Man who bought BYD Dolphin Surf shares the one thing that surprised him after taking it on 1,000-mile European road trip

The BYD Dolphin Surf proved itself on a long-distance adventure when one Barcelona man put it to the test on a 1,000-mile European road trip.

Rafael Eduardo Wefers Verástegui, who works as head of service at an IT consultancy, recently switched from gasoline cars to electric for the first time.

Alongside his wife, he bought two BYD models: the Dolphin Surf city car and the larger Dolphin hatchback.

Interestingly, it was the smaller Surf that surprised him most when it had to step in as the couple’s road-trip companion.

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The BYD Dolphin Surf was a real road warrior

According to Verástegui, who spoke to Business Insider, the plan was never to take the compact EV from Spain to Germany.

Initially, Verástegui and his wife intended to park the Dolphin Surf and make the trip in an RV.

But when the RV broke down in Bordeaux, their only option was to continue in the small BYD, which is actually just a renamed version of BYD’s cheapest EV.

This was pretty daunting, given that they had their dogs and luggage in tow.

However, what could have been a disaster turned into a revelation about what modern electric cars can really do.

Verástegui admits he was cautious at first, even avoiding the built-in navigation system and stopping every opportunity he got to charge.

But by the time he crossed the French border, range anxiety had faded.

The Dolphin Surf’s real-world driving and charging performance quickly built his confidence.

Charging stops averaged 30 to 40 minutes, which gave him time to rest, let the dogs stretch, and take short naps.

The entire road trip took 22 hours, which was about four hours longer than he would have spent in a gasoline car.

He praised BYD’s in-car software

Surprisingly, despite the longer drive in an EV, Verástegui says he arrived more relaxed than ever.

The forced breaks and chance to nap at charging stations actually improved the trip.

“With a gasoline car, I usually push through… but this time I arrived without stress and more refreshed,” he said.

The experience was so positive that shortly afterward, he decided to buy a second BYD, this time the larger Dolphin hatchback.

He praised the brand’s in-car software, which integrates with charging networks to display available stations and charging speeds, making longer journeys smoother.

While Verástegui was definitely surprised that the BYD Dolphin Surf could handle a 1,000 mile European road trip, things may get even better soon.

Chinese companies are developing 1,000-mile EVs that will make range anxiety a thing of the past, allowing consumers to do the same road trips without any breaks.

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