BYD Qin Specs, Range, Battery, Charging & Features

BYD Qin
BYD Qin Plus DM-i
Overview
Manufacturer	BYD Auto
Production	2012–present
Body and chassis
Class	Compact car / small family car (C-segment) Mid-size car (D-segment)
Body style	4-door sedan
Chronology
Predecessor	BYD F3DM

The BYD Qin (Chinese: 比亚迪秦, after the Qin dynasty) is a series of compact and mid-size sedans produced by BYD Auto since 2012. The Qin started out as the plug-in hybrid version of the BYD Surui, and was introduced in the Chinese market in August 2012. Currently, the Qin is available as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), battery electric vehicle (BEV), and previously an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.

The Qin is the successor of the BYD F3DM, the world’s first mass-produced PHEV automobile which launched in China in 2008. In April 2012, BYD replaced the F3DM with the Qin. The first-generation Qin is the PHEV version of the BYD Surui (the second-generation BYD F3), and deliveries in China began in December 2013.

The second generation model includes two variants was released in September 2018 as the BYD Qin Pro, which was available as an ICE vehicle, PHEV and BEV. In 2021, this model was updated and renamed to BYD Qin Plus with PHEV and BEV variants. An updated version of the first generation is sold alongside the second generation Qin variants.

In 2024 March, BYD released a larger, mid-size Qin variant marketed as the BYD Qin L DM-i, which is solely equipped with the DM-i 5.0 PHEV powertrain. In 2025, a battery electric counterpart was introduced as the BYD Qin L EV.

BYD Qin
Overview
Production	2012–2019 (DM) 2016–2024 (EV) 2019–2022 (petrol)
Assembly	China: Xi’an, Shaanxi
Body and chassis
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive Front-motor, front-wheel-drive (EV)
Related	BYD Surui BYD F3 BYD L3 BYD G3 BYD e5
Powertrain
Engine	1.5 L BYD476ZQA I4 (turbo petrol)
Electric motor	Two 110 kW (148 hp; 150 PS) permanent magnet synchronous motors
Transmission	6-speed DCT
Battery	13 kWh LFP (DM)
Electric range	70 km (43 mi)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,670 mm (105.1 in)
Length	4,740 mm (186.6 in)
Width	1,770 mm (69.7 in)
Height	1,480 mm (58.3 in) (2014–2015) 1,490 mm (58.7 in) (2016–2024)
Chronology
Predecessor	BYD F3DM BYD e5 (Qin EV)

The BYD Qin concept car was unveiled at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. It was named after the Qin dynasty, China’s first imperial dynasty.

The plug-in hybrid variant (which was the only variant available in the beginning) currently offers a NEDC all-electric range of 82 km (51 mi) and a hybrid electric powertrain that can extend the car’s total range to a distance similar to that of a conventional petrol-powered vehicle. The all-electric variant offers a NEDC range of 520 kilometres (320 mi).

The Qin was designed with BYD’s next-generation, more efficient, dual-mode, electric powertrain. The BYD Qin uses a smaller lithium iron phosphate battery (LiFePO₄, or LFP) than its predecessor, the F3DM: 13 kWh instead of 16 kWh. The LiFePO₄ battery has a high energy density, can withstand up to 4,000 charges and still retain 80 percent performance, and uses no toxic heavy metals in its manufacture. Due to its improved design, the new battery is about 50 percent smaller and lighter than the one used on the F3DM. The reduced battery pack size translates into reduced price at the expense of the all-electric range, which BYD estimates at 50 kilometres (31 mi). The larger battery in the F3DM delivers an all-electric range of 97 kilometres (60 mi). BYD said the Qin would be seven percent more efficient with savings in power and energy in all-electric (EV) mode.

In hybrid mode, the Qin uses two 110-kilowatt (148 hp; 150 PS) electric motors and a 1.5-litre turbo-charged direct-injected engine, instead of the 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine used in the F3DM, to output 223 kW (299 hp; 303 PS) of power and 440 N⋅m (325 lb⋅ft; 45 kg⋅m) of torque. According to BYD Auto, the Qin has a top speed of 185 km/h (115 mph) and can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in less than 5.9 seconds. Thanks to its smaller battery and increased wheelbase, the Qin will have more interior space than the F3DM, and the styling has also been improved over BYD’s earlier models, most notably in the car’s interior.

Retail sales of the BYD Qin began in Costa Rica in November 2013, and BYD planned to start sales in other countries in Central and South America in 2014.

Pre-facelift styling (2012–2017)

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  Pre-facelift BYD Qin front.
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  Pre-facelift BYD Qin rear.

Post-facelift styling (2017–2019)

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  BYD Qin facelift front.
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  BYD Qin facelift rear.

Qin Pro / Qin Plus
BYD Qin Pro
Overview
Production	September 2018 – March 2021
Assembly	China: Xi’an, Shaanxi; Hefei, Anhui
Designer	Under the lead of Wolfgang Egger
Body and chassis
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive Front-engine, front-motor, front-wheel drive (DM) Front-motor, front-wheel-drive (EV)
Powertrain
Engine	Petrol: 1.5 L BYD476ZQA I4 turbo (2018–2021) Petrol plug-in hybrid: 1.5 L BYD476ZQA I4 turbo (DM)
Electric motor	Permanent magnet synchronous (DM/EV)
Transmission	6-speed Mitsubishi W6MG1 manual 6-speed DCT
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,718 mm (107.0 in)
Length	4,765 mm (187.6 in)
Width	1,837 mm (72.3 in)
Height	1,495 mm (58.9 in)

The second generation Qin was introduced as the Qin Pro in 2018. With its enlarged dimensions, the sedan occupies a higher segment, commonly known as the “A+ class” in China which is larger than the global C-segment.

The Qin Plus (Chinese: 秦PLUS) was initially revealed in 2021 as the refreshed version of the Qin Pro, with aesthetic changes and additional powertrain updates. Subsequently, a second generation was announced in 2026.

The Qin L DM-i is the largest model in the Qin lineup. It is a plug-in hybrid sedan belonging to the D-segment (mid-size) and was sold since 2024. Along its sister model, the Seal 06 DM-i, it was the first model to debut BYD’s DM-i 5.0 powertrain technology.

The Qin L EV is a mid-size battery-electric sedan introduced in 2025. Despite sharing a similar name to the Qin L DM-i, it is completely structurally unrelated to it and rides on the e-Platform 3.0 Evo battery electric platform with a rear-wheel-drive layout. It has a sister model, the Seal 06 EV.

The Qin Max has been launched in the middle of 2026 as a more upmarket, top-of-the range addition to the “Qin” model family. It shares most of its bodywork with the L variant but with an elongated body, a differentiated front and rear fascia and a power lineup including DM-i and EV variants.

• List of BYD Auto vehicles