Check out the updated BYD Seal 5 DM-i’s strengths, weaknesses

BYD Cars Philippines has already launched the updated BYD Seal 5 DM-i. Now, as the 2026 model year version, it gets a new design and some crucial improvements to its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain. 

With that said, let’s explore the particular strengths of the updated model. We will also go over its weaknesses. 

Pros

Eye-catching exterior 

One big reason to add the BYD Seal 5 DM-i to your garage is its exterior design. To be exact, it now comes with an edgier, sharper front clip that does away with the elegant-looking mesh-pattern grille of the pre-facelifted model. 

Otherwise, the Chinese car brand opted to keep the same silhouette and appearance for its rear section. These, however, do go well with the new front section, making for a fluidic but modern sedan that will turn heads.  

For reference, the BYD Seal 5 DM-i is 4,780 mm long, 1,837 mm wide, and 1,515 mm in height. It also has a wheelbase length of 2,718 mm and a ground clearance of 120 mm. 

Besides its attractive style, the BYD-made sedan also gets plenty of exterior amenities. It has a full complement of LED lighting fixtures, 16-inch alloy wheels, rear fog lamps, automatic headlamp functionality, and power-adjustable/folding side mirrors. 

Other stories: 4 biggest reasons to consider the BYD Atto 2 DM-i Wheel-to-wheel: Denza B5 vs GWM Haval H7 All-electric crossover duel: Jaecoo J5 EV vs. BYD Atto 3

 

Wide array of amenities, safety gear

As they are right now, as the Essential and Dynamic trims, the updated BYD Seal 5 DM-i comes with plenty of amenities considering their price tags. 

Inside the sedan’s Dynamic variant is a five-seater layout equipped with leather upholstery, an automatic climate control system, 60:40 split-folding rear seats, and plenty of soft-touch panels all around. 

These go together with a significant amount of driving amenities such as a front cabin armrest, a manual-dimming rearview mirror, push-to-start button, a keyless entry system, electronic parking brake with auto hold, an NFC card reader, and an 8.8-inch digital gauge - among others. 

Handling on-board entertainment and navigation for the BYD Seal 5 DM-i is a 10.1-inch touchscreen headunit that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This display is linked to a four-piece speaker set.

Additionally, the car gets a lot of safety gear too. Sure, it does not have the full version of the DiPilot driver-assist suite, but it comes standard with the following: 

• Traction control
• Electronic stability control
• Anti-lock braking
• Hill-hold control
• Tire pressure monitoring
• Brake override system
• Automatic vehicle hold
• Controlled deceleration for parking brake
• Vehicle dynamic control
• Comfort braking function
• Brake priority system
• Cruise control
• Rear-view camera
• Rear radar system

Peppy powertrain, huge extended range

One big strength of the BYD Seal 5 DM-i is its powertrain. Specifically, it has a 1.5-liter gasoline mill paired with the Blade battery, a regenerative braking system, and a single permanent magnet synchronous motor. 

Altogether, this system can dish out 161 horsepower and 210 Newton-meters of torque. With these figures, the updated version of the Seal 5 DM-i is on the upper crust of affordable subcompact sedans when it comes to output. 

The model’s greatest asset, at least when talking about anything related to driving, however, is its massive extended range of 1,600 kilometers (km) - a huge improvement over the old pre-facelift model. This, of course, means fewer stops and interruptions when going out of town on long road trips. At the same time, it is a definite money-saver that is touted to severely cut down on monthly fuel costs for those using the car as a daily. 

What’s more is that this range, at least for those with a light foot, can be extended beyond 2,000 km. This was confirmed by the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) after the Ramirez and Cutter Events team performed a long northern Luzon loop on a single tank of gas. 

Cons

Still touchscreen dependent

It's great that BYD opted to provide the updated Seal 5 DM-i with easy-to-reach physical controls for its audio volume, drive mode selector, and start-stop button on the center console, but its air-conditioning system still depends on the car’s main display. 

As we’ve said countless times before, this may be distracting to a driver. This is because one cannot use muscle memory to fiddle around with a screen to adjust fan speed and temperature. On the other hand, the car does have voice control, and the interface was designed to be easily accessible via prominent icons. These, however, can’t replace the familiarity of solid physical knobs or buttons that one can reliably use while keeping one’s eyes on the road. 

Final thoughts

For buyers, the BYD Seal 5 DM-i is poised to provide plenty of value for prospective adopters. It is touted to provide great fuel efficiency, while still retaining ample horsepower and torque output, and it also has a lot of creature comforts considering the price. 

As of its introduction, the model has an introductory price of P898,000 for the Essential and P998,000 for the Dynamic. Regular pricing for the Seal 5 DM-i's trims will be offered at P948,000 for the Essential and P1.048 million for the Dynamic after the promo period.

So, if you like what you see in the refreshed sedan, don’t hesitate to visit the nearest BYD outlet and ask for a test drive. 

Also read:

4 biggest reasons to consider the BYD Atto 2 DM-i

Wheel-to-wheel: Denza B5 vs GWM Haval H7

All-electric crossover duel: Jaecoo J5 EV vs. BYD Atto 3

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