’s all thanks to the extra-long 98.5-inch (2.5-meter) wheelbase, which really opens up the cabin.
BYD gave the Dolphin Surf more power than the China-market Seagull. The base Euro variant gets 88 horsepower over the 75 hp it gets in China, and there’s an even spicier 155 hp variant, which can sprint from naught to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 9.1 seconds. That’s more than enough for a car that will spend most of its life in the city pulling away from traffic lights.
BYD Dolphin Surf: Tech And Safety
There’s also a lot of safety tech in the Dolphin Surf. It comes standard with a 360-degree surround-view camera system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure assist, automatic high beams and autonomous emergency braking. It also has a camera inside to monitor the driver, which means it is, in theory, eligible for the full five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP.
BYD offers the Dolphin Surf with two battery sizes: 30 kWh and 43.2 kWh. The latter gets 200 miles (322 km) in combination with the weaker motor or 193 miles (310 km) with the higher output. The car I drove had the 155 hp motor and the big battery, and with 97% in the battery, it indicated a theoretical range of 188 miles (303 km) with an ambient temperature of 68°F (20°C).
Even though I only got to drive the car for around half an hour, I quickly grew to like the Dolphin Surf. It’s pleasant to drive, quite comfortable but not too soft and mushy, and I could totally see myself zipping through Bucharest’s congested traffic in one of these. I will get one to live with for a few days when it becomes available in the local press fleet, but I already know there’s a lot to like.
The price is good too. Factoring in the local government incentive for scrapping an older vehicle to get an EV, which is up to €8,700 ($9,800), you can get a Dolphin Surf for just €11,500 ($12,980). Even without the incentive, this is still a sub-€20,000 EV, which puts it in a very small group of just three with the Dacia Spring and the Leapmotor T03.
And it’s the one I’d choose over the other two, even after a brief first contact.
