From Zero to Three: The rise of BYD thanks to its plug-in hybrid DM-i tech

To say that BYD Cars Philippines had a successful 2025 is an understatement. The Chinese automaker, under the management of ACMobility, did after all jump to the third spot in local automotive sales last year.

It’s not a surprising feat as just a quick drive out will greet you with several BYD products, most of them from the automaker’s plug-in hybrid DM-i lineup which holds a huge chunk of their local sales—we’re guessing around 80%?

And to start another year of long media drives, the company invited us to take part in their first one for 2026. Unlike other media drives they’ve held which involve driving a recently launched or soon-to-be-launched model, this time we’re taking all of them.

From the Acacia Hotel Manila in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, we drove all the way to Bacon, Sorsogon (pronounced as Ba-kon?), with an overnight stop in Naga City, and then back to Daraga City, Albay, before flying back to Metro Manila, for a total of 678.3km.

And when I said all models would be part of the drive, they really were. In order, we drove the brand’s current flagship and newest eMax 9 DM-i minivan, their most affordable Seal 5 DM-i subcompact sedan, the Sealion 5 DM-i subcompact crossover, top-selling Sealion 6 DM-i compact crossover, and the Tang DM-i midsize SUV.

Now I won’t bore you with specifications and how each vehicle drove, especially since we only had stints of about one and a half hour per model. That’s what our videos are for, which you can check out on our YouTube channel. What I will tell you are the basics. 

One thing all these models have in common is their Super DM-i powertrain, all composed of a 1.5-liter engine (turbocharged for the Tang DM-i and eMax 9 DM-i) that powers the LFP batteries of different capacities, and electric motors of different outputs, per vehicle. All these models are also capable of driving over 1,000km on a single full charge and full tank of gas, or a little over 100km in pure electric driving.

Of course, fuel costs are a huge factor in any kind of drive and BYD’s DM-i lineup can help save you a bit of cash at the pump, especially with the skyrocketing prices of fuel these days, going up to more than Php 100 per liter. 

If you’re not in the market for a new car, then obviously it won’t make financial sense to purchase one of these vehicles, or a brand-new EV. But if you are, then by all means go ahead as you’ll definitely be taking advantage of these fuel savings in the long term. I myself was lucky enough to have recently made the switch at the right time, just with a different brand.

And based on my own experience with my full EV, charging will definitely save you a lot. Charging times for BYD DM-i products can range from anywhere as fast as 30 minutes to around three or four hours since their batteries aren’t that big. 

Paid charging costs a maximum of Php 35/kWh at ACMobility stations, while charging at home won’t add much to your monthly electricity bills. Not only that, the battery can self charge with regenerative braking, adding as much as 50km of range multiple times on a long road trip.

Yes, you do not need to take these vehicles to charging stations when not available, no need to hog these stations for free charging because you can charge the vehicle with your fuel tank.

But how did that help in our drive?

We drove for a total of 678.3km, a small number compared to what the vehicles we drove are actually capable of. But here’s how they are helping BYD rise above the rest, and how they are changing how we do road trips.

Most vehicles on our market would require stops to refuel every 350 to 600km, depending on your driving style, traffic conditions, and fuel tank size. The Super DM-i system eliminates those stops, including for recharging batteries as again, you can recharge the vehicles’ batteries through regenerative braking, or by force charging when parked by pressing down on the accelerator.

That returns high fuel efficiency numbers which from my experience were variable depending on the road conditions, and obviously the type of vehicle used. In the eMax 9 DM-i, I achieved 19.2km/l on pure highway driving, 21.3km/l on the Seal 5 DM-i with steep uphill climbs and several slowdowns due to rough road conditions, 15.9km/l on the Sealion 5 DM-i on decent provincial highways, an impressive 30.3km/l with the Sealion 6 DM-i on both highway and city driving, and 19.2km/l on the Tang DM-i in a mix of provincial highways and mountain roads.

In the end, we still had a lot of gasoline and electric range left after our drive, with no refuel and charging stops necessary. I found myself mostly taking advantage of momentum, and the fact again that you can force charge the battery at a stop.

Okay, so BYD’s DM-i products have the range to go the distance, but what else? Power.

Well, that’s not something unknown to most car buyers who go for electrified models these days. Once said to be slower than traditional ICE vehicles, electrified vehicles have proven to be much peppier despite their better efficiency. BYDs are no different.

Long road trips will always involve having to do overtakes. The Super DM-i system makes it easy, providing an EV-like driving experience with all torque in the low end. Using EV mode will obviously be the most efficient on fuel, using pure EV power and torque, but put the vehicle on HEV mode and you get the best of both worlds.

Hit the throttle and you get an even stronger boost of power thanks to some aid from the gasoline engine, while regenerative braking is also made stronger, giving back lost power to the battery, and providing even more range.

Comfort is another key to a great road trip, and BYD delivers across all segments it’s present in. Whether you go for the pricey eMax 9 DM-i, or the most affordable Seal 5 DM-i and Sealion 5 DM-i, comfort will not be sacrificed. 

Most of these vehicles have what I would describe as “behaved” suspension tuning. To say the roads we encountered were terrible is an understatement (the moon is probably smoother), most especially sections of the Maharlika Highway in Quezon Province and portions of Camarines Sur which were the subject of controversy not so long ago. The STAR Tollway that connects Laguna and Batangas is also famous for its bumpy concrete pavement.

The soft suspension tuning on BYD vehicles allow for a very smooth ride, lessening the strain on both drivers and passengers throughout the drive. Deep ruts and potholes, and overly bumpy surfaces hundreds of meters at a time? Those won’t be much of a problem.

For full transparency though, there is still a downside to having a soft ride, it gets very bouncy and wallowy. This is most noticeable in the Sealion 6 DM-i where I found myself getting quite the headache and a bit nauseous despite myself never getting carsick. I did not keep this secret from the folks at BYD, telling them directly in the hopes that it would reach their counterparts in China who could hopefully plan for a future fix if possible.

All is well and good with these cars, but there is one thing that may be concerning–the lack of spare tires. Well, I can’t say that I did not have anxiety with that fact. Thankfully, a back-up BYD Shark 6 DMO traveled with us carrying several spare tires for the convoy, but realistically, yes, you will want to have a spare tire with you. Space saver spare tires are available on the market anyway.

Now let me end this with a question: is DM-i the way to go?

For the long term, yes, especially if you’re one to take longer drives frequently. If you can afford more than one car, skip it and go full EV. Your ICE car will be more than capable of doing your long drives on its own, but if you can only have one then get one that can do it all.

I’ll be repeating myself here—if you’re not in the market for a new car, then obviously it won’t make financial sense to purchase one of these vehicles, or a brand-new EV. But if you are, then by all means go ahead as you’ll definitely be taking advantage of these fuel savings in the long term.

BYD has truly changed how the market sees electrification, making these types of vehicles more accessible, and making longer road trips and most especially the normal daily drives much more affordable and convenient than ever before, most especially in these trying times of high fuel prices. There’s a BYD product for everyone, from affordable subcompact SUVs and a compact sedan to a high-end minivan. The market knows this, and is responding very well. 

Five years ago, this was just an obscure brand from China. Now, it’s a force that everyone is looking out for.

_{Photos by Julian Panlilio and Sam Surla}