BYD Dolphin

Smallest BYD gets a smaller battery and a slimmer price tag to make it more competitive On sale Now Price from £26,195

- Lawrence Cheung

WHEN BUYING A television, you'll get a much larger screen from a lesser-known brand than you might from a big name such as Panasonic or Sony. BYD is doing a similar thing in the car world, by offering an electric family hatchback similar in size to a Volkswagen ID 3 at less than the price of the smaller Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

BYD isn't alone in playing the bang-foryour-buck game, though. When we tested the earliest, higher-spec Dolphin (with the biggest, 60.5kWh battery option), it was totally outclassed by the MG 4 Long Range - a rival that's not only cheaper to buy but also has an even larger battery and can charge up quicker. The gulf was even wider between the Dolphin and the cheaper-still MG 4 SE.

Now, though, the Dolphin is available with a smaller (44.9kWh usable capacity) battery that brings its price down considerably, and we've had a go in both of the models so equipped to see if they can take the wind out of the MG 4's sails.