VinFast reveals Canadian pricing and battery leasing rates for VF 8, VF 9

New electric-vehicle maker VinFast has revealed its battery subscription pricing for the VF 8 and VF 9 utility vehicles. And, the automaker says it will eventually offer the batteries for sale with the purchase of a new vehicle.

Under the leasing program, the Vietnam-based automaker will rent the battery packs to customers, rather than include its cost in the original price of the vehicles.

However, VinFast said Tuesday that the battery subscription policy applies to “100 per cent of the EVs sold until the end of 2023.”

“From 2024 onwards, approximately 50 per cent of VinFast electric vehicles sold will be applied with the battery subscription policy, the remaining 50 per cent will be sold with batteries as market practice,” the company said in a statement.

The VF 8 and VF 9 will come in two trims: the Eco and Plus. VinFast also will offer two battery options with different target range estimates per full charge for each version.

The VF 8 Eco battery variants have a range of up to 420 kilometres (battery variant 1) and 471 km (battery variant 2) on a full charge. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and has a starting price of $50,850 for variant 1 and $51,250 for variant 2.

VinFast said shipping fees will be determined at a later date.

The VF 8 Plus comes with ranges per full charge of 400 km (battery variant 1) and 447 km (battery variant 2) and boasts acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds with starting prices of $59,350 and $59,750 for variants 1 and 2 respectively.

Battery leasing for the VF 8 costs $139 per month for what VinFast calls a “fixed plan” that comes with an unlimited number of kilometres driven. A “flexible plan” is available for $39 per month and allows for 50 kilometres driven and a nine-cent charge for each additional kilometre.

The two battery variants available for the VF 9 have ranges of up to 438 km (battery variant 1) and 594 km (battery variant 2) on a full charge for the Eco version, and 423 km and 580 km for variants 1 and 2, respectively for the Plus version. 

The Eco and Plus versions of the VF 9 have acceleration of 0-100 km/h in about 7.5 seconds for battery variant 1 and 6.5 seconds for battery variant 2. The VF 9 Eco equipped with battery variant 1 starts from $69,150 while the VF 9 Plus starts at $75,650. With battery variant 2 installed, the VF 9 starts from $69,750 and $76,250 for the Eco and Plus versions, respectively.

Battery leasing for the VF 9 costs $199 per month for an unlimited number of kilometres driven or $59 per month for 50 kilometres driven and an 11-cent charge for each additional kilometre.

Customers reserve the VF 8 or VF 9 in 2022 and subscribe to the fixed plan will be offered a permanent subscription fee for the product’s lifetime. This policy is automatically transferred to the new owner after the vehicle is sold.

Delivery of the vehicles to Canadian consumers is planned to commence in the second half of 2022.

VinFast will also be providing a lifetime battery warranty covering all maintenance and repair costs and will replace the battery for free if charging capacity dips below 70 per cent. The automaker will also offer a recycling program “to minimize environmental impacts.”