The BYD Seagull, known in Europe as the Dolphin Surf, is about to enter a new generation. BYD has just released the first images, and this isn’t merely a facelift—it’s almost a complete redesign.
The ultra-basic city car has changed a lot
Let’s start with what immediately stands out: its dimensions! At 4.20 meters long, the new Seagull is up by no less than 42.5 centimeters compared with the current model, and it’s also 9.5 centimeters wider with a wheelbase extended by 1.50 cm. In other words, it exits the tiny city-car class—think Twingo, Pixo, and Spring—and moves into the upper tier of compact cars, joining the likes of the Clio, Micra, and Sandero. Practically, it now resembles the Dolphin in size. The styling has been softened around the edges, headlights are sleeker, wheels have grown to 16 inches, and a LiDAR sensor now sits above the windshield. Not a trivial feature for an entry-level segment car! But the real revolution isn’t immediately visible, because it’s tucked under the floor. The Dolphin Surf abandons front-wheel drive in favor of rear-wheel drive, which frees up space under the hood where BYD has added a small 32-liter frunk. The trunk volume, meanwhile, remains steady at 450 liters, which can rise to 1,308 liters with the rear seats folded down. Inside, the dashboard has been completely redesigned, featuring a larger floating center display and a separate instrument cluster.
Around 250 kilometers recovered in 5 minutes!
Under the floor, the Seagull/Dolphin Surf debuts the e-Platform 4.0 and its 800V charging system, a technology previously reserved for higher-end models. Two Blade LFP batteries—30 kWh and 39.2 kWh—are planned, delivering 320 and 420 kilometers of range, depending on the Chinese CLTC cycle, which is much more optimistic than our European measurements. Thanks to the 800V architecture, charging is rapid: BYD promises about 250 kilometers of range recovered in five minutes, provided you plug into a sufficiently powerful charger. Born as one of BYD’s simplest and most affordable EVs, the Seagull now borrows high-end technologies, but should still carry a highly competitive starting price. The Chinese launch of the Seagull is scheduled for late 2026, while the Dolphin Surf probably won’t arrive until the second half of 2027, since BYD is already busy here launching its Dolphin G plug-in hybrid…
