Peering around an approaching corner, a lingering look in one of the mirrors, looking just beyond the bonnet line for an upcoming speed bump; these are just some of the situations that caused the BYD to bark “Keep eyes on road!” at us when on the move.
Even though this is BYD’s cheapest car in the UK, there’s been no skimping on the eye-catching tech. Just as with its larger siblings, the Dolphin Surf gets a rotating touchscreen. At the push of a button (either on the steering wheel or the 10.1-inch display itself), the screen electrically rotates from a landscape to a portrait layout. It may impress your mates for a moment or two, but beyond that, it’s a bit of a gimmick – especially when the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay systems that most drivers will use only work in landscape mode.
Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.
Head-to-head
On the road
For such small cars, this pair ride with remarkable compliance, easily making them feel grown up enough to live with every day. The BYD’s tiny turning circle makes it great to drive in town, but its steering response and feedback have plenty of room for improvement. The Hyundai’s natural-feeling steering makes it more fun to drive than the BYD, but the Dolphin Surf is quieter at motorway speeds.
Tech highlights
When it comes to battery capacity, the Inster steals a march on its rival with a 49kWh unit – 5.8kWh more than the BYD. However, the Dolphin Surf’s electric motor delivers more performance. Figures of 154bhp and 220Nm beat the Hyundai by a significant 41bhp and 73Nm, so even though the BYD is the heavier car, it still accelerates from 0-62mph in 9.1 seconds, 1.5 seconds quicker than the Inster.
Price and running
In our hands, the Dolphin Surf proved to be the more efficient of this pair – if only just – achieving 3.9 miles/kWh to the Inster’s 3.8 miles/kWh figure. Thanks to its larger battery, the Hyundai can travel further on a single charge, though; when we tested both models until they ran out of charge, the Hyundai covered 184 miles before it reached zero, while the BYD managed just 168 miles.
Practicality
The Inster lets drivers choose between vast interior space or a decent boot, thanks to a sliding rear bench. With that in its rearmost position, knee and head room are superb, but the boot is a modest 238 litres. With the bench moved forward, there’s 351 litres, but knee room drops behind the BYD and its 308-litre boot. Given that the Hyundai is smaller than its rival on the outside, its packaging is very impressive.
Safety
Blind-spot monitoring is only offered on the top-spec Inster Cross, but other versions get lane-keep and lane-follow assist as standard. The on-board safety tech contributed to the Hyundai’s four-star rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2025. The body hasn’t evaluated the Dolphin Surf yet, but every BYD tested by NCAP so far has got a maximum five-star rating, which bodes well for the brand’s smallest car.
Ownership
Hyundai finished 20th out of 31 in our 2025 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey for brands – not outstanding, but largely consistent with what the Korean firm achieved in 2024. BYD’s first showing in our survey wasn’t a strong one; it beat only MG on the way to 30th place. At least both marques here provide strong warranties, with Hyundai owners getting five years’ cover and BYD drivers six years’.
Verdict
Winner: BYD Dolphin Surf
Most of what BYD has offered in the UK so far has been competent yet fairly unremarkable, but the Dolphin Surf is its best offering yet. In a segment where value really matters, BYD has delivered a competitively priced, well equipped small EV, that blends plenty of performance, interior space and maturity for its asking price.
