BYD Dolphin review: interior, dashboard & infotainment
The Dolphin’s funky interior and long equipment list help set it apart from rivals
In-keeping with its name, the Dolphin’s interior has a maritime theme. Door handles moulded to resemble a dolphin’s flipper, a wave-like dashboard and plenty of flashes of blue help distract from some of the cheaper-feeling trim pieces. On the whole, though, interior quality is good, especially considering the Dolphin’s budget price tag.
BYD Dolphin dashboard
The BYD’s swooping dashboard is certainly distinctive compared to the rather dark and dingy interior of the MG4. Most of the car’s functions are accessed via the rotating touchscreen – more on that later – although there is a row of knurled switches in the centre console.
All versions of the Dolphin get vegan leather interior trim which helps the budget EV feel a bit more upmarket. Behind the steering wheel, the small digital driver’s display showcases all the necessary information, while top models get a glass panoramic roof which makes the already light interior feel even more spacious.
Equipment, options & accessories
If you thought an EV with over 200 miles of range for around £26k was good value, wait till you see the BYD’s long list of standard equipment. There are four models to choose from at launch – ‘Active’, ‘Boost’, ‘Comfort’ and ‘Design’ – however the list of standard equipment stays mostly the same across the lineup.
As standard, all BYD Dolphin models get LED headlights, a 12.8-inch rotating touchscreen with sat nav, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, heated synthetic leather seats, automatic climate control and a suite of driver assistance and safety systems including adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and a 360-degree reversing camera system.
Top Design models boast larger alloy wheels, privacy glass, a panoramic sunroof and a wireless charger, but on the whole are similarly equipped to base cars.
Infotainment, apps & sat nav
Aside from its penny-pinching price tag, the BYD Dolphin’s rotating touchscreen is perhaps one of its most distinctive traits. In practice, however, the spinning screen is more of a gimmick as you’ll probably find your preferred setup then leave it alone entirely.
The system itself is pretty responsive to your inputs – especially compared with the laggy systems of some rivals – and houses all the functions we’ve all come to expect of a car’s infotainment system. We do have some bugbears, though; the menus are far from logically laid out, with some important functions buried almost out of sight. There are some mismatched fonts and text sizes too which, if you’re picky like us, will bother you a lot more than you think it perhaps should.
