Here’s a BYD Qin Plus DM-i, seen in central Beijing earlier this summer. BYD is China’s best-selling car brand, and the Qin Plus DM-i is BYD’s best-selling car. It is part of BYD’s Dynasty Series. Let’s have a closer look.
I really like this wheel design, sporty dark gray five-spoke alloys. The wheels look old-school retro, in a good way. BYD introduced this wheel design in 2024 and uses it on several cars. The tire size is 215/55 R17.
The BYD Qin Plus DM-i
BYD launched the Qin Plus DM-i in 2021, with a facelift in 2024. The Snow Land White car in the photos is a new post-facelift example. It is a compact sedan with a streamlined body and a friendly design. Some details are quite nice, like the complex grille and the subtle spoiler in the trunk lid. Size: 4780/1837/1515, 2718.
The interior
The interior of the BYD Qin Plus DM-i is typical BYD. The color scheme is less exciting than many other Chinese cars in this segment. It’s all a tad too gray, a bit too boring. The tech is good; however, with a 10.1-inch touch screen and an 8.8-inch instrument panel.
BYD equips the Qin Plus DM-i with a 15W wireless charger. But 15W is next to nothing, and the owner of this car uses the pad a a general storage shelf. The drive selector is on the center tunnel, a bit old-fashioned; newer BYD cars have it on the steering wheel column.
Specifications of the Qin Plus DM-i
“DM” stands for dual-motor. This is BYD-speak for hybrid: an ICE engine + an electric motor = dual motor. BYD has several series of DM power trains. The “i” series is the most common; “i” stands for Intelligent. Then there’s DM-o, for off-road SUVs, and DM-p, for performance cars.
The BYD Qin Plus DM-i has a front-wheel drive PHEV powertrain. It combines a 1.5 ICE with an electric motor and an e-CVT gearbox. BYD offers many variants, varying in power and battery size. The car in the photos is the absolute base model, the DM-i 55 KM Leading Edition.
The system output is 120 kW (163 hp) and 210 Nm. The top speed is 180 km/h, and 0-100 takes 7.6 seconds. It has a 7.68 kWh BYD Blade LFP battery and a 65-liter fuel tank. The EV range is 55 kilometers.
What about the money?
The character is 秦, Qin, named after the Qin Dynasty (秦朝). The Qin was the first imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 221 to 207 BC.
The BYD Qin Plus DM-i 55 KM Leading Edition costs 67.800 yuan ($9500). The most expensive variant, with more horsepower and a bigger battery, still costs only 93.800 yuan ($13.135). That’s an incredible deal for so much car, no wonder BYD sells about 25.000 units each month. That counts for about 15% of BYD’s overall monthly sales. That makes the BYD Qin Plus DM-i the single most important car in BYD’s lineup.