Best for Your Drives
In recent memory, there has been no other auto brand that has shaken up the Philippine market quite like BYD Cars Philippines.
Although the carmaker has been in the country since 2013, it really got into its stride in 2023 after its distributorship was taken over by ACMobility, which is the automotive arm of the Ayala Corporation. BYD Cars Philippines truly made headlines when it sold a record-breaking 26,122 units in 2025, putting it in number three of the overall sales charts that year.
And with 2026 looking to be another banner year for the brand as electrified vehicles explode in popularity because of painfully high fuel prices, we take a look at five BYD models that have helped propel the company’s success.
Sealion 6 DM-i
This is the car that, arguably, put BYD Cars Philippines on the map as a serious mainstream auto brand.
Launched in July 2024, this P1,548,000 compact crossover came to the market when many legacy brands were charging well over P2.5 million for an equivalent hybrid-electric crossover. The Sealion 6 DM-i only comes in one variant – a fully loaded model with electrically operated everything, panoramic moonroof, Infinity surround-sound system and a full active-safety suite.
Under the hood is a 1.5-liter inline-4 gasoline generator mated to an electric motor and an 18.3-kWh BYD Blade Battery for a combined output of 214 horsepower and 325 Newton-meters of torque. It has a maximum combined range of 1,100 kilometers on a single full tank and a single full charge, including a battery range of up to 105 kilometers.
Despite a modest price bump to P1,598,000, the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i continues to be a strong option in a now-highly competitive vehicle segment. This is thanks to its unbeatable value for money that heavily undercuts its rivals.
Sealion 5 DM-i
Following the huge success of the Sealion 6 DM-i, BYD Cars Philippines decided to introduce a smaller and lower-priced model to cater to more potential crossover owners.
The BYD Sealion 5 DM-i was officially launched in June 2025 at P1,198,000, which hugely undercut its Japanese rivals, all while being substantially larger in size. It also outpaced the competition with its 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline generator mated to a 12.96-kWh Blade Battery pack.
Combined output is a hearty 194 horsepower and 300 Newton-meters of torque, while claimed maximum combined range is 1,001 kilometers on a single full tank and single full charge (battery range is up to 71 kilometers). Although it lacked all the toys of the Sealion 6 DM-i, its combination of performance, efficiency and practicality gave it a legion of adoring fans.
The Sealion 5 DM-i is now priced at P1,268,000, which still makes it competitive against smaller electrified crossovers.
Seal 5 DM-i
The original BYD Seal 5 DM-i raised hell across the subcompact and compact sedan segments by offering a combination of space and features that had never been before.
The latest iteration, which was launched last July 2026, carries on this fine tradition, all while cranking up the model’s unbeatable energy efficiency. Its fifth-generation Super DM-i powertrain combines a 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline generator, a front-mounted electric motor and a 7.42-kWh BYD Blade battery.
Total output is at 161 horsepower and 210 Newton-meters of torque, but what is truly impressive with the new Seal 5 DM-i is its claimed maximum combined range of 1,600 kilometers on a single full tank and single full charge, which includes up to 55 kilometers on battery power alone. This makes it one of the most energy-efficient cars in the Philippines.
Prices for this electrified four-door start at P948,000 for the Essential variant, while the P1,048,000 Dynamic model gets you luxuries like leather upholstery and two-tone alloy wheels.
Atto 2
Launched alongside the all-new Seal 5 last July 2026, the BYD Atto 2 was brought in to appeal to buyers who wanted the ground clearance of a crossover, but in a smaller package.
The DM-i model features a 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline generator, a front-mounted electric motor and a 7.9-kWh BYD Blade battery. Combined output is 163 horsepower and 300 Newton-meters of torque, while claimed maximum combined range is 1,045 kilometers, including up to 45 kilometers on one full charge.
Meanwhile, the EV Premium model gets a 45.1-kWh BYD Blade battery mated to a front-mounted electric motor producing 175 horsepower and 290 Newton-meters of torque. BYD Cars Philippines claims a maximum range of 380 kilometers on one full charge – the battery can also be recharged from 10 to 100 percent in around 40 minutes with a DC fast-charger.
Prices start at P1,048,000 for the DM-i Dynamic, followed by the P1,258,000 DM-i Premium that comes with a full active-safety suite. The range-topping EV Premium costs P1,338,000 and gets niceties like full leather upholstery and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat.
Tang DM-i
Finally, we arrive at the seven-seat BYD Tang DM-i, which was launched in the Philippines in September 2025.
Midsize, turbodiesel sport-utility vehicles (SUV) have made their name as the ultimate Filipino family hauler for their ability to carry lots of people and cargo to faraway places, often at the expense of outright comfort. But the Tang DM-i proved that space and pace could also have lots of grace.
Powering this leviathan is a turbocharged 1.5-liter, twin-cam, inline-4 gasoline generator mated to an electric motor and a 21.5-kWh Blade Battery pack for a combined output of 267 horsepower and 315 Newton-meters of torque. Acceleration is simply unmatched by any oil-burning SUV, while comfort and refinement are in a class of its own.
Perhaps even more impressive is the Tang DM-i’s combined maximum range of 1,160 kilometers on a single full tank and full charge. This includes up to 110 kilometers on battery power alone.
Priced at P2,148,000, this big BYD offers a stronger value-for-money proposition than similarly equipped turbodiesel SUVs because of its combination of space, comfort, power and energy efficiency.
When it comes to driving range, BYD makes it a point to go beyond expectations, conducting range challenges with the Automotive Association of the Philippines to prove how much more efficient their Super DM-i lineup can be. This is headlined by the Seal 5 DM-i, which reached over 2,100 kilometers, more than 500 kilometers above its claimed combined range.
Across the rest of the lineup, the Sealion 6 DM-i achieved over 1,600 km (rated at 1,100 km), the SEALION 5 DM-i crossed 1,400 km (rated at 1,001 km), the Atto 2 DM-i surpassed 1,300 km (rated at 1,045 km) and the Tang DM-i delivered just short of 1,200 km, easily outperforming diesel-powered competitors in its segment.
Given BYD Cars Philippines’ fantastic sales performance in 2024 and 2025, it would come as no surprise that it will once again shake up the local car market in 2026, especially with offerings like these.
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