A right-hand drive version of the BYD Seagull city hatch – available from $AU15,000 in China – has been announced for the UK as the Dolphin Surf, but it remains unlikely for Australia as a five-star ANCAP safety rating is not guaranteed.
BYD’s smallest and most affordable electric car has been confirmed for right-hand drive in the United Kingdom.
The BYD Seagull will be renamed to the Dolphin Surf – slotting below the standard Dolphin hatch – when it launches in Europe and the UK later this year, Autocar reports.
While the Seagull sold in China – where it starts from around 70,000 yuan ($AU15,000) – lacked advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) until recently, and modern safety features such as a front-centre airbag, it is expected to be upgraded to meet more stringent market expectations for Europe and the UK.
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BYD executive vice-president Stella Li told Autocar the Dolphin Surf will not be the “cheapest” electric car on sale in Europe and the UK, but it would “be the best value”.
The Dolphin Surf – which is also called Dolphin Mini in some export markets, including Brazil and Mexico – is expected to cost less than £20,000 ($AU40,000) in the UK as a rival to the cut-price Dacia Spring, Fiat Grande Panda and Citroen E-C3 electric cars.
Legal representatives for BMW, the owner of Mini, were said to be reviewing BYD’s trademark for ‘Dolphin Mini’ – including in Australia – when it was filed in March 2024, but it is unclear if this is related to BYD’s decision to instead name the vehicle Dolphin Surf in Europe and the UK.
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The trademark for ‘BYD Dolphin Mini’ was approved in Australia in late 2024 and remains valid, while the brand has not filed to register the ‘Dolphin Surf’ trademark with the Australian intellectual property office.
As its name suggests, the model is smaller than the current Dolphin at 3780mm long compared to 4290mm, making it shorter than a Suzuki Swift or Toyota Yaris but longer than a Kia Picanto or Fiat 500e.
It is available in China with a lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery of up to 38.88kWh in capacity, with a claimed driving range under the less-stringent CLTC lab-test standard of up to 405 kilometres.
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David Smitherman, the CEO of local BYD distributor EVDirect, said in October 2024 smaller vehicles slotting below the Dolphin were on the radar for Australia – though it has since cut the price of the Dolphin to $29,990 before on-road costs, making it the nation’s most-affordable EV.
“Yes, there are plans for smaller vehicles [below Dolphin], smaller SUVs as well,” Smitherman said.
It is believed one factor which could limit the Dolphin Surf’s potential for sale in Australia is the likelihood it would not receive a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
“At the moment I would say that we’ve made the commitment that we’re targeting our passenger vehicles that we bring into the country [to have] five-star [ANCAP safety] ratings,” EVDirect chairman and managing director Luke Todd told Drive in 2022.
“The Seagull, because of the size and compact nature of that vehicle … it’s very hard to obtain five stars on compact cars, and that is a compact car. That’s the decision we’re working through at the moment.”
All vehicles currently sold by BYD in Australia – the Shark 6, Sealion 7, Sealion 6, Seal, Dolphin and Atto 3 – are covered by a five-star ANCAP safety rating from crash-testing conducted between 2022 and 2025 under the safety organisation’s two most-recent standards.
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