The engine's answer
Best car for a couple doing commuting, under €40,000
BYD Dolphin
75% match
Lots of kit, low price, unfamiliar badge.
Why it wins here
The dimensions where it beats the rest of the market by the most, for this question specifically.
- Use
- Budget
Why it wins
BYD Dolphin costs €29,000 — €11,000 under the €40,000 ceiling — seats 5 and carries 345 L in the boot. Where it pulls furthest ahead of the field is use, budget. Overall: a 75% match for this question.
What's good
- Equipment levels that cost thousands more elsewhere.
What to watch
- Resale is unproven in Europe.
- Driving position suits few people.
What came close
- Citroën ë-C374%The cheapest honest electric car in Europe.
See listings on AutoScout24 See listings on mobile.de - MG4 Electric73%The value EV that is also good to drive.
See listings on AutoScout24 See listings on mobile.de - Kia Niro72%Boring on purpose, and very good at it.
See listings on AutoScout24 See listings on mobile.de
What the runners-up gave up
- Citroën ë-C3 (74%) lost mainly on comfort: 68/100 against 70/100 for the winner.
- MG4 Electric (73%) lost mainly on comfort: 66/100 against 70/100 for the winner.
- Kia Niro (72%) lost mainly on running cost: €118/mo against €90/mo for the winner.
Questions this answer covers
- Does BYD Dolphin fit under €40,000?
- Yes. At €29,000 it leaves €11,000 of headroom, and the budget was treated as a hard ceiling — nothing above it was allowed to win.
- How does it cope with commuting?
- On the measures that matter for commuting it scores 85/100 against a field average of 50/100, with 427 km between stops and running costs of about €90/mo a month.
- Is it the right size for a couple?
- It seats 5 and offers 345 L of boot space, which is what the ranking weighted most for a couple.
Change an assumption
This page answers one decision. Yours is not that decision — adjust the budget, the fuel or who is on board and watch the whole market re-rank.
Answer for your own case