The 'national' electric car VinFast VF3 appeared, customers lined up at Landmark 81 waiting for a test drive

Nhiều khách hàng — Many customers "look" very carefully at the VF3 because of its compact shape, reasonable price, and affordable for the majority of people - Photo: CONG TRUNG

VF3 runs smoothly, goes 215km/charge

On August 1, at the lobby of Vietnam's tallest building Landmark 81 (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), a fleet of 9 commercial VF3 cars in various colors officially appeared, attracting many customers to "touch" the national car model.

VinFast said this is the first batch of VF3 cars delivered to customers in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The majority of customers receiving cars are battery rental versions with a listed price of 240 million VND. Meanwhile, the battery purchase version is 322 million VND.

Traveling from Go Vap district to Binh Thanh, Ms. Thanh Phuong (32 years old, office worker) said she was interested in this mini electric car model of VinFast. Looking back and forth, trying to sit in the car and then waiting to take a test drive around Vinhomes area, Ms. Phuong commented "the car is beautiful and runs very well".

With a daily commute of 20km, Ms. Thanh Phuong wants to own a small electric car like the VinFast VF3 to replace her gasoline motorbike. Looking small in the picture, but in reality, the VF3 electric car is massive and larger than the Chinese Wuling Hongguang Mini EV.

"If I don't buy this car, then which car should I buy? The VF3 model has an ideal price, I will discuss with my husband to buy this one" - Ms. Phuong said firmly.

Ô tô điện 'quốc dân' VinFast VF3 xuất hiện, khách hàng xếp hàng ở Landmark 81 chờ lái thử- Ảnh 2. — The colorful fleet of cars delivered to the first customer in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: CONG TRUNG

According to Tuoi Tre Online 's observations, many customers from adults to young people when coming to see the VF3 discussed enthusiastically about its performance and interior space. Even the test drive registration area was overloaded at times.

Many people who came to see the car said that this car would be more convenient to drive in the city, and they were still worried about the battery capacity when driving in the province. In fact, the interior space of the car is enough for 4 people to sit comfortably, thanks to the wheelbase of up to 2,075 mm. The 16-inch rims increase the ground clearance to 191 mm, helping the car move comfortably on a variety of terrains.

VinFast VF3 is equipped with a battery pack capable of traveling up to 215 km/charge, the fastest battery charging time from 10-70% in just 36 minutes. The electric motor has a maximum capacity of 30 kW, maximum torque of 110 Nm, combined with rear-wheel drive (RWD) for acceleration from 0-50 km/h in 5.3 seconds.

Although belonging to the mini SUV segment, VF3 is still equipped by VinFast with a large 10-inch touch screen entertainment screen, along with a gear shift lever behind the steering wheel similar to luxury cars, bringing a comfortable and impressive experience to users.

The car is also equipped with an airbag for the driver, front disc brakes and safety technologies such as ABS anti-lock brakes, emergency brake assist, hill start assist...

Đây là những mẫu xe bản thương mại sẽ được bàn giao cho khách hàng ngay hôm nay. So với bản thử nghiệm được tiết lộ trước đó, VF3 bản thương mại cứng cáp và hút mắt người dùng hơn rất nhiều. — These are the commercial models that will be delivered to customers today. Compared to the previously revealed test version, the commercial version of VF3 is much more sturdy and eye-catching.

VF3 should rent or buy batteries, how economical is the operating cost?

The price for VF3 with battery rental is 240 million VND, while the price with battery is 322 million VND. If renting the battery, customers only have to pay a fee of 900,000 VND/month for a distance of less than 1,500km/month, 1.2 million VND/month for a distance of 1,500-2,500km/month, and 2 million VND/month for a distance of over 2,500km/month.

The energy consumption of VinFast VF3 is 83.3 Wh per kilometer traveled, according to the Vietnam Register. With this consumption level, VinFast VF3 has surpassed Wuling MiniEV (88 Wh/km), becoming the most energy-efficient electric car model in Vietnam, even cheaper than the cost of driving a gasoline motorbike.

Currently, VinFast is charging 3,858 VND per kilowatt hour at the station. Thus, VinFast VF3 will spend 32,137 VND on electricity for 100km of travel. Meanwhile, VinFast is exempting battery charging fees for 1 year, meaning that from now until the end of July 2025, customers will charge for free, without having to pay for charging electricity to operate the vehicle.

In the case of customers renting the lowest battery package, they pay 900,000 VND to travel a maximum of 1,500km per month; correspondingly, each 100km will cost about 60,000 VND more. Thus, it can be said that VinFast VF3 costs 92,137 VND for every 100km traveled.

According to many customers, VF3 is suitable for urban travel so that "the sun does not reach the head, the feet do not touch the water", the selling price is cheap and the operating cost is low, meeting the needs of car owners.

Deliver at least 20,000 VF3 vehicles this year

Speaking at the handover ceremony of the first batch of VF3 cars, Mr. Vu Anh Tuan - General Director of VinFast Vietnam market - said that the company hopes to continue to receive the support and trust of a large number of customers in the coming time, thereby officially making VF3 a national electric car model for everyone.

The car is warranted for up to 7 years or 160,000km (whichever comes first), while the high-voltage battery is warranted for 8 years and unlimited km.

According to the plan, following the first batch of cars, VinFast will gradually deliver VF3 cars to customers who have pre-ordered at showrooms and distributors nationwide. It is expected that in 2024, VinFast can deliver at least 20,000 VF3 cars to customers.