If you live in an apartment, the car space came with the lease or the strata plan, and it isn't getting any bigger. BYD sells two small electric hatches that people cross-shop all the time, the Atto 1 and the Dolphin, and the size gap between them is bigger than the badges suggest. The Atto 1 is 3,990mm long and 1,720mm wide. The Dolphin is 300mm longer and 50mm wider. Here's what that leaves you in a standard residential space, and what the Dolphin gives back for the room it takes.
In a 2.4 x 5.4m space
Australian Standard AS/NZS 2890.1 sets the residential parking space at 2.4m wide and 5.4m long, so that's the yardstick. Plenty of older blocks and tandem spaces are tighter, so the second table runs the numbers for a shorter space too.
| In a 2,400 x 5,400mm space | BYD Atto 1 | BYD Dolphin |
|---|---|---|
| Body length | 3,990mm | 4,290mm |
| Length left over | 1,410mm | 1,110mm |
| Body width (no mirrors) | 1,720mm | 1,770mm |
| Room each side, centred | 340mm | 315mm |
| Width with mirrors out | No data | No data |
Both fit a full-size space easily. The 300mm length gap matters more in the spaces that aren't full size: a bay with a storage cage at the end, a tandem space behind another car, or an old garage with a bench along the back wall.
| Usable length of the space | Atto 1 leaves | Dolphin leaves |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000mm | 1,010mm | 710mm |
| 4,600mm | 610mm | 310mm |
| 4,300mm | 310mm | 10mm |
Below 4,290mm of usable length the Dolphin stops fitting at all, while the Atto 1 still has 300mm to spare. The width figures are body only: neither of our rows holds a mirrors-out width, and that's the number that decides whether you can open a door next to a pillar, so measure your space and the car before you buy.
How short is 3,990mm?
Of the 12 BYD models on sale with a length in our data, the Atto 1 is the only one under 4 metres. Across every make, 19 models on sale come in under 4,000mm, and the Atto 1 is one of the longer ones in that group, alongside cars like the Toyota Yaris (3,950mm) and Suzuki Swift (3,860mm).
Every size figure, side by side
| Dimension | BYD Atto 1 | BYD Dolphin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length (mm) | 3,990 | 4,290 | Dolphin 300 longer |
| Width (mm) | 1,720 | 1,770 | Dolphin 50 wider |
| Height (mm) | 1,590 | 1,570 | Atto 1 20 taller |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2,500 | 2,700 | Dolphin 200 longer |
| Track, front / rear (mm) | 1,500 / 1,483 | No data | No data |
| Ground clearance, laden (mm) | 150 | 130 | Atto 1 20 more |
| Seats | 4 | 5 | Dolphin one more |
| Boot, seats up (L) | 308 | 345 | Dolphin 37 more |
| Boot, seats folded (L) | 1,037 | 1,310 | Dolphin 273 more |
| Kerb weight, Essential / Premium (kg) | 1,294 / 1,390 | 1,506 / 1,658 | Dolphin 212 to 268 heavier |
BYD prints ground clearance for both cars as a laden figure, so the 150mm and 130mm are like for like, and both are lower than the car will sit empty. Neither BYD brochure names the method behind its boot litres, but they come from the same manufacturer, which is about as close to like for like as boot figures get.
What the Dolphin gives back for its extra 300mm
- A fifth seat. BYD lists the Atto 1 as a four-seater. If you ever carry three in the back, that settles it.
- 200mm more wheelbase. Most of the Dolphin's extra length sits between the wheels, which is where cabin room comes from.
- More boot. 37 litres more with the seats up and 273 litres more folded.
The Atto 1 answers with a 20mm taller roof, 20mm more laden ground clearance, and 212 to 268kg less weight to push around, grade for grade.
So which one?
- Your space is short, tandem or has a cage at the end: the Atto 1. It needs 300mm less.
- You carry a third rear passenger, or fill the boot: the Dolphin. It's the five-seater, with the bigger boot.
- Your space is full size: both fit, so pick on the cabin and the boot rather than the footprint.
Cars in this story
4 cars
Price shown is each car's stored figure with its basis and check date.
See all BYD modelsCompare them yourself
- BYD Atto 1 vs BYD Dolphin, side by side
- BYD Atto 1 Essential spec sheet
- BYD Dolphin Essential spec sheet
Sources: CarSorted car rows 633 and 634 (BYD Atto 1) and 639 and 640 (BYD Dolphin), as at 8 October 2026. Dimensions, boot and laden ground clearance match BYD Australia's Atto 1 and Dolphin brochures. Parking space size: AS/NZS 2890.1, residential (User Class 1A), 2.4 x 5.4m. Space calculations are subtractions of body length and width from the space; individual vehicles and car spaces vary.