BYD Dolphin Standard Range

The BYD Dolphin Standard Range is BYD’s entry-level electric hatchback: five doors, five seats, one motor driving the front wheels. It was the first car built on BYD’s e-Platform 3.0 and went on sale in China in August 2021. The millionth Dolphin came off the line in late 2025. “Standard Range” is the small-battery version, and in Australia the same car is called the Essential, so the Standard Range name mostly appears in New Zealand and Malaysia.

The battery is a 44.9 kWh lithium iron phosphate unit, all of it usable, good for 340 km on the WLTP cycle. The motor makes 70 kW (95 hp) and 180 Nm, and BYD claims 12.3 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. AC charging tops out at 7 kW and DC at 60 kW. UK figures put 30-80% at about 28.5 minutes, and I couldn’t find a published 10-80% time. Specs vary by market. Chinese cars are rated on CLTC (420 km for this battery), which can’t be compared with WLTP. One Thai listing gives a 50.25 kWh battery, which I couldn’t confirm anywhere else.

In Australia the Essential was cut from A$29,990 before on-road costs to A$28,888 drive-away, for orders placed between September 15 and December 15, 2026 and delivered by December 31. New Zealand pricing starts at NZ$39,990 before on-road costs, and Chinese trims run from 99,800 to 129,800 yuan. With 340 km of range and modest power, it suits city commuting, a second household car or a small-business fleet more than regular highway trips. Within BYD it sits above the Atto 1 (sold as the Seagull or Dolphin Surf in some markets) and below the Atto 3 SUV. Its main outside rivals are the MG4 and the Nissan Leaf, and the base-battery MG4 is the closest match on size, price and range. I didn’t pull current MG4 or Leaf specs or prices for this, so check them before publishing.

BYD Dolphin Standard Range Images

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