Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica vs BYD Dolphin

The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica costs £3,705 more than the BYD Dolphin. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The BYD Dolphin is not just cheaper - it also offers 35 kW more power and a 2.0s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BYD Dolphin comes out ahead overall.

The BYD Dolphin is £3,705 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £152 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the BYD Dolphin comes out roughly £3,785 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 176 miles for the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica and 221 miles for the BYD Dolphin - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The BYD Dolphin goes roughly 45 miles further between charging stops.

The two are within 11 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 619 mm of total clearance for the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica. The BYD Dolphin also turns in a 1.1 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica and 90% for the BYD Dolphin. 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 Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.