BYD Philippines Surpasses 2025 EV Sales Record Amid Fuel Price Surge

Philippine sales of Chinese auto giant BYD have already surpassed their previous full-year record with four months left in 2026, as soaring fuel prices helped drive stronger demand for electric vehicles (EVs). According to BYD Cars Philippines, it sold 28,399 units from January to August, already eclipsing the 26,122 units it sold for the whole of 2025, its best year in the Philippines so far. The eight-month figure was also nearly double the number of vehicles BYD sold during the same period last year. At this pace, BYD is poised to end the year as the country’s top-selling EV brand. As of July, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. held the No. 1 spot with 12,838 hybrid vehicles sold in 2026 so far, based on data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc., which does not include BYD sales. BYD said its 2026 performance showed “electric vehicles have entered the mainstream in the Philippines.” “Filipino consumers are choosing BYD because our vehicles deliver what matters most: innovation, practicality, reliability and lower ownership costs without compromise,” BYD Cars Philippines managing director Bob Palanca said in a statement. In April, after fuel prices began to surge amid the crisis in the oil-rich Middle East, BYD posted its best month in the Philippines so far, selling 5,730 units. This was a 258-percent increase from the same month in 2025. BYD said its plug-in hybrid models led the charge this year, with sales of its DM-i vehicles reaching 22,555 units. This was up 95 percent from 11,542 units in the comparable period in the previous year. Leading this segment was the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i, which sold 7,759 units, accounting for about 27 percent of the company’s total sales. Growth was also recorded in its battery EV segment, where sales jumped 115 percent to 5,844 units. The strong momentum of BYD and other Chinese EV brands in the Philippines could also yield gains for consumers as intensifying competition puts downward pressure on vehicle prices, according to BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions. “Intensifying competition among Chinese automakers seeking to expand their presence in the Philippines, combined with falling battery costs, could improve EV affordability and accelerate adoption,” a recent BMI report read. Globally, BYD sold 440,293 vehicles in August alone. INQ