VinFast VF 3 (Eco)
₫367,495,438 / 5 yr
₫6,124,924/mo₫6,125/km
Lowest cost over 5 years
Electric or petrol car: what does it really cost to own in Vietnam?
As of 1 July 2026: of the 44 models we track in Vietnam, the cheapest to own over 5 years is currently the VinFast VF 3 (Eco) at ₫367,495,438 — an electric car, but that's not the whole picture. In most head-to-head match-ups, the petrol or hybrid car still wins — and we say so plainly on every page.
What it really costs to own an electric car in Vietnam — versus a petrol one: depreciation, charging at 3,150 ₫/kWh, maintenance, insurance and financing. Every figure has its source and its update date.
Example comparison — change the vehicles belowOver 5 years, the VinFast VF 3 (Eco) (EV) is the cheapest at ₫367,495,438 — about ₫212,632,676 less than the VinFast VF 5 (₫6,124,924/mo, ₫6,125/km)
Total cost of ownership, cheapest first
VinFast VF 5 (Plus)
₫580,128,114 / 5 yr
₫9,668,802/mo₫9,669/km
+₫212,632,676 more than the VinFast VF 3 (58%)
Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV
₫697,499,681 / 5 yr
₫11,624,995/mo₫11,625/km
+₫330,004,243 more than the VinFast VF 3 (90%)
Cumulative cost over time
Total spend by each year — purchase price, charging/fuel, depreciation, insurance and loan interest combined. Where two lines cross is your break-even point.
VinFast VF 3Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8VinFast VF 5
Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 doesn't overtake VinFast VF 3 within 5 years · VinFast VF 5 doesn't overtake VinFast VF 3 within 5 years
Where the money goes (full breakdown)
| Cost component | Electric · VinFast VF 3 | Hybrid · Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 | Electric · VinFast VF 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depreciation (estimated) | ₫209,300,000 (57%) | ₫423,850,000 (61%) | ₫370,300,000 (64%) |
| Charging / fuel | ₫30,712,500 (8%) | ₫46,682,325 (7%) | ₫39,088,636 (7%) |
| ↳ of which charging loss | 12% (~₫3,685,500) | — | 12% (~₫4,690,636) |
| Maintenance | ₫11,250,000 (3%) | ₫19,285,716 (3%) | ₫11,250,000 (2%) |
| Insurance | ₫60,000,000 (16%) | ₫45,000,000 (6%) | ₫60,000,000 (10%) |
| Loan interest | ₫56,232,938 (15%) | ₫162,681,640 (23%) | ₫99,489,477 (17%) |
| Taxes & fees | ₫0 (0%) | ₫0 (0%) | ₫0 (0%) |
| Total cost of ownership | ₫367,495,438 | ₫697,499,681 | ₫580,128,114 |
Reference data for Vietnam
- Electricity price
- 3,150 ₫/kWhEVN · 1 July 2026
- Fuel price
- 21,200 ₫/lPetrolimex
- Charging loss
- 12 %EPA / SAE J1634
- Maintenance
- Electric ₫2,250,000 · Petrol ₫4,500,000est.
- Insurance
- Electric ₫12,000,000 · Petrol ₫9,000,000est.
Car prices and the 5-year cost to own
Every model we cost, ranked from cheapest to own — tap a column to sort by price or by true 5-year cost, or filter by vehicle type.
| Type | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VinFast VF 3 (Eco) | Electric | ₫299,000,000 | ₫367,495,438 | ₫6,124,924 |
| Toyota Vios 1.5E CVT (petrol) | Petrol | ₫488,000,000 | ₫491,696,152 | ₫8,194,936 |
| Hyundai Accent 1.5 AT (petrol) | Petrol | ₫499,000,000 | ₫509,766,634 | ₫8,496,111 |
| Toyota Vios 1.5G CVT (petrol) | Petrol | ₫545,000,000 | ₫532,626,251 | ₫8,877,104 |
| Mitsubishi Xpander 1.5 MT (petrol) | Petrol | ₫560,000,000 | ₫558,657,926 | ₫9,310,965 |
| Hyundai Creta 1.5 Tieu chuan (petrol) | Petrol | ₫599,000,000 | ₫575,218,606 | ₫9,586,977 |
| VinFast VF 5 (Plus) | Electric | ₫529,000,000 | ₫580,128,114 | ₫9,668,802 |
| Mitsubishi Xforce GLX (petrol) | Petrol | ₫605,000,000 | ₫584,740,052 | ₫9,745,668 |
| Toyota Veloz Cross CVT (petrol) | Petrol | ₫638,000,000 | ₫602,841,893 | ₫10,047,365 |
| Toyota Yaris Cross HEV | Hybrid | ₫728,000,000 | ₫606,257,117 | ₫10,104,285 |
| Mitsubishi Xpander 1.5 AT (petrol) | Petrol | ₫658,000,000 | ₫629,028,973 | ₫10,483,816 |
| Mazda CX-5 2.0 Deluxe (petrol) | Petrol | ₫699,000,000 | ₫660,126,890 | ₫11,002,115 |
| Ford Ranger XLS 2.0L 4x2 AT | Petrol | ₫707,000,000 | ₫673,575,738 | ₫11,226,262 |
| Toyota Innova Cross 2.0G | Petrol | ₫730,000,000 | ₫682,000,771 | ₫11,366,680 |
| Ford Territory Trend 1.5 AT | Petrol | ₫739,000,000 | ₫687,574,614 | ₫11,459,577 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV | Hybrid | ₫865,000,000 | ₫697,499,681 | ₫11,624,995 |
| Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Xang Tieu chuan | Petrol | ₫769,000,000 | ₫716,877,575 | ₫11,947,960 |
| VinFast VF 6 (Eco) | Electric | ₫689,000,000 | ₫737,575,870 | ₫12,292,931 |
| Toyota Innova Cross 2.0 HEV | Hybrid | ₫960,000,000 | ₫777,817,214 | ₫12,963,620 |
| VinFast Limo Green | Electric | ₫749,000,000 | ₫783,880,071 | ₫13,064,668 |
| VinFast VF 6 (Plus) | Electric | ₫749,000,000 | ₫790,860,185 | ₫13,181,003 |
| VinFast VF 7 (Eco) | Electric | ₫789,000,000 | ₫819,402,947 | ₫13,656,716 |
| Honda CR-V e:HEV L | Hybrid | ₫1,170,000,000 | ₫923,772,496 | ₫15,396,208 |
| Ford Everest Active 2.0L AT 4x2 | Petrol | ₫1,129,000,000 | ₫972,662,989 | ₫16,211,050 |
| VinFast VF 8 (Eco) | Electric | ₫1,019,000,000 | ₫1,028,126,760 | ₫17,135,446 |
| Kia Carnival 2.2D Luxury 8S | Petrol | ₫1,299,000,000 | ₫1,105,231,650 | ₫18,420,528 |
| Mercedes-Benz C 200 Avantgarde | Petrol | ₫1,599,000,000 | ₫1,295,832,504 | ₫21,597,208 |
| BMW X3 20 xDrive | Petrol | ₫2,299,000,000 | ₫1,806,113,270 | ₫30,101,888 |
| Volvo XC60 B5 Ultra | Petrol | ₫2,299,000,000 | ₫1,818,836,571 | ₫30,313,943 |
| Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4Matic | Petrol | ₫2,839,000,000 | ₫2,198,959,088 | ₫36,649,318 |
| Audi Q5 45 TFSI quattro | Petrol | ₫2,849,000,000 | ₫2,209,957,541 | ₫36,832,626 |
| Lexus NX 350h | Hybrid | ₫3,270,000,000 | ₫2,361,716,386 | ₫39,361,940 |
| Lexus RX 350h Luxury | Hybrid | ₫4,330,000,000 | ₫3,080,472,613 | ₫51,341,210 |
Head-to-head
VinFast VF 3 (Eco)vsToyota Vios 1.5E CVT (petrol)VinFast VF 5 (Plus)vsHyundai Accent 1.5 AT (petrol)VinFast VF 3 (Eco)vsToyota Vios 1.5G CVT (petrol)VinFast VF 6 (Eco)vsMitsubishi Xpander 1.5 AT (petrol)VinFast VF 7 (Eco)vsToyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEVVinFast VF 8 (Eco)vsToyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEVVinFast VF 5 (Plus)vsMitsubishi Xpander 1.5 MT (petrol)VinFast VF 6 (Plus)vsMitsubishi Xpander 1.5 AT (petrol)
Cost by model
Electric
Hybrid
Petrol
₫491,696,1525-year cost₫532,626,2515-year cost₫509,766,6345-year cost₫629,028,9735-year cost₫558,657,9265-year cost₫660,126,8905-year cost₫584,740,0525-year cost₫602,841,8935-year cost₫575,218,6065-year cost₫1,295,832,5045-year cost₫2,198,959,0885-year cost₫1,806,113,2705-year cost₫2,209,957,5415-year cost₫1,818,836,5715-year cost₫673,575,7385-year cost₫972,662,9895-year cost₫687,574,6145-year cost₫716,877,5755-year cost₫682,000,7715-year cost₫1,105,231,6505-year cost
Lệ phí trước bạ (registration fee — Vietnam's EV purchase incentive): battery-electric cars (BEV) are exempt from 100% of the first-time registration fee (0%). The policy originally ran under Nghị định 51/2025/NĐ-CP (government decree, until 28/02/2027) and has been extended through 31/12/2030 under Nghị định 202/2026/NĐ-CP (issued 08/6/2026). For petrol cars the registration fee is typically 10–12% of the car's value, so this is a substantial real saving when buying an EV. It is, however, a fee you're exempted from, not a cash handout, so we present it separately and do not add it to the 5-year total cost above. Source: Nghị định 202/2026 & 51/2025, as of . Always check the rules in force before you buy.
Subsidies and annual running costs: Vietnam has no national cash purchase subsidy for electric cars (unlike Thailand's EV3.5 programme). The EV's advantage lies in its running costs (charging, maintenance) and in the 100% registration-fee exemption. EVs also carry lower usage taxes/fees. Every running-cost saving is counted directly in the running costs — never as a cash handout. As of .
FAQ
Is an electric car cheaper to own than a petrol car in Vietnam?
It depends on the model. As of 1 July 2026, the cheapest of the 44 models we track in Vietnam is indeed an electric car — the VinFast VF 3 (Eco) at ₫367,495,438 over 5 years, all-in — but in most head-to-head match-ups the petrol or hybrid car is still cheaper once depreciation and insurance are counted. Every comparison page says plainly which car wins.
Which electric car is cheapest to own in Vietnam?
As of 1 July 2026, it's the VinFast VF 3 (Eco) — about ₫367,495,438 over 5 years, all-in: depreciation, charging (charging losses included), insurance, maintenance, registration fee/taxes and fees, and financing.
What do electricity and fuel cost in Vietnam right now?
Our calculations use 3,150 ₫/kWh for home charging electricity (EVN) and 21,200 ₫/l for fuel (Petrolimex), as of 1 July 2026.
What does the 5-year total cost include?
Depreciation, charging or fuel (including the roughly 12% AC charging loss most calculators skip), insurance, maintenance, registration fee/taxes and fees, and loan interest — every source has its update date.
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Estimates for planning, not financial advice. Depreciation, insurance and maintenance are dated estimates for the Vietnam market. How we calculate →