PHEV Car from BYD Burns After a Chain of Accidents, the Cause is Still Being Investigated

BYD Qin Plus DM-i. (Photo: BYD)

JAKARTA - A BYD Qin Plus DM-i plug-in hybrid sedan was burned after being involved in a chain-reaction accident involving three vehicles on Chengdu's Third Ring Road, China, on July 17. All passengers in the car were reported to have managed to escape before the flames engulfed the entire vehicle.

Based on a report by Carnewschina, Monday, July 20, which quoted the Jinniu District Traffic Police Department, the accident occurred on the main road of Chengdu Third Ring Road, Jinniu District. Shortly after the collision, the BYD Qin Plus DM-i caught fire until it only left a skeleton. Traffic flow was disrupted before returning to normal.

The video recording of the incident quickly circulated on social media. However, the authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire. The investigation into the accident and the source of the fire is still ongoing.

Citing an interview with the vehicle owner identified as He, both he and the passenger in the front seat lost consciousness after the collision. He said the front and side airbags inflated during the accident, but all the vehicle doors could not be opened.

The two finally managed to escape by exiting through the window shortly before the fire spread throughout the cabin. There were no casualties in the incident involving the Qin Plus DM-i.

Meanwhile, the condition of passengers from the other two vehicles involved has not been disclosed in detail. According to He, the fire began to appear shortly after his car was hit from behind and was first seen coming from the back of the sedan.

The testimony is an experience directly conveyed by the vehicle owner and not the result of a technical investigation. Until now, traffic authorities have not explained the initial source of the fire nor confirmed whether the fire originated from the fuel system, electrical components, batteries, or other parts of the vehicle.

The burned car has been identified as a white BYD Qin Plus DM-i based on the owner's statement and visual documentation at the scene. Unlike the fully electric Qin Plus EV, the DM-i variant carries a plug-in hybrid system with a larger dot-matrix-patterned front grille to support the cooling of the internal combustion engine.

The vehicle also uses a special green number plate for new energy vehicles in China. However, the year of production and the car's trim variant have not been revealed.

The incident in Chengdu adds to a list of accidents involving BYD vehicles and has come under public scrutiny, despite having different characteristics than a number of previous cases. In June, there was an accident between the BYD Qin L plug-in hybrid and a Mazda3.

In the incident, the Mazda3 caught fire after the collision, while the Qin L battery remained intact. Meanwhile, in early March, a BYD Seal was also reported to have caught fire after an accident in Hong Kong.

The driver managed to get out before the fire engulfed the cabin and local authorities then conducted an investigation. In the case of Chengdu, investigators have not issued a conclusion on the cause of the fire.

Amid the continued increase in the lineup of BYD products, the Qin Plus is still one of the company's highest-selling models. Based on June 2026 sales data from China EV DataTracker, the Qin Plus EV recorded sales of 13,726 units or accounted for 7.7 percent of BYD's total sales in that month.

This model ranks fourth on the list of BYD's best-selling vehicles, behind the Yuan UP (17,945 units), Song Pro DM-i (17,439 units), and Sealion 06 (16,843 units), but still ahead of the Dolphin which recorded sales of 13,005 units.

So far, the facts that have been confirmed show that the BYD Qin Plus DM-i was involved in a chain collision, the passengers managed to save themselves through the window after the airbag inflated, then the vehicle caught fire. The exact cause of the fire is still pending the results of the official investigation by the authorities.