The cheapest BYD with fast charging: A new Seagull will top up 60 % of the battery in 5 minutes

On Tuesday, BYD in Chengdu unveiled the second generation of its cheapest electric car Seagull, which is sold in Europe under the name Dolphin Surf. The new generation is bigger, has five seats instead of four, and yet it starts at a lower price than the previous model. The biggest novelty, however, is fast charging, which BYD has previously reserved only for pricier cars. As per the portal CnEVPost, the Seagull is the first car in the BYD lineup to offer this technology for less than 100,000 yuan (about 13,400 €).

70 % in five minutes

Fast charging (Flash Charging) comes in three higher versions with a battery of 39,2 kWh and a range of 420 km according to the Chinese CLTC standard. At special charging stations, BYD will charge the battery from 10 to 70 % in five minutes, and according to the manufacturer it will fill it to 97 % in nine minutes. Even in biting cold it doesn’t get much worse, as at −30 °C charging takes only about three minutes longer, according to BYD.

Such stations with power up to 1 500 kW are quickly built in China by BYD, and if you buy a Seagull with fast charging for private use as part of the launch promotion, you can charge there for free for a year. The two cheapest versions with the smaller battery 30,1 kWh and a range of 320 km don’t have this technology.

It grew by 42,5 cm and got the fifth place

The new Seagull measures 4 205 mm, so it’s 425 mm longer than its predecessor, and the wheelbase has grown by 150 mm to 2 650 mm. In terms of dimensions, it has moved closer to the bigger Dolphin model, and instead of four it can seat five. Up front, there’s a new front luggage compartment with a volume of 94 liters, and with the rear seats folded, the trunk grows up to 1 380 liters.

The drivetrain has also changed: it has moved from the front axle to the rear, and at the back there’s an independent multi-link suspension instead of a simple torsion beam. The weaker versions have a motor rated at 85 kW (114 k), while those with the larger battery have 95 kW (127 k); the predecessor had only 55 kW. On higher trims, you also get heated and ventilated front seats and a massage function for the driver.

In China from 8 800 €

The cheapest version costs 65 900 yuan (about 8 800 €) — that’s 4 000 yuan (about 530 €) less than the previous 2026 model. You get fast charging from 75 900 yuan (about 10 100 €), and the top Smart trim is priced at 99 900 yuan (about 13 300 €). If you trade in your old car, BYD also adds a discount of 3 000 yuan (about 400 €) on every version.

The conversion is indicative only, as when importing to Europe you’ll also pay customs duty and VAT, and the car may come with different equipment. Seagull is a key model for BYD—since its launch in April 2023, it has sold roughly 1,55 million units, with only 38 650 units sold in September.

In Europe, you know it as Dolphin Surf

The first-generation Seagull has been sold in Europe under the name Dolphin Surf since last year, and in Slovakia it costs from 19 990 €, i.e., more than double the Chinese price. The base version has a 30 kWh battery with a range of 220 km according to WLTP, while the larger 43,2 kWh version manages 322 km. On a fast charger it accepts up to 65, or 85 kW, so charging from 10 to 80 % takes roughly half an hour.

BYD hasn’t said whether or when the second generation will come to Europe. Fast charging debuted in Europe in spring with the luxury Denza Z9 GT model priced at €115,000, and according to Eleport, BYD plans to build 3,000 such stations in Europe within a year. However, first they’ll be rolled out in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands—so in Slovakia you probably wouldn’t make use of a five-minute charge with such a car just yet.

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