BYD Dolphin vs Fiat 600e

The BYD Dolphin costs £3,200 more than the Fiat 600e. For that premium it adds 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 Fiat 600e is £3,200 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 Fiat 600e comes out roughly £3,120 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 176 miles for the Fiat 600e - 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 9 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 621 mm of total clearance for the Fiat 600e. 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 90% battery health for the BYD Dolphin and 84% for the Fiat 600e. 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 Fiat 600e's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.