VinFast Reveals Prices for the U.S., Europe, and a Mysterious Battery Subscription Plan

VinFast said it will offer two subscription plans: Flexible or Fixed. The Flexible Plan will charge $35 for the VF 8 and $44 for the VF 9 if owners do not travel more than 310 miles (500 kilometers) per month. If they eventually exceed that limit (which most will), they will have to pay $0.11 per mile for the VF 8 and $0.15 for the VF9.

Depending on how much you drive per month, it may be worth it, especially considering the prices for the Fixed Plan. VinFast said it costs $110 for the VF 8 and $160 for the VF 9, with unlimited mileage.

A simple calculation shows people driving less than 992 mi (1,597 km) per month should get the Flexible plan with the VF 8. That corresponds to the 310 mi they can go for $35 and the additional 682 miles the $75 difference to the $110 of the Fixed Plan allows them to clock.

With the VF 9, the $44 Flexible Plan is worth it for those running less than 1,083 mi (1,743 km) per month. The $116 difference from the $160 Fixed Plan monthly fee pays for 773 mi (1,244 km) more at $0.15 per mile. However, it is here that things start to get complicated.

VinFast said it will charge $40,700 for the Eco VF 8 with a 260-mile battery pack and $41,000 for the one that offers 292 mi of range. The Eco VF 8 is less powerful (348 hp) and less equipped than the VF 8 Plus (402 hp), but both are AWD. For the record, the VF 8 is 4.75 meters (187 inches) long, 1.90 m (74.8 in) wide, 1.66 m (65.4 in) tall, and has a 2.95 m (116 in) wheelbase. Prices for the fancier derivative are $47,700 and $48,000.

VinFast did not disclose how big the battery packs are for the American market. If they are similar to the ones to be sold in Europe, they will be respectively 82 kWh and 87.7 kWh. Predictably, the VF 8 Plus presents a lower range in both cases: 248 mi with the first battery pack and 277 mi with the bigger one.

The VF 9 has much more significant energy storage components. Its entry-level battery pack is a 92-kWh unit, while the bigger one holds 123 kWh. The Eco VF 9 with the 92-kWh battery pack will cost $55,500 or $56,000 with the 123-kWh unit, which is a surprisingly low price difference for such a capacity disparity.

With the VF 9 Plus, the price rises to $60,500 with the smaller battery pack and $61,000 for the bigger one. The VF 9 is 5.12 m (201.6 in) long, 2 m (78.4 m) wide, 1.72 m (67.8 in) tall, and has a 3.15 m (124 in) wheelbase.

The weird part is that you’d expect VinFast to disclose how much cheaper the VF 8 got with the battery pack subscription after announcing it. That was not the case. We know how much the cars will cost and how much VinFast will charge for the subscription but not how much people will manage to pay for the vehicles with the subscription’s help.

The subscription impact will be different from model to model. It would make no sense for people buying a VF 8 with an 82-kWh battery pack subscription to save as much as a VF 9 with a 123-kWh component. VinFast did not disclose its strategy. But it gets a little worse.

The company said it separated the price of the battery pack from that of the vehicle to take “on all the risks related to the vehicle's battery and ensures a reasonable price for its products.” VinFast adds that this will provide “customers with peace of mind about the battery's quality during use.” The Vietnamese automaker said it will replace them should they drop below 70% of capacity.

That’s all very reassuring until you learn that this seemingly core strategy from VinFast is temporary. It will only support 100% of the battery pack cost until the end of 2023. After that, it will cut the subscription to 50% of the battery pack’s price. What if the battery pack loses more than 70% of its capacity while this contract is active? Will VinFast only replace 50% of the battery pack? It makes no sense. The subscription is only a way to attract customers to an unknown brand, just like Tesla did with free supercharging for life for its first clients.

In Europe, VinFast calls the subscription idea a “progressive battery leasing.” The Flexible Plan will cover 500 km per month. Unfortunately, the automaker did not disclose prices for it, only some of the values for the VF 8 and VF 9.

The Eco VF 8 will start at €43,450 ($46,956) at the current exchange rate) in France with the 87.7-kWh battery pack. The company did not reveal its prices with the 82-kWh unit nor how much the VF Plus will cost. It just said it will have a 471-km (293-mi) range under the WLTP cycle. In the VF 9’s case, VinFast said its Eco derivative will cost €58,650 ($63,383) with the 123-kWh battery pack, with a range of up to 594 km (369 mi) under the WLTP cycle.