We pitted the BYD Dolphin, which is currently the most affordable electric car from China in the Czech Republic, against the cheapest electric Volvo EX30, which also has a Chinese pedigree, but is generally perceived as a “European” representative of battery-powered city cars.
At first glance, the two don’t quite seem like the closest competitors. The smallest car that the Chinese car manufacturer BYD currently offers on the European market and which, thanks to the importer Top Drive Club, can also be ordered in the Czech Republic from April, looks like a typical representative of city cars from the outside.
The model named Dolphin measures 4290 mm in length, 1770 mm in width, 1570 mm in height and offers a wheelbase of 2700 mm. The trunk promises a volume of 345 liters and 1310 liters when folded.
With its lines, the Volvo EX30 ranks among typical urban SUVs. However, they are the same size, at least on paper. The small electric Volvo is even four centimeters shorter, on the contrary six centimeters wider and somewhat unexpectedly, specifically 21 millimeters lower. And it has a five-centimeter shorter wheelbase. This is reflected in the area in front of the knees in the back, where the BYD definitely wins. But it’s also narrower and you can’t put your feet under the front seats. The Dolphin’s headrests are also less comfortable.
The trunk also loses a little to the Chinese representative, 318 liters can fit in the trunk of the Volvo, and after folding the rear backrests, the space increases to 904 liters. On the other hand, the entrance opening has a more regular shape and box-like dimensions, which are therefore much more usable. In short, if you take a look inside the EX30, you would swear that there is definitely more space for cargo than in the Chinese “Dolphin”.
But Volvo has charm and the ability to get attention. And because it is offered from the amount of 869,000 CZK, it is in great demand among electric cars, it is among the most affordable full-size battery-powered cars on the Czech market.
That’s why we took him to the event of the leasing company Drivalia, where it was possible to test not only electric models from established brands from Europe. The USA or even South Korea, but also the battery cars of some Chinese brands, were compared to the Dolphin.
It costs at least 779,000 crowns, including tax and without a 200,000 crown subsidy for businesses and self-employed people. It is thus 900 crowns cheaper than another Chinese electric compact, the MG4.
In the case of the Dolphin, it is the Comfort equipment, which includes, for example, automatic air conditioning, a set of assistants including adaptive cruise control or lane keeping assistant, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera and heated electric front seats.
What sets the Dolphin apart from the competition is the rotatable 12.8-inch display of the multimedia system. Do you want it landscape or portrait? The Chinese don’t care, you can turn it even while driving. The base also has a V2L function, so you can charge an electric grill, for example, from the flashlight.
The Design equipment, which is 50,000 more expensive, adds, for example, a panoramic roof, two-tone paintwork or wireless charging of smartphones.
Only the version with a larger lithium-iron-phosphate battery with a usable capacity of 60.4 kWh is delivered to the Czech Republic. It is located in the chassis and on paper should give the car a radius of 427 kilometers. This is a good standard within the category. During short trips, the on-board computer showed a consumption of 15 kWh/100 km, so it could realistically be possible to drive around 400 kilometers with the car.
The small Volvo is offered in three variants. Two are rear-wheel drive, the third has a drive on both axles. The basic model has a lithium-iron-phosphate battery with a capacity of 51 kWh (49 kWh are usable), promises an output of 200 kW and a range of 337 kilometers.
The second model also has 200 kW, but a nickel-manganese-cobalt battery with a capacity of 69 kWh (64 kWh usable) and can travel up to 476 km. The most powerful variant is for lovers of sharp turns from junctions, as it has an output of 315 kW and accelerates to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds.
If we compare the Dolphin with the base model EX30, there is a difference of 90,000 between them, but the Chinese BYD will go further, in practice, even on a short test route, it turned out that the Dolphin is very economical, at least by two to three kWh per 100 kilometers . The Extended Range version starts at 994,000, i.e. 215,000 CZK more. Is this price bounce justified? Read on…
It lags behind the Swedish competition, for example, in charging speed. BYD states a maximum of 88 kW with direct current, on the other hand, it is standard 11 kW with alternating current. The basic Volvo also has 11 kW on AC as standard, but it can handle 134 kW on DC and the Single Motor with a larger battery even 153 kW.
With a single front-mounted electric motor driving the front axle, the BYD has decent dynamics at lower and higher speeds thanks to its 150 kW output. The manufacturer claims acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in seven seconds. Top speed is 160 km/h, 20 km/h less than the Volvo.
That it is the cheapest BYD in the European range is revealed above all by the design of the interior. Even the external door handles look relatively cheap, accompanied by the softened padded surface of the dashboard, but the material itself looks a bit cheap again. The same can be said for the glossy black plastic around the vents or the gray hard plastics in the doors and on the top of the dashboard.
Even the interior door handles look cheap. When you close the trunk lid, which makes a tinny sound, you remember the old cheap minis, where no one bothered with such details.
Volvo is the exact opposite, its cabin can impress. In the end, the abundant use of recycled materials is not harmful at all, the EX30 is chic and the interior looks valuable even compared to European brands, let alone Dolphin. In this race, the Swedish-Chinese car has the upper hand.
But the Dolphin’s chassis is pleasantly surprising. It is sufficiently comfortable and at the same time sure, although the car leans a little in corners, perhaps due to the higher body structure. The steering feels slightly rubbery, but in the city its lighter operation will come in handy. The Dolphin raid is also decent. However, the small display of alarm clocks that can be adjusted together with the steering wheel looks rather funny – it is very difficult to deny the inspiration of the ID.3 here.
Although we only had a limited amount of time to get to know the Dolphin model, and we originally planned to rent the Atto 3 SUV, its strengths and weaknesses became quite clear. In the first category you can definitely count a comfortable chassis or longitudinal space on the back seats, in the second a big red exclamation mark shines, especially for the interior and the quality of the plastics used.
In comparison with cars such as the electric Opel Astra, Peugeot 308, MG4, Renault Megane, and above all with the nearest rival, which is the Volkswagen ID.3, perhaps the differences would be much smaller. But Volvo is one of the best electric cars in its category on the current market.
And so when the Dolphin pleasantly surprised, when hesitating whether to choose it or the EX30, the decision would be easy. Especially when the price difference, at least in the basic version, is not huge.
