Chinese small city EVs compared (2026): Seagull, Dolphin, Panda, MINIEV, QQ3, Lumin

CRAVEUO EV Export · Sources last checked 2026-11-01 · General information, not legal advice. Nothing here is a promise or a quote.

Quick answer

For tight streets at the lowest price, the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV is 3,268 mm long and starts at ¥44,800. Its 301 km version costs ¥49,800. For a car that must also climb or use fast roads, choose a BYD Dolphin with 130 kW or more. The second-generation BYD Seagull is the low-cost five-seater, from ¥65,900, with up to 420 km CLTC. For load space, the Chery QQ3 and Geely Xingyuan both have 375 L boots. All eight are battery-only, so none suits a place with no reliable power.

The eight small EVs side by side

China guide prices, not delivered prices. All figures are for China-market cars unless a row says otherwise.

\* BYD launched the second-generation Seagull on 2026-10-20. Our model page still lists the 2026 model, so ask which one is on offer. The two share a name and little else: the new car is 425 mm longer, has a fifth seat, drives the rear wheels and starts ¥4,000 lower.

† Our site gives no battery size for the fifth-generation MINIEV. It gives consumption instead: 8.9 kWh per 100 km.

‡ ¥58,900 is a limited-time price on Chery's site. The ¥88,900 420 Modern is 4,229 mm long.

CLTC is China's test cycle and reads higher than WLTP, so never set the two side by side. Abroad, some of these cars have other names: the Seagull is also the Dolphin Surf, Dolphin Mini or Atto 1, the Xingyuan is the EX2, and the QQ3 is the Chery Q in South Africa.

Daily commute: Wuling Hongguang MINIEV

For a short daily run, range matters less than size and price. The 301 km Advanced MINIEV, at ¥49,800, matches the Lumin's top range for ¥9,100 less: the 301 km Lumin costs ¥58,900. It also has four doors, while the Lumin has three. The Panda Mini is the shortest here, 3,150 mm, but its ¥46,900 buys 210 km at most.

Small batteries also go further per kWh, which is what you pay for at the plug.

The last column is our own division of the site's figures, using CLTC range. Treat it as a rough ranking. The MINIEV's 8.9 kWh per 100 km works out at 11.2 km per kWh. The Dolphin's bigger pack gives range, not economy.

Hills and fast roads: BYD Dolphin, but not the cheapest one

The site's top speeds split this group. The Panda Mini and MINIEV stop at 100 km/h and the Lumin at 101 km/h. The 2026 Seagull does 130 km/h, the Xingyuan 140 km/h and the Dolphin 160 km/h. On a road with 110 or 120 km/h traffic, the first three are the wrong cars. With a 30 or 35 kW motor, they are also slow on a long climb with four people aboard.

The last column is our own division. The site has no weight for the Seagull, Xingyuan, MINIEV, Panda Mini or Lumin.

The ¥99,800 Dolphin Freedom has only 70 kW, the lowest ratio in the table. The ¥109,800 Fashion adds 60 kW for ¥10,000 and gives up 10 km of range. In hilly country, skip the Freedom. The second-generation Seagull, at 85 or 95 kW, is the cheaper answer if a Dolphin is too much, but the site has no weight for it yet.

Carrying things: Chery QQ3 or Geely Xingyuan

Both have a 375 L boot and a 70 L front trunk. With the seats down, the QQ3 reaches 1,450 L and the Xingyuan 1,320 L. The QQ3 is the choice for a trade or market stall, because it also lists 6.6 kW of power output for tools. The Xingyuan's edge is range, up to 480 km against 420 km.

The Panda Mini lists 69 L to 800 L. That is fine for shopping and little else. The site has no boot figure for the Seagull, Dolphin, MINIEV, T03 or Lumin, and no payload figure for any of the eight. Ask before you plan regular loads.

Long trips: Dolphin first, with limits

Our real-world test table has tests of three of these cars, all on earlier versions.

Autohome's mixed test is half high-speed and half low-speed driving at 5–15°C. ADAC's figure comes from its Ecotest consumption. Compare within one tester only.

The Xingyuan did 87% of its CLTC figure in Autohome's mixed test and the Seagull 75%. In the winter test they fell to 46% and 44%. The 60 kWh Dolphin did 350 km in ADAC's test. So the Dolphin and Xingyuan cover a 300 km day in mild weather, and the 405 km Seagull only just does. The 520 km Dolphin Knight costs ¥125,800, so its extra margin is not cheap. The ¥86,800 Xingyuan 480 km Explore is the lower-cost way to get it.

No test covers the Panda Mini, MINIEV, QQ3, Lumin, T03 or second-generation Seagull. Across the 37 battery-electric highway tests in our table, the median was 72% of CLTC, within a range of 50% to 86%. Used only as a rough planning figure, that gives this:

The last column is our own arithmetic, not a test. Small cars may do better or worse, and speed and load change the result.

Weak charging: small batteries help, but only so far

Read the start and end points before you compare times. The Seagull's 5 minutes needs dedicated flash chargers, so do not count on it outside China. The site lists it only for the second-generation 420 km versions.

Where fast chargers are rare, slow charging decides. The site gives the Lumin about 6.5 hours on AC for the 205 km version and about 10 hours for the 301 km version. The Panda Mini lists 3.3 kW AC. At that rate its 17.2 kWh pack takes about 5 hours from empty, by our arithmetic. An overnight socket is enough for both.

If your home power fails often and public chargers are rare, none of these eight fits. They have no fuel tank. Look at a plug-in hybrid.

GB/T and steering side

China-market cars use GB/T plugs for AC and DC. GB/T does not fit a CCS2 or Type 2 charger directly, though adapters exist. These cars charge slowly enough that adapter power is unlikely to be the limit. Fit is. Our Dolphin and Lumin pages list CCS2 and Type 2 for export versions, so ask which inlet your exact car has.

Our site marks a right-hand-drive version for the Seagull, Dolphin, MINIEV, T03 and Xingyuan. That only means such a version exists abroad, not that we have one. The Panda Mini and QQ3 are not marked and the Lumin has no entry. Treat those three as left-hand drive.

Export reality, brand by brand

• BYD: New BYD cars are exported through BYD's own authorised export companies, so ask us to check availability for your country.
• Geely (Xingyuan): Export availability depends on the brand's authorised exporters, so ask us to check before you plan a purchase.
• Geely (Panda Mini): Export availability depends on the brand's authorised exporters, and our records do not yet show a confirmed one for the Panda Mini. Treat it as to be confirmed.
• Changan: Export availability depends on the brand's authorised exporters, so ask us to check before you plan a purchase.
• Wuling: Export availability depends on the brand's authorised exporters, and our records do not yet show a confirmed one for the MINIEV. Treat it as to be confirmed.
• Chery: Export availability depends on the brand's authorised exporters, and our records do not yet show a confirmed one for the QQ3. Treat it as to be confirmed.
• Leapmotor: Outside China, Leapmotor cars are sold by Leapmotor International, so treat the T03 as official channel only or to be confirmed.

All eight are pure electric, which adds a step. Since 1 January 2026, China requires an export licence for pure-electric passenger cars.

Send your country, model and version through the inquiry form. We tell you whether we can supply that car before any contract. Nothing is paid before it is signed, and payment goes only to the company account on the invoice.