BYD Seagull

BYD Seagull at a glance

BYD's design studio under Wolfgang Egger drew the car with angular headlamps, a sloping roofline and a light bar linking the rear lamps. The dashboard follows the "wing" theme of BYD's Ocean range, with a rotatable 10.1-inch touchscreen and a 5-inch digital instrument panel. Every version has six airbags, rear disc brakes and an electronic parking brake. More models from the brand are on our BYD brand page.

Generations

First generation (from 2023)

The car went on sale in China on 27 April 2023 and collected 10,000 orders in its first 24 hours. The 200,000th car was built on 29 November 2023, about seven months after launch. A facelift for China in February 2025 brought revised bumpers, an updated interior and BYD's "God's Eye C" driver-assistance package (DiPilot 100).

The European Dolphin Surf made its debut in spring 2025 and went on sale in Germany in June 2025. It is not simply a renamed Chinese-market car: the front and rear were redesigned, the car is 210 mm longer than the base Chinese model, and the motors are stronger. From October 2026 ADAC lists a five-seat Dolphin Surf Active in Germany alongside the four-seat versions.

Second generation (from 2026)

BYD unveiled the second generation in China on 20 October 2026. It grows by 425 mm to 4,205 mm, the wheelbase stretches by 150 mm to 2,650 mm, and it seats five. BYD quotes 320 or 420 km CLTC from 30.1 or 39.2 kWh batteries, and some trims get "flash charging" from 10 to 97% in under ten minutes. It also adds heated and ventilated front seats and a 94-litre front boot. Export plans had not been confirmed when this article was written.

Motors, batteries and range

All versions use lithium iron phosphate Blade cells. The China-market car charges at 30 or 40 kW DC; the Dolphin Surf accepts 65 kW with the 30 kWh battery and 85 kW with 43.2 kWh, and ADAC lists 11 kW three-phase AC charging. In its own test ADAC measured 45 minutes from 10 to 80% for the Boost, against the 22 minutes on the data sheet. The CLTC figures from China are far more optimistic than WLTP and should not be compared directly.

Dimensions, space and boot

At just under four metres the Dolphin Surf is a little longer than most A-segment cars, and the 308-litre boot is closer to a supermini than to a city car. Wikipedia gives the wheelbase as 66% of the length of the Chinese car, against 64% for the bigger Dolphin. To see how it fits a parking space, try our size comparison tool.

Energy consumption and running costs

ADAC lists 15.5 kWh/100 km for the Active, 15.6 for the Boost and 16.0 for the Comfort in the WLTP combined cycle. In the ADAC Ecotest the Boost used 19.2 kWh/100 km including charging losses. BYD covers the car for 6 years or 150,000 km in Germany, the battery for 8 years or 200,000 km with at least 70% state of health, and rust perforation for 12 years.

Trims and prices

Prices are ADAC list prices for versions built from June 2025 (Germany, 2025); the ADAC review of the Boost mentions EUR 26,990, so actual dealer prices vary. In China the car started from CNY 73,800 in 2023 (about EUR 9,600 at the time), and the March 2024 Honor Edition cut prices by about 5%. In Latin America the car is sold as the Dolphin Mini, and in Brazil it has been assembled locally since early 2025.

Safety: Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP tested the Dolphin Surf in 2025 and awarded five stars: 82% for adult occupants, 86% for child occupants, 76% for vulnerable road users and 77% for safety assist. ANCAP adopted the result for the Atto 1 in Australia and New Zealand. BYD says 61% of the body is high-strength low-alloy steel, with hot-formed parts above 1,500 MPa in key areas. Our safety section explains how the ratings are calculated.

Reliability and known issues

Only one documented recall is known for the first generation: on 30 April 2024 BYD recalled 16,666 Seagulls in China, built between 7 April and 31 May 2023, because the reversing camera software could fail; the fix was an over-the-air update. ADAC noted a large gap between the official and measured DC charging times of the Dolphin Surf.

Sales

According to the production and sales table on Wikipedia, about 280,217 Seagulls were sold in 2023, 479,294 in 2024 and 529,537 in 2025, most of them in China (453,593 in 2024). Brazil became the biggest export market, with 21,937 in 2024 and 32,490 in 2025.

Rivals

Inside BYD, the Dolphin Surf sits below the Dolphin and the Atto 2. Its direct rivals are other low-cost electric small cars such as the Dacia Spring, Leapmotor T03 and Citroën ë-C3; the electric cars section lists more.

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