BYD Dolphin Surf vs Honda e

The Honda e costs £12,065 more than the BYD Dolphin Surf. For that premium it adds 35 kW more power and a 2.1s quicker 0-62mph time. The BYD Dolphin Surf is not just cheaper - it also offers 137 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BYD Dolphin Surf comes out ahead overall.

The BYD Dolphin Surf is £12,065 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £176 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 £12,025 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 115 miles for the Honda e - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Honda e goes roughly 28 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 30-31 minutes.

The BYD Dolphin Surf is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 32 mm narrower than the Honda e. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 680 mm of total clearance for the BYD Dolphin Surf and about 648 mm of total clearance for the Honda e. The Honda e also turns in a 1.8 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 84% for the Honda e. That gives the BYD Dolphin Surf a modest edge in retained real-world range. The BYD Dolphin Surf's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Honda e's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use.