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So far this year, between January and May 2026, 62,388 plug-in hybrid cars have been sold in Spain. 16% of these sales are accumulated by BYD Seal U DM-i and BYD Atto 2 DM-ithe two best-selling cars in Spain powered by this technology. A proposal that is not only the best-selling, has also opened a gap with the Toyota C-HR which last year fought to be the best-selling in Spain among plug-in hybrids.

The Chinese company has found a market niche to exploit. The first of those mentioned above served as a thermometer to verify that the water in the electric car pool was still somewhat cold in our country and that it was worth betting on a technology that, as they told us On the brand presentation day back in 2023, they were not going to offer.

Now, with the spaces of the large plug-in hybrid family SUV and the compact SUV covered, the urban SUV remained to be covered. A segment where, directly, the company does not have any type of rival. And the fact is that electrifying the B segment and the concessions that have to be made with it have discouraged manufacturers.

The BYD Dolphin G DM-i arrives with the purpose of being a best-seller where it has no rival.

BYD Dolphin G DM-i technical data sheet

When you are your own rival

On March 31, 2023 we counted the arrival of BYD to Spain.

27 days later we tell that Plug-in hybrids are not for small cars. In that article we explained that the B segment was left orphaned by plug-in hybridization with the discontinuation of the Renault Captur that featured this technology.

The plug-in hybrid in the low ranges has had two obvious problems. The first, almost testimonial trunks, victims of much larger batteries than those of a non-plug-in hybrid. And, above all, the price. Electrifying this type of car was so expensive that the final cost for the customer skyrocketed. The result was very low sales and a price that kept rising to compensate.

In the case of the Renault Captur, In 2020 the car already cost 30,160 euros (today it would be 37,941 euros, using the INE calculator to update the price). The SUV could cover 50 kilometers in completely electric mode and its trunk was reduced from more than 400 liters of the non-electrified versions to just 265 liters. It’s not the worst. Compared to the basic versions, the plug-in hybrid was 151% more expensive in 2023 than the more modest options, making it difficult to justify the investment.

The departure of the Captur seemed to represent the death of the small plug-in hybrid. But BYD has set out to conquer this market as well.

The same old BYD recipe

“The BYD Dolphin G DM-i is an electric car to which we added an efficient 98 HP 1.5 naturally aspirated engine,” BYD tells us before we get into the cars. And, perhaps, that is the key to everything.

Until now, what we have seen among plug-in hybrids were adaptations of combustion versions to a more electrified proposal, putting the batteries where they could. BYD’s small plug-in hybrid comes from the opposite proposal. The car is based on the electric car, which allows it to add a battery without sacrificing trunk space. That is why the most modest version has a 7.4 kWh battery that allows it to travel 40 kilometers, but the most ambitious ones increase this to 18.3 kWh and reach 105 kilometers in completely electric mode according to the WLTP combined cycle. In the city, the autonomy reaches up to 150 km before depleting the battery.

This allows you to kill two birds with one stone. The first thing is that the trunk and space for rear passengers remains intact, with a cargo space of 425 liters, which keeps it a very valid option for long trips. The second thing is that it works as a parallel series hybrid. That is, the vast majority of the time, it is the electric motors that drive the wheels and, if necessary, the gasoline engine can do the same but most of the time it will act as an electricity generator for the battery.

With this system, the car feels like an electric car and the engine works at the most efficient rpm, where it consumes less energy to fill the battery. If necessary, when more power is unexpectedly demanded, that is when the gasoline engine also pushes the wheels. In these cases, the car can develop up to 175 HP of power in the small battery option and 212 HP in the large battery option.

Consumption notices it. BYD approves a consumption of 2.6 l/100 km for the small battery and only 1.4 l/100 km for the large battery according to the WLTP cycle. But, in addition, the brand anticipates that with the battery completely discharged, consumption remains at 4.3 l/100 km in this larger option.

Due to consumption, technology, size and trunk space, the BYD Dolphin G DM-i has all the ingredients to become a best-seller in Europe. It is not coincidental. It is the first BYD designed specifically for our market since it is not manufactured for any other. This is also noticeable when driving, with a lower driving position than in other company vehicles and a more contained steering, brake and suspension feel.

On the move, the sensations are those of an agile car with precise steering, with more weight than the rest of the brand’s proposals but that still feels a little artificial. Of course, they eliminate the characteristic spongy feel of the brake pedal of the plug-in hybrid and many electric vehicles. In exchange there is a firmer pedal with shorter travel. Good idea.

We have not been able to delve into the driving aids during the route but we can say that the car has felt much less intrusive when it comes to redirecting you to the center of the lane, being more permissive with the driver. Of course, the fatigue and distraction detector is really insistent and I have had to turn it off because it was not well calibrated and it often warned me when I was looking in the rearview mirror to merge into a lane.

The best thing is that BYD has a plug-in hybrid at a groundbreaking price but it does so without making many concessions on the interior. The steering wheel and all the plastics in the cabin continue to offer a higher perceived quality than expected. There is a greater presence of hard plastics but far from where we touch with our hands.

The screen, 10.1 or 12.3 inches (the latter for the large battery versions) is clearly visible and take advantage of Google services with real-time traffic data for navigation. The parking cameras are as good as ever and generally feel better than most rivals. It also adds 15W wireless charging for your mobile phone, which is also cooled.

The BYD Dolphin G DM-i is a car that has no rival because no one mounts a plug-in hybridization in a model that is barely 4.1 meters long but, however, the Chinese firm has not taken the risk of relaxing and cutting back on equipment or perception of quality.

This plug-in hybrid SUV directly attacks the public that is looking for an affordable car and that would like to have something more than a “traditional” hybrid or a gasoline car because it knows that the plug-in hybrid will mean a lot of savings on a daily basis. But it also gives you the flexibility to go wherever you want without worries, something that It is still impossible with an electric of this size by pure battery capacity.

The BYD Dolphin G DM-i is a plug-in hybrid that starts at 25,200 euros with a small battery and 28,200 euros with a large battery (without a doubt the most recommended option) but with the promised aid and launch campaigns it announces a starting price of just 18,700 euros and 21,376 euros for each of the mentioned options.

They already accept orders. The market will tell if plug-in hybridization is really interesting in these sizes. If you are not interested in this proposal, it is difficult for me to think which proposal could be more convincing.

Photo | Xataka

In Xataka | China has a goal and BYD the weapon: giant ships to conquer Europe with electric and plug-in hybrids