The BYD Qin (Chinese: 比亚迪秦, after the Qin dynasty) is a compact sedan 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.^[1] Currently, the Qin is available as battery electric vehicle, as a plug-in hybrid and previously as an internal combustion engine vehicle.

The Qin is the successor of the BYD F3DM, the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid automobile which launched in China in 2008. In April 2012, BYD replaced the F3DM with the Qin.^[2][3][4] The first-generation Qin is the plug-in hybrid version of the BYD Surui (the second-generation BYD F3), and deliveries in China began in mid-December 2013.^[5]

The second generation model includes two variants called the BYD Qin Pro and BYD Qin Plus. The BYD Qin Pro was launched in September 2018,^[6] while the succeeding Qin Plus was launched in 2021. An updated version of the first generation is sold alongside the second generation Qin variants.

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.^[8][10][11]

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)^[12] 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).^[13]

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.^[8][10]

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.^[8][10]

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.^[14][15]

Pre-facelift styling (2014–2017)

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

Post-facelift styling (2018)

• BYD Qin facelift front.
• BYD Qin facelift rear.

The third-generation Qin is marketed in China as the Qin L (Chinese: 秦L), and was officially announced just before the Beijing Auto Show in April 2024.^[29] Marketed alongside the older and smaller Qin Plus, the Qin L is the largest Qin to date with its length spanning over 4.8 m (189 in).

It is the first BYD vehicle alongside the similar Seal 06 to use BYD's fifth-generation plug-in hybrid system, which is marketed as DM-i 5.0 with a claimed fuel consumption 2.9 litres per 100 kilometres (97 mpg_‑imp; 81 mpg_‑US) and over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) of combined range. Unlike the Qin Plus, the Qin L is not available with a battery electric EV powertrain.^[30]

• List of BYD Auto vehicles