BYD Dolphin vs Volvo EX40

The Volvo EX40 costs £9,415 more than the BYD Dolphin. For that premium it adds 91 miles more WLTP range, 90 kW faster peak rapid charging and 35 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BYD Dolphin comes out ahead overall.

The BYD Dolphin is £9,415 cheaper to buy. The BYD Dolphin is cheaper to charge, roughly £152 a year versus £184 for the Volvo EX40, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the BYD Dolphin comes out roughly £9,575 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 242 miles for the Volvo EX40 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Volvo EX40 goes roughly 21 miles further between charging stops.

The BYD Dolphin is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 103 mm narrower than the Volvo EX40. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 630 mm of total clearance for the BYD Dolphin and about 527 mm of total clearance for the Volvo EX40. The BYD Dolphin also turns in a 1.6 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 Volvo EX40. 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 Volvo EX40's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.