Adding to its arsenal of low-cost electric cars, BYD launched its updated 2025 Dolphin EV on Monday. The new Dolphin starts at the same $13,700 (RMB 99,800) price, but with a bigger battery, the updated model boasts a longer driving range.
The 2025 model comes just six months after BYD launched the new Dolphin EV Glory edition. BYD’s new Dolphin was revealed as part of its strategy to squeeze ICE cars out of the market with lower-priced EVs.
BYD offers the 2025 “Renewal” model in four trims: Vitality, Free, Fashion, and Knight. Despite the added range and features, prices for the new model remain unchanged.
The Vitality model starts at $13,700 (RMB 99,800), while the range-topping Knight edition costs $17,850 (RMB 129,800).
Powered by a 45 kWh BYD Blade battery, the three lower-priced trims feature up to 261 miles (420 km) CLTC range. The range-topping Knight model gets up to 323 mi (520 km) with a 60 kWh battery. In comparison, the previous base Dolphin model got up to 188 mi (302 km) CLTC range with a 32 kWh battery.
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| BYD 2025 Dolphin EV trim | Price | Battery | Range (CLTC) |
| Vitality | 99,800 yuan ($13,900) | 45 kWh | 420 km (261 mi) |
| Free | 112,800 yuan ($15,700) | 45 kWh | 420 km (261 mi) |
| Fashion | 119,800 yuan ($16,700) | 45 kWh | 420 km (261 mi) |
| Knight | 129,800 yuan ($18,000) | 60 kWh | 520 km (323 mi) |
The middle trims featured a 45 kWh battery in the Honor edition, good for 261 mi (420 km). The highest-priced trim had up to 250 mi (401 km) range, also powered by a 45 kWh battery.
Meet the new 2025 BYD Dolphin EV
Although the lower-priced models feature the same powertrain with up to 70 kW output, the 2025 “Knight” trim features a more powerful motor with up to 150 kW output, up from 130 kW in the previous edition.
At 4,125 mm long, 1,770 mm wide, and 1,570 mm tall, the 2025 Dolphin is the same size as the previous model. You can picture it slightly smaller than a Chevy Bolt EV (4,145 mm long, 1,765 mm wide, 1,611 mm tall).
Inside, you will find the same DiLink intelligent network connection and 12.8″ rotating infotainment screen.
Top comment by CMG30
Don't know why more people are not paying attention to this. The price range that these cars could hit put them in the category of 'workhorse' for many people. The blade battery, being an LFP chemistry, mean that the body will rot out from around the battery long before the battery goes bad. People will literally be able to drive these things for decades with virtually no thought to maintenance. That's dirt cheap transportation getting a household back and forth to work and the store.
No, they're not fancy but as cheap pure utilitarian transportation how can you go wrong? CLTC is also the worst metric to measure range by, but still, these should get 300km of real world range. That's enough to do an occasional road trip, especially in places like Europe. Sure, you'll be stopping a lot to charge, but it's still doable.
BYD launched the new 2025 model on the same day the 700,000th Dolphin EV rolled off the production line.
With low-cost EVs like the Dolphin, BYD is expanding overseas. It opened its first plant in Thailand last week and signed a deal for another in Turkey on Monday. As it expands outside the world’s biggest EV market, BYD is also planning to build factories in Mexico and Brazil.
Although BYD was edged out by Tesla for the top-selling EV maker title in Q2, new research suggests BYD could take it back by the end of 2024.
Source: CnEVPost, BYD
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