A lot can be said about VinFast, the brand has shoved itself into the conversation of EV mobility ever since the brand launched a couple of years ago. I say ‘shoved’ because they didn’t gently make their way into the consciousness of car buyers, but rather they bet the house and the farm by launching globally immediately and going into the challenging American market.
Here in the Philippines, we’ve only gotten a year of VinFast being in the market and already they’re making waves, so I decided to find out for myself what they stand for by borrowing the VF5 EV.
VinFast VF5
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The VF5 is an interesting-looking vehicle, at first glance it looks unassuming and like any other normal car on the road, but I noticed while driving that some people would cast interested “What car is that?” looks. This made me look more closely at the VF5 and I noticed that the front does draw attention with the V-shaped garnish with the logo.
Other than that though, the VF5 is very normal looking in terms of the shape, it looks like any other small sub-compact hatchback/crossover.
Interior
This is where I believe that I might draw some ire because it is my belief that the VF5’s interior will divide people. You see, the VinFast VF5 is the 2nd to the most affordable model in the whole lineup, and it shows with the use of hard plastics and barely any soft-touch panels, but overall there is really nothing wrong with the quality of the interior plastics.
I felt that the materials used to construct the interior are more than decent coming from a brand that’s technically still a Southeast Asian startup. Equipment-wise all you get is 2 decently sized digital screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment screen.
Space is decent as well, with headroom and legroom enough for 4 adults and a sizeable trunk area as well.
Engine
The VinFast VF5 is powered purely by an electric motor that produces 135 HP, and it has a full range of 326 KMS. It can also charge from 10-70% in just 30 minutes if you use a fast charger.
Driving Impressions
I honestly enjoyed the basic and raw EV experience the VF5 provided me in my 1 week of driving it. From the get-go it was almost a golf-like experience in a good way, it felt compact and easy to maneuver in the city, I got used to the proportions instantly, a very easy vehicle to get to know.
135 HP in EV/battery form is actually more than enough, it’s very responsive and allows me to be ‘zippy’ through the traffic, enabling me to properly jostle for position during high traffic situations, overtaking is a breeze with the instant torque feel. Handling is very normal, it isn’t a hot hatchback by any means, it feels like an ordinary eco-box but nothing bad at all, and the ride is also decent.
When it comes to the consumption of battery power, the VinFast VF5 didn’t give me any range anxiety at all, I only had to recharge it to 100% once in the week that I had it.
Points for improvement
My biggest issue with the VF5 is the ergonomics of it, the lack of a Park (P) on the shifter makes for a challenging and quite annoying experience in traffic. I would have to shift to neutral using the rotary shifter which is tricky in itself, and then put up the handbrake. This whole process has too many steps just to secure the VF5 in traffic or get it going again.
I don’t want to sound nitpicky but the sound system quality is not up to par for a vehicle sold in 2025, it’s something that should be addressed hopefully for a better overall experience.
Price and Verdict
The price for the VinFast VF5 is PHP 880,000USD 14,942INR 1,271,864EUR 14,388CNY 109,120 with the battery subscription and PHP 1,050,000USD 17,829INR 1,517,565EUR 17,168CNY 130,200 without the subscription, which is very very affordable for an EV, that made me appreciate the VF5 more because what it offers practical, efficient, and decent EV mobility without a massive barrier to entry retail price.
The VinFast VF5 is basic EV mobility done right, with no frills for the right price making it a good choice for those thinking of getting an EV for the daily in-city commute.
