BYD DOLPHIN G Supermini Arrives in the UK From £23,990 With 65 Miles of Electric Range

BYD has confirmed UK pricing for the DOLPHIN G, a plug-in hybrid supermini that starts at £23,990 and can cover up to 65 miles on electric power alone before its petrol engine needs to do any work. Four trim levels are on sale now, with the first customer deliveries due in September.

The DOLPHIN G sits below the DOLPHIN and SEAL U in BYD’s UK range, and it is the only supermini currently sold in Britain with plug-in hybrid technology. That gives buyers an electric-only commute in the week and still lets them cover longer distances at weekends without stopping to charge. BYD’s Super Hybrid system pairs a front-mounted electric motor with a Blade Battery pack, giving the car the smooth, quiet pull of an EV around town and a combined range of up to 646 miles when the petrol engine joins in.

Four Trims, Four Price Points

The range opens with the Active at £23,990. It carries a smaller 7.4kWh battery, good for 24.8 miles of electric-only driving, a combined range of 633 miles and a weighted fuel figure of 108.6mpg. Outside, 16-inch alloy wheels mark it out from the rest of the line-up; inside, buyers get a 10.1-inch touchscreen, a four-speaker stereo, fabric seats and a rear-view camera as standard.

Step up to the Boost at £26,990 and the battery grows to 18.3kWh, stretching electric-only range to 65 miles and total range to 646 miles. Fuel economy improves to a claimed 201.7mpg, and power rises from 176PS to 212PS. Charging speeds increase too: AC charging jumps from 3.3kW to 6.6kW, and DC charging becomes available for the first time in the range, at up to 39kW.

The Comfort trim costs £28,490 and takes another step up in design and technology. Externally it gains its own 18-inch alloy wheel design and exterior mirror footlights that light the ground beneath the door when unlocking at night. The seats move from fabric-only to a fabric and vegan leather mix, and the driver’s seat gains electrical adjustment rather than a manual lever. In-car technology gets a genuine upgrade at this trim too, with Google built into the infotainment system, bringing Google Maps, Google Assistant and access to the Play Store without a phone needing to be plugged in. A 360-degree camera also arrives at Comfort level, making tight parking spaces easier to judge than the single rear-view camera fitted to the two entry trims.

At the top, the Sport trim starts at £29,940 and adds black 18-inch wheels, suede-effect seat trim in orange or blue accents, and paint colours matched to those interior accents. Every model gets adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot detection, and front and rear parking sensors as standard, regardless of trim.

Where the Boost Trim Changes the Equation

For most private buyers, the Boost trim is likely to be the sweet spot. The jump from Active to Boost costs £3,000 but delivers 40 extra miles of electric-only range, a real-world useful step for anyone whose daily commute sits in the 20-40 mile bracket. Two 18W USB-C ports for rear passengers, multi-colour ambient lighting and wireless phone charging with cooling all arrive at this trim too, closing much of the gap to pricier rivals without the bigger outlay of the Comfort or Sport models.

Standard safety equipment across the range is where BYD is keen to draw a line under cut-price EV competitors. Adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detection are often optional extras on rival superminis costing thousands more, yet BYD fits them to every DOLPHIN G leaving the factory, alongside traffic sign recognition and front and rear parking sensors.

Every trim also shares a common set of exterior basics regardless of price: LED headlights, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, and rain-sensing wipers come as standard from the Active upwards. Inside, automatic air conditioning, an 8.8-inch driver display, built-in sat-nav, and both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are fitted across the entire line-up, so buyers choosing the cheapest Active model are not left without the connectivity features that rivals sometimes hold back for pricier trims.

How It Stacks Up Against the Competition

Plug-in hybrid technology is rare in the supermini class in Britain. Most manufacturers reserve PHEV powertrains for larger SUVs and family hatchbacks, leaving buyers who want a compact car with an electric commute and no range anxiety on longer trips with few options. The DOLPHIN G’s 65-mile electric range beats what many mid-size PHEV SUVs offer, even with the car’s smaller footprint and lower price tag.

Buyers cross-shopping against a typical petrol supermini will find the DOLPHIN G’s opening price close to a well-specified Ford Fiesta-sized rival, but with a fuel bill that could fall to near zero for owners who charge overnight and rarely drive beyond the car’s electric range. Against small electric-only rivals, the DOLPHIN G removes the charging-stop anxiety that still puts some buyers off going fully electric, at a similar entry price.

Exterior colour choice is generous for the class: Sunset Orange pearlescent paint comes as standard, with four further colours (Skiing White, Time Grey, Obsidian Black and Ocean Blue) available for a £750 option.

Ordering and Delivery

The DOLPHIN G DM-i is available to order through UK retailers now. BYD says first customer deliveries are due in September, giving buyers a tight window between placing an order and getting behind the wheel. Given the brand’s rapid expansion in the UK over the past two years, retailer availability should be widespread by the time deliveries begin.

For buyers who have been waiting for an affordable plug-in hybrid that does not require an SUV-sized budget, the DOLPHIN G gives BYD another entry point below the DOLPHIN and SEAL U, filling a gap that few rivals have bothered to address in this segment.