BYD to launch UK’s first plug-in hybrid supermini in 2026

Chinese brand’s first bespoke-to-Europe model is a Toyota Yaris rival and the UK’s smallest PHEV

BYD will bring PHEV power to the supermini class when it launches the UK’s smallest and cheapest plug-in hybrid next year.
The latest addition to BYD’s ranks is described as a B-segment hatchback and will effectively serve as a PHEV alternative to the Dolphin Surf EV, measuring around four metres long and roughly 1.5 metres tall. 
As such, it will be the smallest plug-in hybrid yet available in the UK, with other electrified options of this size – the Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio and MG 3 to name a few – using full hybrid systems which are typically more space- and cost-effective. 
Technical details are thin on the ground, with the unveiling still some months away, but the Dolphin G’s powertrain is expected to be closely related to that in the new Atto 2 DM-i crossover, which is itself one of the market’s smallest PHEVs. 
This PHEV version of the Atto 2 EV has a 1.5-litre four-cylinder pet