Since the launch of the BYD Yuan UP, the sales of the Dolphin have plummeted, making the Dolphin a backdrop to the Yuan UP. Why is that? It’s quite simple. A two-box small car is synonymous with cheapness and poverty. So, unless someone is on a tight budget, no one would choose the Dolphin first. Now, if there’s another car with a similar price, but it's an SUV and more stylish, people will naturally opt for the Yuan UP, right?
However, in early July, the Dolphin’s price dropped, and it received some upgrades, including a 100 km increase in range. As a result, some people started to hesitate, asking whether the Dolphin now offers better value for money and whether they should choose it over the Yuan UP. When deciding between these two cars, I think you should consider one major question and three basic points.
What’s the most important question? It’s whether you’re buying this 100.000-yuan electric car as your primary vehicle or as a backup vehicle. If it’s your primary vehicle, it means that whenever your family goes out, you’ll definitely be driving this car, whether it’s for long trips, short trips, or daily commuting.
For a primary vehicle, the main consideration is practicality. This includes active and passive safety features as well as comfort features—ideally, as many as possible. Because both two-box small cars and small SUVs are generally uncomfortable to drive and ride in, having more features can improve the experience slightly. So, practicality comes first.
But if it’s a backup vehicle, then personal preferences matter less. Since you won’t be driving it much, mainly just for city commuting, things like a 401 km or 301 km range aren’t important. If you have a charging station at home or a fast charging station nearby, recharging is easy, and you only need the car for short trips.
If it’s your primary vehicle, consider this: the Dolphin has a four-link independent rear suspension, while the Yuan UP has a torsion beam rear suspension. If you’re driving the car regularly as your primary vehicle, which one is more comfortable? It’s definitely the independent suspension, so without a doubt, you should choose the Dolphin.
When it comes to differences in features, for the same budget, the Dolphin offers heated and ventilated front seats, while the Yuan UP has a 540-degree panoramic camera and a transparent chassis. It depends on your usage. Do you need ventilated and heated seats more often, or do you need the transparent chassis and panoramic camera to navigate difficult roads? Once you figure that out, you’ll know which one to choose.
After answering the key question, you should then consider three specific points. First, regarding the Dolphin’s price drop and feature upgrades—it’s not all upgrades, there are some downgrades too. For example, the base model’s range has increased from 302 km to 402 km. A 100 km increase in range for such a small car is a huge upgrade. However, to achieve this, several practical features have been cut.
For instance, the rear suspension used to be a four-link independent suspension, but now it has been downgraded to a torsion beam suspension, which significantly reduces the overall comfort of the car. Additionally, the central control screen has been reduced from 12.8 inches to 10.1 inches. Imagine finally getting a large screen for a small car, giving it a sense of technological sophistication, only for it to revert to a smaller screen.
Third, the steering wheel's front and rear adjustment and the rear windshield wiper have both been removed. So, to add some range, many comfort features have been sacrificed, which doesn’t seem worthwhile for a small electric car. Similarly, the Yuan UP’s new "Vitality Edition" follows the same principle as the Dolphin—adding 100 km of range by cutting several practical features. Therefore, I don’t recommend this version. The only Yuan UP version worth buying is the 109.800-yuan "Leader Edition"; there’s no need to consider the others.
Lastly, a reminder: most people buying cars with a budget of over 100.000 yuan are making a necessary purchase. For those buyers, I personally recommend gasoline-powered or hybrid models. Spending over 100.000 yuan on an electric car that doesn’t offer great range, space, or features, and still gives you range anxiety, isn’t worth it. You’re spending a significant amount, and even BYD’s own Qin L offers far better value for money than the Yuan UP or Dolphin.
