Which Chinese EV is the most mature?
BYD and MG present electric cars with mature specifications at reasonable prices. In any case, it sounds promising on paper. But how do the BYD Dolphin and the MG4 compare in practice?
Things are going fast with Chinese newcomers, is the BYD Dolphin a B or C segment?
One Chinese car manufacturer after another is rapidly launching a wide model range on the Dutch market, seemingly out of nowhere and almost entirely electric. This also applies to Build Your Dreams, now better known as BYD. The latest addition to the BYD family is the Dolphin, an electric hatchback that rounds out the range. The most compact BYD to date cannot be easily pigeonholed, it floats somewhat between the traditional B and C segments. This puts it in the same boat as the also fully electric MG4, a Chinese that made its debut earlier this year.
Are these affordable electric cars?
Both models have a basic version with a starting price of around 30 grand. These are prices that the established order has little or no response to, at least not with EVs of a comparable size. But let’s be honest: with fairly modest electrical performance, those entry-level versions look somewhat like showroom decoys. On the other hand, both the Dolphin and the 4 already have fairly serious electrical engineering for prices of around €35,000. In that price range you will find the e-208 at Peugeot and the Corsa Electric at Opel, more compact cars that are also less capable in the EV area, a lot less in fact.
What do the EVs in this test cost?
For €35,490 you can get the BYD Dolphin Comfort with a 204-hp electric motor and a 62-kWh battery pack that should allow you to travel 427 km according to specifications. At MG, the 4 with 204-hp electric motor (the MG4 Electric Luxury) is in the official price list for €37,785 and that includes a 64-kWh battery, good for 435 WLTP kilometers. However, MG has been running a promotion for a few months now whereby for the money of the 204 hp version you get the MG4 Electric Trophy Extended Range (normally €41,285) with a 245 hp engine and a battery pack with a capacity of 77 kWh, which is good. for a WLTP range of 520 km. As long as market leader Tesla implements one price-off after another and the rest are more or less forced to go along, there is no indication that this discount will be removed again any time soon.
So what’s in it?
The BYD Dolphin with 204 hp engine is available in two versions: the Comfort and the slightly more complete Design. The latter is the gray car in this test. The price difference between the two equipment variants is €1,500, bringing the BYD Dolphin Design to €36,990. For that extra money you get a panoramic glass roof, privacy glass, a wireless phone charger and a 230-volt connection (V2L, vehicle to load). The orange MG on these pages is the MG4 Electric Trophy Extended Range for (temporarily) €37,785 and that is also the only version that you can get with the drive technology mentioned. Both brands do not provide option packages, which keeps things clear and delivery times short.