EV BYD Dolphin vs MG3 Hybrid+Electric or hybrid: which costs less?
The MG3 Hybrid+ Excite is about $6,217 cheaper to own over 5 years than the BYD Dolphin Essential. Week to week, charging the BYD Dolphin Essential mostly at home in NSW costs about $14.91, against $25.67 of petrol for the MG3 Hybrid+ Excite, a running saving of about $560 a year for the EV.
Side by side
Comparing the BYD Dolphin Essential and MG3 Hybrid+ Excite. Better figure in green. 250 km a week; the EV is charged mostly at home and petrol is NSW's average this week.
| BYD Dolphin Essential | MG3 Hybrid+ Excite | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29,990+ on-roads | $28,490drive-away |
| Type | Electric | Hybrid (petrol) |
| Energy use | 15.9 kWh/100 km | 4.3 L/100 km |
| Range | 340 km per charge | ≈ 837 km per tank |
| Refuel or recharge | Overnight at home, or 60 kW fast charging | A few minutes at any servo |
| Charging or fuel per week (NSW) | $14.91 | $25.67 |
| Servicing per year | $341 | $246 |
| Tyres per year | $390 | $182 |
| Home charger (one-off) | $2,000 | Not needed |
| Length | 4.29 m | 4.11 m |
| Warranty | 6 yrs / 150,000 km | 10 yrs / 250,000 km (serviced by MG) |
| 5-year cost to own | $43,522 | $37,304 |
Cost to own = price (plus about $4,000 on-road costs where the price is before on-roads) + a home wallbox for EVs (about $2,000, one-off) + charging or fuel + scheduled servicing + tyres. It leaves out insurance, registration and resale value, which vary too much by person and car to estimate fairly. Resale value is the biggest unknown, especially for newer brands.
Weekly running cost by state
250 km a week. Electricity is each state's 2026–27 default rate; petrol is each capital's average on 21 October 2026.
| State | BYD Dolphin (charging) | MG3 Hybrid+ (petrol) |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | $14.91 | $25.67 |
| Victoria | $12.94 | $25.39 |
| Queensland | $12.80 | $25.52 |
| South Australia | $17.77 | $25.08 |
| WA | $14.70 | $25.28 |
| Tasmania | $11.65 | $26.42 |
| ACT | $16.02 | $26.48 |
| NT | $13.55 | $26.35 |
Common questions
Is the BYD Dolphin or MG3 Hybrid+ cheaper to own?
The MG3 Hybrid+ Excite is about $6,217 cheaper to own over 5 years than the BYD Dolphin Essential. This counts the price, a home charger for the EV, charging or fuel, servicing and tyres, driving 250 km a week in NSW.
Which is cheaper to run each week, the BYD Dolphin or MG3 Hybrid+?
In NSW, the BYD Dolphin Essential costs about $14.91 a week to charge mostly at home, and the MG3 Hybrid+ Excite about $25.67 a week in petrol, for 250 km of driving.
Do I need a home charger for the BYD Dolphin?
Not necessarily. A normal power point adds roughly 150 km overnight, which covers most daily driving. A wallbox typically costs $1,000–$3,000 installed and charges about three times faster.
More comparisons
BYD Dolphin against hybrids and plug-ins
How we work it out
Weekly cost is the car's claimed energy use (kWh per 100 km) × your distance × your electricity price. "Per week" figures on this site assume 250 km a week with 90% of charging at home. Petrol comparisons use the fuel use and price you choose. Prices are list prices at October 2026 and change often; check with the dealer.
- Electricity: 2026–27 default or regulated flat rates from the AER Default Market Offer (NSW, SE QLD, SA), Victorian Default Offer, Aurora Energy (TAS), Jacana Energy (NT), Synergy (WA) and ActewAGL (ACT).
- Public charging: Sydney survey of Chargefox, Evie, NRMA, Tesla and BP Pulse prices, July 2026.
- Car specs and prices: manufacturer figures as published by CarExpert, AEVA EV fact sheets, Drive and EV Central's car guide. Some prices are the publisher's estimates; check with a dealer.
- Servicing: published capped-price schedules (BYD Sealion 7, BYD Seal, Geely EX5, Jaecoo J5 EV, Kia EV5, Zeekr 7X). Tesla has no fixed service schedule and CarExpert's EV servicing comparison. Where a model's pricing isn't published yet we use the brand's nearest model and mark it as an estimate.
- Tyres: RACV puts EV tyre life at 20,000–40,000 km; replacement set prices from Gridly's 2026 EV tyre cost guide.
- Petrol and diesel: ACCC average retail unleaded and diesel prices in each capital city, 21 October 2026 (ACCC weekly fuel price monitoring).
- Plug-in hybrids: prices, battery sizes and claimed electric range from CarExpert, Cars24, Zecar and The Beep. Real-world electric range is taken as 80% of the claim; plug-ins charged at home each night are assumed to do up to 85% of driving on electricity. Petrol use with a flat battery is our estimate from reviews where makers don't publish one.
- Diesel utes and SUVs: claimed combined fuel use and prices from CarExpert, 4X4 Australia and CarSauce. The HiLux automatic, Prado and Mazda CX-60 D50e are 48-volt mild-hybrid diesels; their small battery assists the engine but can't drive the car on its own.
- Petrol mild hybrids (Suzuki Swift Hybrid, Mazda CX-60 G40e): claimed fuel use and prices from CarExpert.
- Hybrids: claimed fuel use, prices and capped-price servicing as published by CarExpert and CarsGuide. Petrol and hybrid tyres usually last 40,000–60,000 km (RACV); we use 50,000 km.
- Home chargers: typically $1,000–$3,000 installed, about $2,000 typical (What's the Damage, October 2026).
- Novated lease rules: PwC summary of the May 2026 FBT changes.