海鸥BYD Seagull
BYD Seagull: range, price, specs and where it is sold
Facts checked
The Seagull is BYD's smallest and cheapest car, launched in China in April 2023 at CNY 73,800. It reached a million units built by 30 June 2025. The 2026 model, launched on 11 May 2026, opens at CNY 69,900 and offers Blade batteries of 30.08 or 38.88 kWh for 305 or 405 km of CLTC range from a 55 kW motor.
Export cars are not simply rebadged. The version sold abroad is a longer body: 3,990 mm against the Chinese car's 3,780 mm, on the same 2,500 mm wheelbase, with batteries of 30 or 43.2 kWh and up to 115 kW. BYD quotes 322 km of WLTP range for the 43.2 kWh Boost, 310 km for the Comfort and 220 km for the 30 kWh Active.
It carries more names than almost any BYD model. Latin America gets it as the Dolphin Mini, sold in Mexico and Brazil from 2024 with NEDC ratings of 300 and 380 km; Europe and the United Kingdom call it the Dolphin Surf; Australia and New Zealand call it the Atto 1. Safety testing crosses those names too: ANCAP's five-star 2025 rating for the Atto 1 is based on Euro NCAP's testing of the European Dolphin Surf, which also scored five stars in 2025.
Key facts
| Name in Chinese | 海鸥 “HIGH-oh” 海 hǎi 'sea' + 鸥 ōu 'gull' — the ordinary Chinese word for a seagull |
|---|---|
| Brand | BYD |
| Body | Hatchback, segment A |
| Powertrain | Battery-electric |
| Launched | China 2023; export 2024 |
| Platform | e-Platform 3.0 |
| Headline output | 115 kW |
| Battery | 30 kWh, 38.88 kWh or 43.2 kWh |
| Dimensions | 3,990 × 1,720 × 1,590 mm, wheelbase 2,500 mm |
What it is called where
The same car carries different names in different markets. This is the crosswalk, so a reader who knows one name can find the other.
| Market | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| China | Seagull 海鸥 | |
| European Union | BYD Dolphin Surf | |
| United Kingdom | BYD Dolphin Surf | |
| Germany | BYD Dolphin Surf | |
| Australia | BYD Atto 1 | |
| New Zealand | BYD Atto 1 | |
| Mexico | BYD Dolphin Mini | |
| Brazil | BYD Dolphin Mini |
Range
| Range | Cycle | Variant |
|---|---|---|
| 322 km WLTP | WLTP | 43.2 kWh Boost, export (published in the UK as 200 miles) |
| 310 km WLTP | WLTP | 43.2 kWh Comfort, export (published in the UK as 193 miles) |
| 220 km WLTP | WLTP | 30 kWh Active, export (published in the UK as 137 miles) |
| 305 km CLTC | CLTC | 30.08 kWh, China 2026 model year |
| 405 km CLTC | CLTC | 38.88 kWh, China 2026 model year |
| 380 km NEDC | NEDC | Dolphin Mini, longer-range version, Mexico and Brazil |
| 300 km NEDC | NEDC | Dolphin Mini, shorter-range version, Mexico |
Price
| Where | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| China | CNY 69,900 as of | starting price of the 2026 Seagull launched on 11 May 2026, from BYD's own Chinese order page; versions run to CNY 97,900. The original April 2023 launch price was CNY 73,800. |
| GB, Dolphin Surf Active, from BYD UK's own configurator; Boost GBP 21,975 and Comfort GBP 23,975 | GBP 18,675 as of | |
| DE, Dolphin Surf Active, from BYD Germany's own configurator; Boost EUR 26,990 and Comfort EUR 30,990 | EUR 22,990 as of | |
| AU, Atto 1 Essential, from BYD Australia's own configurator; Premium A$27,990 | AUD 23,990 as of | |
| MX, Dolphin Mini 380 km GS, from BYD Mexico's own order page; the March 2024 launch price was MXN 358,800 | MXN 415,800 as of | |
| BR, Dolphin Mini GS, from BYD Brazil's own order page | BRL 119,990 as of |
A Chinese sticker price is not what the same car costs abroad: tariffs, specification and local taxes all differ. The price translator converts it at a stored rate and says so.
Where the Seagull is sold
| Market | Status | Since | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | Sold | April 2023 | Launched in China in April 2023 as BYD's cheapest model; the millionth car was built by 30 June 2025. |
| Mexico | Sold | 2024 | Sold as the Dolphin Mini. |
| Brazil | Sold | 2024 | Sold as the Dolphin Mini. |
| United Kingdom | Sold | 2025 | Sold as the Dolphin Surf; BYD publishes a United Kingdom specification leaflet for it. |
| Germany | Sold | 2025 | Sold as the Dolphin Surf, quoted by BYD Germany at up to 322 km WLTP. |
| Australia | Sold | 2025 | Sold as the Atto 1; ANCAP records the rating as applying to cars on sale from November 2025. |
| Japan | Never sold | Not in BYD Japan's passenger line-up; BYD's Japanese small car is the separate Racco kei car. | |
| United States | Never sold | BYD has never retailed passenger vehicles in the United States. |
Crash-test results
Quoted from the testing bodies. This site does not rate cars itself.
| Body | Year | Stars | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euro NCAP | 2025 | 5 | Read the Euro NCAP result |
| ANCAP | 2025 | 5 | Read the ANCAP result |
BYD Seagull: questions people ask
- What is the range of a BYD Seagull?
- In China the 2026 car is rated at 305 or 405 km on the CLTC cycle. Export versions are rated on the stricter WLTP cycle at 322 km for the 43.2 kWh Boost, 310 km for the Comfort and 220 km for the 30 kWh Active. Latin American cars carry NEDC ratings of 300 and 380 km.
- What is the Dolphin Surf called in China?
- 海鸥 (Hǎi'ōu), the Seagull. The same car is the Dolphin Mini in Mexico and Brazil and the Atto 1 in Australia and New Zealand.
- How much does a BYD Seagull cost?
- CNY 69,900 in China for the 2026 model, against CNY 73,800 at its 2023 launch. BYD Australia listed the Atto 1 at A$23,990 for the Essential and A$27,990 for the Premium in September 2026, and the Mexican Dolphin Mini started at MXN 358,800.
- Is the export car the same as the Chinese Seagull?
- Not quite. The export body is 3,990 mm long against 3,780 mm in China, on the same wheelbase, and export cars use 30 or 43.2 kWh batteries and up to 115 kW where the Chinese car uses 30.08 or 38.88 kWh and 55 kW.
- Is the BYD Dolphin Surf safe?
- Euro NCAP awarded it five stars in 2025, with 82 per cent for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent child, 76 per cent vulnerable road user and 77 per cent safety assist. ANCAP applied the same testing to the Australian Atto 1 and also gave five stars.
Related
Sources for the BYD Seagull
- BYD Europe B.V., Dolphin Surf UK specification leaflet. Read . Export dimensions, 30 and 43.2 kWh batteries, WLTP ranges in miles, 115 kW output and weights
- BYD Australia, BYD ATTO 1 configurator. Read . Australian prices for Essential and Premium
- BYD Australia, BYD ATTO 1. Read . Australian WLTP range figures of 220 and 310 km and outputs of 65 and 115 kW
- BYD Mexico, BYD DOLPHIN MINI. Read . Mexican name and 380 km NEDC range
- BYD Germany, BYD Elektroautos. Read . Dolphin Surf listed for Germany at up to 322 km WLTP
- Euro NCAP, BYD DOLPHIN SURF — Euro NCAP assessment. Read . Five-star 2025 rating and category scores
- ANCAP, BYD ATTO 1 — Safety Rating & Report. Read . Five-star 2025 rating, category scores, and the statement that it rests on testing of the European Dolphin Surf
- CnEVPost, BYD launches 2026 Seagull. Read . 2026 Chinese prices, 30.08 and 38.88 kWh batteries, 305 and 405 km CLTC, 55 kW and Chinese dimensions
- CnEVPost, BYD reaches 1 millionth Seagull produced. Read . April 2023 Chinese launch at CNY 73,800, the one-million milestone and the Dolphin Surf renaming
- CnEVPost, BYD launches Seagull in Brazil and Mexico. Read . Dolphin Mini naming, Mexican starting price and the 300 and 380 km NEDC figures
- BYD Japan, BYD Japan model line-up. Read . Japanese line-up confirmed as Atto 3, Dolphin, Racco, Seal, Sealion 6 and Sealion 7
- BYD UK, BYD DOLPHIN SURF configurator. Read . UK prices for Active, Boost and Comfort
- BYD Germany, BYD DOLPHIN SURF Konfigurator. Read . German prices for Active, Boost and Comfort
- BYD Company Ltd, 2026款海鸥 order page. Read . Official Chinese recommended prices for all four variants
- BYD Brazil, BYD DOLPHIN MINI order page. Read . Brazilian price for the Dolphin Mini GS
- BYD Mexico, BYD DOLPHIN MINI order page. Read . Mexican price for the 380 km Dolphin Mini GS