Vietnamese automaker VinFast has launched an online energy cost calculator on its U.S. website to help prospective buyers quantify the financial advantage of owning an electric vehicle over a gasoline-powered SUV.
The tool estimates total energy expenses over a five-year ownership period for the VF 8 Eco at $7,811, assuming 2,000 miles driven monthly. Under the same conditions, a comparable gasoline SUV would incur $18,528 in fuel costs, according to VinFast’s calculations. Users can adjust parameters such as ownership duration and monthly mileage to generate personalized estimates.
The initiative targets U.S. shoppers weighing the upfront premium of electric vehicles against long-term operating expenses. Research cited by VinFast suggests that consumers value future fuel savings at 15 to 38 cents per dollar when making purchase decisions, based on a 4% discount rate in a National Bureau of Economic Research study. Separate consumer behavior research in Vietnamese cities found that providing fuel and maintenance cost information increased EV purchase likelihood by 14.3%, with energy cost disclosures adding another 4.5% to the probability of choosing an electric vehicle.
VinFast, a unit of Vingroup JSC, is expanding its U.S. dealer network as part of its broader North American growth strategy. The company currently offers the VF 8 and VF 9 electric SUVs in the United States, with the VF 8 Eco model included in the calculator’s comparisons.
