BYD is set to introduce plug-in hybrid power to the supermini class in 2026, with plans to launch the UK’s smallest and most affordable PHEV.
The new model is a B-segment hatchback and will act as a plug-in hybrid alternative to the Dolphin Surf electric car. It is expected to be around four metres long and roughly 1.5 metres tall, making it the smallest PHEV currently planned for the UK market.
At present, rival cars of a similar size – including the Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio and MG 3 – use full hybrid systems rather than plug-in technology, which are usually cheaper and easier to package in small cars.
Full technical details have yet to be confirmed, but the car’s powertrain is likely to be closely related to that used in the Atto 2 DM-i crossover, one of the smallest PHEVs on sale. That model combines a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and can run either as a series hybrid, where the engine acts as a generator, or as a parallel hybrid, where both power sources work together.
In the Atto 2 DM-i, the system produces 259bhp, with a claimed fuel economy of up to 156mpg and an electric-only range of 56 miles when fitted with the larger battery. However, the smaller size of the new supermini may mean it uses a lower-capacity battery.
BYD vice-president Stella Li confirmed the car will be the company’s first model designed specifically for Europe, rather than adapted from a Chinese-market vehicle. She noted that there is little demand in China for plug-in hybrid hatchbacks of this size.
Production for European markets will begin next year at BYD’s new factory in Hungary, starting with the Dolphin Surf and Atto 2. The new supermini is expected to follow shortly after.
The model will join a growing range of BYD plug-in hybrids in Europe, alongside the Seal U DM-i, Seal 6 DM-i and Atto 2 DM-i, with more models on the way. In the UK, BYD is also preparing to launch the Sealion 5 DM-i SUV, with a plug-in hybrid version of the Atto 3 likely to arrive in 2027.
