BYD Dolphin vs Mazda MX-30

The BYD Dolphin costs £4,650 more than the Mazda MX-30. For that premium it adds 140 miles more WLTP range, 60 kW faster peak rapid charging and 43 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BYD Dolphin comes out ahead overall.

The Mazda MX-30 is £4,650 cheaper to buy. The BYD Dolphin is cheaper to charge, roughly £152 a year versus £192 for the Mazda MX-30, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Mazda MX-30 comes out roughly £4,450 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 221 miles for the BYD Dolphin and 104 miles for the Mazda MX-30 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The BYD Dolphin goes roughly 117 miles further between charging stops.

The two are within 25 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 630 mm of total clearance for the BYD Dolphin and about 605 mm of total clearance for the Mazda MX-30. The BYD Dolphin also turns in a 1.2 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 and 84% for the Mazda MX-30. That gives the BYD Dolphin a modest edge in retained real-world range. The BYD Dolphin's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Mazda MX-30's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.