If I told you there was a hybrid that cost less than a million pesos but felt and drove like a car twice its price, would you believe me? As unlikely as that sounds, the BYD Seal 5 DM-i is a plug-in hybrid that just slips under Php 1M in price but has features and cost savings that even Japanese brands can’t match in the Philippines.

So what makes the BYD Seal 5 DM-i so special? Simple–it takes BYD’s DM-i technology and their Blade Battery that allowed their bigger, heavier Sealion 6 DM-i to achieve 1,600 KM on a single tank into a smaller and more practical everyday sedan. While you’re not getting the same insane range as the Sealion 6 DM-i, BYD is promising a range of up to 1,175 KM on a single tank (up to 1,240 KM on the top-of-the-line model). That means you’ll be counting your gas fill-ups not in days, or weeks, but in months.

Sounds too good to be true? It did to me at first, but as soon as you understand how it works, it kind of makes sense. First of all, the Seal 5 DM-i is a plug-in hybrid, which means it uses both electricity and an internal combustion engine to propel it forward. The Seal 5 DM-i’s main source of propulsion is the electric motor, which in turn draws power from the batteries underneath the car. Since this is a hybrid and not a full EV, the batteries are a little smaller, giving the Seal 5 DM-i 50KM of pure EV range for the Dynamic version and 115KM for the Premium variant.

Once the batteries on both versions fall below a certain level, the engine turns on to charge the batteries and help propel the vehicle forward. Once the battery is charged, the engine turns off again and you’re back in pure EV mode.

Now the main difference between the BYD Seal 5 DM-i and a hybrid like say, the Nissan Kicks e-Power is the fact that you can plug the BYD Seal 5 DM-i into a wall charger to recharge the batteries when needed. This can be done both at home (you just need to plug the included wall charger in a grounded power plug) or through EV chargers that are popping up everywhere including Ayala Malls.

Since most people usually only drive a maximum of 30 km a day going to and from work, you can mostly stay in EV mode in the city. If you ever do decide to go out of town, you won’t have to worry about range anxiety since the engine will provide power to the wheels and charge the battery. This dual power source is the ideal setup for a country like the Philippines which has just started its EV journey and doesn’t have a lot of fast chargers for EVs in place yet.

The result of BYD’s Super DM-i technology is dramatically lower fuel costs and higher fuel savings, as well as reduced maintenance costs since BYD recommends only doing PMS once a year. I actually know a Sealion 6 DM-i owner who only filled up on gas once every month since she got her unit. The kicker here is that she lives in Paranaque, and her office is in BGC–a 15 km drive either way, which makes the numbers that BYD is promising all the more impressive.

So you know how the Seal 5 DM-i works. But how does it drive? Extremely well–I didn’t have a lot of expectations on the Seal 5 DM-i seeing as it was mostly a people-mover first, but it felt surprisingly planted and agile during our brief test drive with it in a closed course. You’re not getting EV levels of acceleration, but the BYD Seal 5 DM-i’s 7.9 second 0-100 KM/H time (7.3 for the Premium variant) is more than enough for most overtaking scenarios.

What’s striking about the Seal 5 DM-i is how plush everything inside felt considering the price. I was expecting a spartan and bare-bones experience when I stepped into the more affordable Dynamic variant but I was very, very surprised. Lots of soft-touch plastic, bucket leather seats plus a massive, 12.8-inch rotating display greeted me when I stepped in, making the car feel twice as expensive as it was. The Premium variant was even better–aside from the amenities I mentioned already, you’re also getting a 360-degree camera system with a see-through mode, radar system, 8-speaker sound system, a sunroof plus fully powered adjustable seats. You’re also getting a vehicle-to-load system (V2L) which allows you to plug in your gadgets like laptops and other devices to charge, but that’s only available for the Premium version.

You’re getting quite a lot of cars for the money that BYD is asking for with the Seal 5 DM-i. You’re getting quite a lot without spending a lot, and both versions punch well above their weight class when you consider the price and what you’re getting in both features, fuel, and maintenance savings alone. The BYD Seal 5 DM-i is a game-changer when it comes to PHEVs in the Philippines, and if you’re looking to try out an EV without range anxiety, then it’s the car you’ll want to buy.

The Seal 5 DM-i is priced at Php 948,000 for the Dynamic model and Php 1,198,000 for the Premium model.