BYD Dolphin Surf vs GWM ORA ORA 03

The GWM ORA ORA 03 costs £2,595 more than the BYD Dolphin Surf. For that premium it adds 55 miles more WLTP range, 61 kW more power and 1 more seat (5 versus 4). The BYD Dolphin Surf is not just cheaper - it also offers 80 litres more boot space and a 2.3s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BYD Dolphin Surf comes out ahead overall.

The BYD Dolphin Surf is £2,595 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £168 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the BYD Dolphin Surf comes out roughly £2,515 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 87 miles for the BYD Dolphin Surf and 160 miles for the GWM ORA ORA 03 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The GWM ORA ORA 03 goes roughly 73 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 30 minutes in the BYD Dolphin Surf and 43 in the GWM ORA ORA 03, so the BYD Dolphin Surf loses less time at each stop. So the GWM ORA ORA 03 stops less often while the BYD Dolphin Surf stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The BYD Dolphin Surf is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 105 mm narrower than the GWM ORA ORA 03. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 680 mm of total clearance for the BYD Dolphin Surf and about 575 mm of total clearance for the GWM ORA ORA 03. The BYD Dolphin Surf also turns in a 0.8 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the BYD Dolphin Surf and 90% for the GWM ORA ORA 03. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. Both use LFP-type cells, which are happy charged to 100% every day.