8 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I think they're selling few to none CN EVs already in US, so not much will change in the future.  They won't even let the MGs from Mexico come in without a stiff tariff.

 

So how do you like the Neta for knocking around town ?  You driving it much or just the little lady ?

I've only sat in it as a passenger for 15 minutes so far.

Definitely felt like a smoother ride than my 1997 Nissan pickup.

Misses not allowed to drive it until she gets a driving license.

 

Don't much like the windscreen clutter you get in all the modern cars.

My kids new Toyota Altus (ICE) is worse though.

Whatever happened to the day of big clear views out the front? 

Just now, BritManToo said:

I've only sat in it as a passenger for 15 minutes so far.

Definitely felt like a smoother ride than my 1997 Nissan pickup.

Misses not allowed to drive it until she gets a driving license.

 

Don't much like the windscreen clutter you get in all the modern cars.

My kids new Toyota Altus (ICE) is worse though.

Whatever happened to the day of big clear views out the front? 

That's one thing I really like about the ZS.  Nothing blocks the view, and we got silly amount of headroom, which means lots of glass, almost fish tank ish compared to the Mazda 2, which I hated.   

 

Actually the main selling point for us vs a sedan, lots of headroom & glass, a false impression of lots of room.  The headroom makes it easy for me, getting in & out, with my back.  I can step right into it, instead of trying to slide in on an angle.  Only reason we didn't get the EP, as 180k cheaper, but a sedan, with exact same specs.

 

Other EV seem to think the huge displays are a selling point, and I think as you, they're silly, especially when they're higher than the dash.   Ours is built in, even below the AC vents.

 

The reality is, first couple weeks of owning, you play with it, for the info, testing things, then after that, we only touch it to adjust the AC, or keep track when O&A when charging.  Other than that, we ignore it.  Not like we're watching movies or playing vid games on the damn thing.

55 minutes ago, Sandboxer said:

For rural Thailand, I would stick to either ICE or hybrids for the time being.

can you explain why you think that way? if you live in a rural area and can install a wall charger, then you don't need a public charging station within a 200+ km radius! because you charge at home ... that's what most ev owners do anyway, 95% or more of the time ... 

 

few months ago, i did a road trip, total around 2,700 km, including a few days visiting family in a very remote rural part of isaan. i had absolutely no problem finding charging stations ... 

I see a lot of comments here that are outdated, a lot of comments that are from not understanding how EV’s operate and some comments that are outright wrong.

 

Let’s go through them.

 

EV’s are unreliable.  For the last couple of years around 1 in 5 new cars sold has been an EV.  Simply go and take a look at the service area in a BYD dealer.  You’ll find it mostly empty, talk to the engineers there. You will find all they are doing is rotating tyres, changing cabin HEPA filters and checking fluid levels. There’s almost nothing else to do.  Brakes are rarely used so don’t need replacing in under 100-200,000 km.

 

Thailand doesn’t have a good charging infrastructure in the sticks. The charging infrastructure in Thailand is nothing short of fantastic. It’s there where you need it, many on highways and a few in towns. You don’t need ANY charging stations within 150-250km of your house. That said, I bet there’s one within 50km of your house. You charge at home, possible buy even cheap rate electric where is costs as little as ฿230 for 500km, you drive 200km and then come home and charge again at home.

 

I live in a condo, I can’t charge at home. I have a lady friend closer to 80 than 70 who can’t charge at home. She goes to any of half a dozen PTT’s around Chiang Rai and charges there while she has a coffee in Amazon.  It takes her no more than 30 minutes.  I was staying at a hotel in Pattaya last week with a View Talay condo nearby.  I saw several EV’s parked there every day, the same cars. If they can do it, so can anyone.

 

EV’s depreciate rapidly. It’s true they sometimes depreciate more in the first year, but they’re on a par with ICE cars within 2, sometimes 3 years.  I’m in the market for a one year old BYD Dolphin for my youngest daughter, I can’t find one that’s depreciated more than a Toyota or Honda, if you find one, please send me the details.

 

EV manufacturers will all go bust. Yes, some of the smaller ones might, but BYD, Geely and its brands and SAIC (MG) won’t, they continue growing at a substantial rate. I think it more likely that Toyota, Honda, Nissan and others will go the way of Kodak. The first of those will be Nissan. 
 

You don’t like EV’s, they have no soul.  Talk to any EV owner and see what they think.  I’m a petrol head and I’ve been fortunate enough from the age of 31 to buy any car I wanted. I love the way my BYD Seal Performance drives.  BYD describe it as a Sports Saloon. It has an almost perfect weight distribution and a slight rear bias on power distribution. It’s as fun as any exotic car I’ve owned and as quiet as any luxury car I’ve owned.  What is not to love?

 

Insurance is very high. Sometimes it is, but if you use Roojai it’s likely to be under ฿10,000 as long as you don’t have anyone younger than 25 on your policy.

 

They catch fire.  Government statistics show EV’s are less likely to catch fire than an ICE car. Between 10 and 130 times less likely.

 

They cost a lot to repair.  I think that depends on the damage.  EV’s show a high degree of integration, much more so than ICE cars. To replace a motor you’re probably replacing the Drive Gears, Inverter, Power Module and a few other things.  However, my BYD has an 8 year warranty so I’m not worried.

 

EV’s and their batteries won’t last as long as an ICE car.  This has just been disproven by experts, EV’s are expected to outlast an ICE equivalent.

https://www.ontarioautocenter.com/news/do-electric-cars-last-longer-than-gas-cars/#:~:text=Will an EV Last Longer,edge in long-term ownership.

 

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/01/evs-evolved-rapidly-now-last-just-as-long-and-are-more-reliable-than-ices/#:~:text=This mileage not only matches,(187%2C000 km) on average.

 

https://www.current-news.co.uk/research-shows-evs-last-as-long-as-ice-vehicles/#:~:text=Image%3A Chuttersnap via Unsplash.,internal combustion engines (ICE).

 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Nacho Libre said:

My mate bought an MG car (petrol) a couple of years ago and has had nothing but trouble with it so I'm a bit turned off. 

I think MG had the old Chinese mentality when they launched here.  
 

Their cars were junk and unreliable.  They’ve definitely got their act together in the last few years.

 

Their EV’s and later ICE cars are as good as anyones.

 

I bought a TCL tv 17 years ago, it overheated constantly.  Today they are a superb product.  Their air cons are every bit as good as Mitsubishi and Daikin.  I’ve installed well over a hundred in our property business.  I’ve never had a failure on a TCL unit.

 

China has learned the hard way they have to compete on quality and not just price.

 

Today MG make superb products.  We have had 2 MG EV’s, 1 BYD & 1 German EV.  The only car with problems was the German car that had to be trailer to Bangkok twice for repair.

My FIL has an old Japanese saloon, around 15 years old. It had a few bits and pieces that needed replacing. Maybe 3000THB and it was back to being as good as new. Solid as a rock.

 

Selling one of these Chinese EV junk boxes down the line. Expect nothing.

keeping it and repairing little things. Expect to fork out for full systems just to replace one small part.

If they can even be repaired by the dealer which likely won't even exist anymore. 

 

Avoid at all costs. 

11 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I see we have 2 types of folks replying ...

... EV owners, quite happy with their EVs and recommend

... EV haters, with no experience, and echoing the MSM fear mongering.

 

The present, and slowing down depreciation has nothing to do with quality, but the rapid improvement and lower cost of producing EV along with a price war.   Common with high tech new products.

 

Personally I think the price war has just about bottomed out, as any more savings the manufacturer get won't be passed on to end consumer, as they do need to retain profits.  Half the battery production is already controlled by CN (CATL & BYD / 36-37% & 16-17% market share respectfully), so not sure how CN market is going to crash, as the rest of the market wouldn't exist without CN.

 

MG uses CATL batteries, and gets a 1M kms warranty with them, and why MG gives the buyer, not just the original buyer, a 'lifetime warranty', on the newer models.

 

The haters, anti CN / EV, do nothing but show their ignorance.

I would never buy another ICEV, or a vehicle from legacy auto makers from JP or EU.  All overpriced & under performers IMHO.

The OP expressly asked for advice on BYD and EVs, yet you swat away anyone who doesn’t align with your EV-First narrative. Are you the self-appointed gatekeeper of the Motor Forum?

'Haters ,MSM'? Car choices aren’t ideological—maybe it's just EV obsession that's clouding your logic and reasoning here?

• False Dichotomy – “EV owners vs. haters”; most buyers just tally total cost.

• Ad Hominem – calls dissenters “ignorant,” offers no data.

• Straw Man – pins depreciation on battery quality; real worries are reliability, price-war volatility, and resale risk.

• Red Herring – “1 M km lifetime” battery sounds epic—until manufacturer/dealer survival and fine print appear.

• Appeal to Novelty – “legacy JP/EU ICE is overpriced”; new ≠ better if it drops 25 % in year one.

• Tu Quoque – shouts “anti-China” to dodge depreciation math.

Different strokes cars for different folks — not everything’s a culture war.

34 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

 Are you the self-appointed gatekeeper of the Motor Forum?

Am I ... damn, I like that ... "Gatekeeper'.  Might have to change my username.

 

As pointed out, asked about BYD, then in come the haters.  Just correcting the BS from them.   Forum is still a place to provide information, from one's personal experiences ... is it not ?

 

Unlike your false 'assumptions' due to your ignorance.

Depreciation is heavy on Chinese cars. Expect it to lose up to 50% of its value in the first year. Conversely, one less than a year old should be a bargain. The finish and build quality of BYD looks better than others.

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Am I ... damn, I like that ... "Gatekeeper'.  Might have to change my username.

 

As pointed out, asked about BYD, then in come the haters.  Just correcting the BS from them.   Forum is still a place to provide information, from one's personal experiences ... is it not ?

 

Unlike your false 'assumptions' due to your ignorance.

You’re welcome to disagree —
but unless you can point to exactly what was false,
I’ll assume “BS” just means you didn’t like it.

Calling me ignorant without showing how?
Sounds more like you’re making stuff up than actually backing anything up.

1 minute ago, LosLobo said:

You’re welcome to disagree —

but unless you can point to exactly what was false,
I’ll assume “BS” just means you didn’t like it.

Calling me ignorant without showing how?
Sounds more like you’re making stuff up than actually backing anything up.

I can only explain things so many times, and no matter how many, can't help you understand it.  Repeating it again, probably won't help.  

 

Gatekeeping is a tiring job, and I need to prioritize my time.   I'm off, someone just compared a Hummer to an EV.   Damn tiring 

 

 

5 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I can only explain things so many times, and no matter how many, can't help you understand it.  Repeating it again, probably won't help.  

 

Gatekeeping is a tiring job, and I need to prioritize my time.   I'm off, someone just compared a Hummer to an EV.   Damn tiring 

 

 

So it turns out you were just making stuff up? Thought so.

16 hours ago, Nacho Libre said:

My mate bought an MG car (petrol) a couple of years ago and has had nothing but trouble with it so I'm a bit turned off. 

I,ve had an MG5 for 30 months now and 52k kilometres....never a problem.

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

That's one thing I really like about the ZS.  Nothing blocks the view, and we got silly amount of headroom, which means lots of glass, almost fish tank ish compared to the Mazda 2, which I hated.   

 

Actually the main selling point for us vs a sedan, lots of headroom & glass, a false impression of lots of room.  The headroom makes it easy for me, getting in & out, with my back.  I can step right into it, instead of trying to slide in on an angle.  Only reason we didn't get the EP, as 180k cheaper, but a sedan, with exact same specs.

 

Other EV seem to think the huge displays are a selling point, and I think as you, they're silly, especially when they're higher than the dash.   Ours is built in, even below the AC vents.

 

The reality is, first couple weeks of owning, you play with it, for the info, testing things, then after that, we only touch it to adjust the AC, or keep track when O&A when charging.  Other than that, we ignore it.  Not like we're watching movies or playing vid games on the damn thing.

The whole display thing is an issue for me as the missus wasn't born with a smartphone in her hand so will never be as savvy with that type of tech as most are today.

So it will be interesting to see how many every day functions is built into the display as opposed to real buttons and levers.

 

BTW, I'm specificall looking at the BYD Sealion 7. Looks good, and seems to be a lot of car for that price (around 1.2).

46 minutes ago, DaRoadrunner said:

Depreciation is heavy on Chinese cars. Expect it to lose up to 50% of its value in the first year. Conversely, one less than a year old should be a bargain. The finish and build quality of BYD looks better than others.

What is this claim based on?

 

 

11 minutes ago, Nacho Libre said:

BTW, I'm specificall looking at the BYD Sealion 7. Looks good, and seems to be a lot of car for that price (around 1.2).

And a favorite at the moment, top 3 sales.  You'll be in good company 👍

 

 

Our MG ZS has buttons under the display for the usual ICEV functions (window defrosters, AC fan, etc).

5 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

And a favorite at the moment, top 3 sales.  You'll be in good company 👍

 

 

Our MG ZS has buttons under the display for the usual ICEV functions (window defrosters, AC fan, etc).

That Dolphin seems like a nice car for B499K. The only thing that bugs is the big iPad thing on the dash. 

17 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

What is this claim based on?

Well it could be based on my purchase of a Neta V yesterday.

Under two years old, 25,000Km, cost new 430kbht, 18-20 months later sold to me for 220kbht.

Just now, BritManToo said:

Well it could be based on my purchase of a Neta V yesterday.

Under two years old, 25,000Km, cost new 430kbht, 18-20 months later sold to me for 220kbht.

I was thinking of your post when I wrote it. Dude said 50% in the first year. You apparently paid about 51% after over a year and a half, and on a brand that has had negative press. That's a pretty big difference. 

 

I think you got a great buy 

 

 

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Well it could be based on my purchase of a Neta V yesterday.

Under two years old, 25,000Km, cost new 430kbht, 18-20 months later sold to me for 220kbht.

Surely wouldn't have anything to do with a company facing bankruptcy  

 

I doubt very much other BEV sold this or next year will be have the large depreciations of the past year or so, due to major price war.

Meanwhile in the U.K..

 

7 hours ago, Sandboxer said:

For rural Thailand, I would stick to either ICE or hybrids for the time being.

No doubt, but I'm living in city. Wouldn't think of buying an EV if I was living in a rural area.

Is there an app for Android that shows EV charging stations, or do I need to go to a website?

Would be great if that was info you could get using Google Maps.

3 minutes ago, Nacho Libre said:

Is there an app for Android that shows EV charging stations, or do I need to go to a website?

Would be great if that was info you could get using Google Maps.

I just checked and Google Maps has that info. Does anyone have experience in using it, is it properly updated? I'm guessing yes, as GM is a great app.

I just put in a trip from Pattaya to Korat and there aren't exactly a ton of stations. Has me a bit worried that I might get to one and there's a queue for the few chargers that are there.

10 minutes ago, Nacho Libre said:

No doubt, but I'm living in city. Wouldn't think of buying an EV if I was living in a rural area.

 

Even in a rural area, I'd still buy an EV.  I don't need a charging station nearer than 250km from my home.

 

8 minutes ago, Nacho Libre said:

Is there an app for Android that shows EV charging stations, or do I need to go to a website?

Would be great if that was info you could get using Google Maps.

 

There are lots of apps. someone will post them I'm sure, I'm about to have a piano lesson. The map you posted is wrong, it should be showing dozens on that route and hundreds nearby.

20 hours ago, Packer said:

BYD will likely be gone in 5-10 years. 

 

The same with all Chinese EVs. Avoid. 

5 years? More like 2.  They will shrink back to China - expect withdraws in other countries soon.

 

Google "BYD in trouble" - it is all there to see. 

4 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

5 years? More like 2.  They will shrink back to China - expect withdraws in other countries soon.

 

Google "BYD in trouble" - it is all there to see. 

 

You're talking nonsense.  BYD is pushing out all over the world.

50 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Surely wouldn't have anything to do with a company facing bankruptcy  

 

I doubt very much other BEV sold this or next year will be have the large depreciations of the past year or so, due to major price war.

Didn't BYD advertise one of their models at 30% off and MG as well.

If you had already purchased one of those at full price, you'd have dropped a lot by now.

13 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Google "BYD in trouble"

 

Might as well buy a toilet with wheels.