matchar

Tesla have just launched the budget Model 3 Standard at a competitive price in Thailand.It looks quite good value for money now after the Chinese brands raised their prices. Teslas also have much better efficiency, longer range and faster charging compared to BYD models available in Thailand.

The Jaecoo 5 has just launched in Australia too for around 770,000 baht without any subsidies for the top spec. However I noticed the Australian version has 7 airbags whereas the Thai version has only 6. It hasn't been tested yet, but Jaecoo are expecting a 5 star safety rating from ANCAP. Of course, many brands like to advertise their 5 star Western safety ratings while selling a different "less safe" version in Thailand. Caveat emptor.

I have been doing some research on the safety features in new cars in Thailand, specifically the number of airbags. Nearly all new cars only come with 6 airbags as standard. BYD seems to be ahead of the game here, the Dolphin only has 6 airbags but the Atto 3 has 7 with the additional front centre airbag to prevent the driver and front passenger from colliding in a side impact. And the BYD Seal and Sea Lion 7 have an impressive 9 airbags with two additional airbags for the rear passengers. Now if I was spending 1M+ baht on a new car I would expect for it to have at least 7 airbags so that puts BYD at the top of my list. I like the style of the Deepal S07 more than the BYD Sea Lion 7 (which imo looks quite boring) but unfortunately the Deepal only has 6 airbags. https://www.euroncap.com/en/car-safety/the-ratings-explained/adult-occupant-protection/lateral-impact/far-side-impact/

A lot of the cheaper espresso machines use a pressurised basket with a single hole at the bottom so it's not real espresso. And if you grind too fine they start to choke. The restricted opening creates the flow resistance rather than the coffee puck.

I eventually bought a Nespresso machine with aluminium capsules, it's a bit pricier but it makes very good coffee and no faffing about grinding, brewing etc. I wouldn't recommend the Nescafé Dolce Gusto machine with the plastic capsules though, that makes terrible coffee.

The updated Toyota bZ4X is actually competitively priced in Australia and looks quite decent for around 1.2 million baht. https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/toyota-bz4x-facelift-australia-wnew-features-10k-price-cut

Good sales tactic but I'm not convinced. I think the EV 3.5 subsidy is only 50,000 less than the EV 3.0, so I'm not sure where they got 200k from? But what I do know is, if they raise prices by 200k then their sales will drop to zero.

That's good, was it covered under the warranty? Usually 12V batteries and other consumables are excluded from most warranties. Also do you park in the sun regularly?

I thought the whole point of the 12V LFP batteries is they are supposed to last much longer. My lead acid batteries usually last longer than 2 years. Do you have to pay for the replacement?

It looks nice but even with the giant battery the range is pretty terrible due to the boxy shape. Deepal S05 is more appealing to me due to the low drag coefficient of 0.25 which is only beaten by Tesla's Model Y (0.22) in the SUV class.

Deepal S05 looks like a good car and probably the most efficient SUV. They just added a new version with a bigger battery, bigger wheels and a more powerful motor for 999k too. It has been selling well so far (October Sales): The lifetime warranty deal looks a bit restrictive though...I'm not going to the motor show so let's see if they extend the deal which they probably will eventually. Also BYD (8 years) has a better warranty on the car than Deepal (5 years).

It's quite a savvy move from BYD, they are essentially killing the second hand market with these non-transferable warranties and almost forcing customers to buy new.

The lifetime battery warranty is good, however, I would be concerned about the quality of the rest of the car: The MG4 EV is considered unreliable, with low scores in reliability surveys and common issues including electrical faults, interior and bodywork problems, and issues with the navigation and charging systems. According to a What Car? reliability survey, it received a reliability score of 63.8%. Other owners report issues like software glitches, poor cabin climate control, and safety feature malfunctions.

I went for a test drive at Jaecoo today, I tried the Jaecoo 5 EV and the Jaecoo 7 PHEV. Overall I thought the quality was quite good, the J7 has a slightly better ride especially at higher speeds. For both cars I found the seats quite uncomfortable though. They seem quite narrow perhaps due to the centre console being so wide. The J7 is a bigger car but it's only 5mm wider than the J5 so seat width seemed about the same. Overall the J5 is still a bargain at 599k with a full 8 year warranty on the whole car. J7 doesn't justify the extra 300k but personally I wouldn't feel comfortable in either for longer journeys.

Right, although you could hazard a guess it will be similarly priced to the Deepal L07 otherwise you may as well just buy the Deepal unless you are a Mazda lover.

Mazda 6e estimated price (CBU import from China): Mazda 6e 1,xxx,000 baht, price not yet announced It is a collaboration between Mazda – ChangAn that takes the Deepal L07 platform and redevelops it into the Mazda EZ-6 or Global Name uses the name Mazda 6e for markets outside of China, including Thailand.

Another 75k off SL7? Also BYD are selling lifetime battery warranties for 5,000 THB on the Dolphin and Atto 3 for final buyers under the EV 3.0 scheme as they are getting quite desperate to sell those locally produced models before year's end. https://www.car250.com/byd-battery-lifetime-warranty.html

Well it is quite poorly translated from Thai so we can't be sure.

Could be, but worth checking. What will MG do if a customer keeps their car for 30 years or more? Quite a liability for them if they have to keep spare parts for a lifetime.

I'd be interested in the full details of this clause...does this mean until MG stop selling that particular model?

https://www.mynrma.com.au/open-road/news/2025/mg3-recall The MG3 Hybrid also has a dangerous fault in the driver's seat latch. MG Motor has commenced a safety recall campaign for selected MG3 models, after discovering a seat defect that could increase the risk of leg injuries in a crash. During Euro NCAP’s testing for the MG3 conducted in September 2025, the driver side seat (with six-way manual adjustment) slid forward by 111.5mm on the side closest to the centre console upon collision. This movement may increase the risk of leg injuries in the event of a frontal impact.

Aion Hyptec HT also gets a lifetime warranty on battery, motor etc, but the conditions are it's only for the first owner. There's plenty of choice out there now but it seems like everyone on this forum is only interested in BYD and MG...

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/automobile/40051189 The Ministry of Finance and the Excise Department are closely monitoring Neta’s financial issues. The company faces the possibility of losing its EV 3.0 subsidy if it fails to meet the condition of producing 1.5 times the number of vehicles it imported into Thailand, a target of about 19,000 cars by the end of 2025. The Excise Department is working on a proposal to present to the National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee (EV Board), with the possibility of granting Neta an extension under the EV 3.5 scheme, which would push the deadline for production to the end of 2027. However, the EV 3.5 scheme comes with stricter conditions, including an increase in the production quota to 2-3 times the original amount, and no subsidies will be granted until Neta meets these targets. Despite this, Neta would still benefit from a reduction in excise tax, from 8% to 2%.

You're totally incorrect as usual. We all know you drive like an old man and like to stop to eat KFC every 2 hours, so an MG with a slow-charging tiny battery suits your lifestyle just perfectly.

As I previously predicted, BYD are desperate to sell locally assembled EVs before years end or they will have to repay the subsidies for all the imported ones.