BYD launches most affordable electric car in South Africa — Pricing and specifications

Several BYD dealerships in South Africa have started advertising the Dolphin hatchback with prices starting from R539,900, making it the most affordable new electric vehicle (EV) available in the country.

The Dolphin will be the second model available in South Africa from the Chinese automotive giant, which is Tesla’s biggest rival.

MyBroadband previously reported that the indicative price of the Dolphin was R550,000, based on feedback to EV Charge co-founder Roberto Bruzanniti from a dealership employee.

TopAuto recently also reported that the first BYD Dolphin units in the country entered through the Durban harbour in early May 2024.

The confirmed pricing means the Dolphin undercuts the previous cheapest EV in South Africa — the GWM Ora 03 — by R147,050.

The Dolphin is a five-seater hatchback available with one of two front-axle-fitted motors and two battery packs.

The entry-level Dolphin Standard that will be available in South Africa features a 70kW/180Nm motor paired with a 44.9kWh battery pack, capable of achieving 340km on a single charge.

The Standard supports DC fast charging speeds of up to 60kW, which can charge the battery from empty to full in less than an hour. AC slow charging speeds can go up to 7.4kW.

The Extended model that will also be available in South Africa comes with a significantly more powerful 150kW/310Nm motor, providing a 0–100km/h acceleration of 7 seconds.

It also features a larger 60.5kWh battery pack, capable of covering 427km on a single charge, based on the WLTP cycle.

In addition, the pack supports faster 80kW DC charging and 7.4kW AC charging, enabling similar total charging times as the regular model despite having a larger battery.

The Dolphin is packed with a plethora of tech but features a much more conservative design than the Atto 3, BYD’s first car in South Africa.

However, it also inherits the Atto 3’s big interior party piece — a rotatable 12.8-inch centre display.

Interior of BYD Dolphin with left-hand drive.

Rear interior of BYD Dolphin

The list of standard features on the Dolphin is extensive and includes:

• Airbags
• Collision warning
• Electronic stability control
• Road sign recognition with speed limiter
• Blind spot alert
• Parking cameras (multiple)
• Rear parking camera
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Adaptive cruise control
• Emergency steering assist
• Autonomous emergency braking advanced
• Autonomous emergency braking reverse
• Front cross-traffic alert
• Lane departure warning
• Lane-keeping assist
• Speed limiter
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Driver attention alert

Those who regard safety as an important factor in their car buying choice, will find that the Dolphin achieved a 5-star rating in Euro NCAP and Australian NCAP testing.

BYD is holding the first soft launch event for the Dolphin at BYD Umhlanga on 18 May 2024.

Customers can already enquire about test driving and buying the EV on the BYD KZN website.

In addition to Umhlanga, the following dealerships will offer test drives of the Dolphin:

• BYD Ballito — Alpine Auto Group
• BYD Cape Town — Mekor Auto Group
• BYD Hatfield — BB Auto Group
• BYD Kelston  — Kelston Motor Group
• BYD Pinetown — Alpine Auto Group
• BYD Woodmead — Hatfield Auto Group