When is the best moment in the year to buy a new car in Thailand?

Plenty of promos at the last motor show that just happened. Another coming up in couple months, and would seem the best time to buy.

It depends on what your looking for

2026 model built to order with a 2026 build date or a

2026 model built in 2025 currently in stock at the dealership

your likely to get higher discounts on a 2026 model built in 2025 that already in stock as it will be costing the dealer money while it sits in the dealership

dealers will want to get rid of their 2026 model built in 2025 by the end of April as most people don't really want a car that has been sitting at the dealership for 5-6 months

Granddaughter wants to buy next month. A fancy new edition of the Toyota Yaris Cross.

6 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Granddaughter wants to buy next month. A fancy new edition of the Toyota Yaris Cross.

You know me ... BEV

Do your granddaughter a favor, compare specs before going to the dealer for the TYC, with same price point BEV, then test drive one after you test drive the TYC. Then make a choice.

Look at the new promo prices when available, not list price. MG site for example don't show on main page, and you have to go one page deeper.

These prices buy a lot of BEV, and save on petrol while at it.

13 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Granddaughter wants to buy next month. A fancy new edition of the Toyota Yaris Cross.

I bought one in October. Great car.

We bought a BYD Dolphin last week for my youngest daughter. A bargain at 449,000 with

• 1 year free insurance,

• lifetime warranty on the battery, electronics and motor

• free window film

• free servicing for 8 years.

Price now is 599,000 but I suspect will drop in the next month or two.

We replaced a Suzuki Ciaz which I really liked, the Dolphin is a massive step-up in driving pleasantness. Silent, Quick & feels really solid.

Unless you really need a legacy car, I think it's madness not to buy an EV at this point in time.

The reasons for needing a legacy car are vanishingly small.

22 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

The reasons for needing a legacy car are vanishingly small.

Lots of reasons if you live upcountry. Far too few charging stations, long distances. Few dealers and service shops.

8 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Lots of reasons if you live upcountry. Far too few charging stations, long distances. Few dealers and service shops.

Only one of those can be relevant and that is if you are regularly doing long distances and time is of the essence. In this case the cost savings for an EV become significant.

You don't EVER need a charging station within 200km of your home.

EV's can cover long distances, I regularly traveled 500km in mine with one stop for charging/pee break.

Some dealers offer mobile servicing; my first EV only had one dealer in Thailand whereas BYD have over 130. MG claim to have a dealer within 150km of everywhere in Thailand, I'm not sure how true that is.

BYD Coverage in Thailand

• Bangkok & Metropolitan Area: 40+ dealers, dense coverage.

• Northern Thailand: 21 dealers, including Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lampang.

• Northeastern (Isaan): 26 dealers, covering major provinces like Khon Kaen, Ubon, and Sakon Nakhon.

• Eastern Seaboard: 17 dealers, especially in Chonburi and Rayong.

• Southern Thailand: Multiple dealers including Surat Thani and Phuket.

39 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Unless you really need a legacy car, I think it's madness not to buy an EV at this point in time.

The reasons for needing a legacy car are vanishingly small.

‘Madness’, apparently.

Because thousands of buyers of the Toyota Yaris Cross suffered collective delusion in November 2025 — and consistently over the past year.

Alternatively, they weighed price, infrastructure, resale risk, and use-case, factored in range limitations, and chose accordingly.

The Yaris Cross’ market share reflects an ongoing demand for legacy vehicles.



B-SUV / BC-SUV sales in November 2025 totaled 7,133 units: Toyota Yaris CROSS reigns supreme - Autolifethailand.tv

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Granddaughter wants to buy next month. A fancy new edition of the Toyota Yaris Cross.

And grandad aught to treat her to it........

51 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

‘Madness’, apparently.

Because thousands of buyers of the Toyota Yaris Cross suffered collective delusion in November 2025 — and consistently over the past year.

Alternatively, they weighed price, infrastructure, resale risk, and use-case, factored in range limitations, and chose accordingly.

The Yaris Cross’ market share reflects an ongoing demand for legacy vehicles.



B-SUV / BC-SUV sales in November 2025 totaled 7,133 units: Toyota Yaris CROSS reigns supreme - Autolifethailand.tv

A century or so ago, people were still buying horses because they thought they were better than a car.

(704) The GREATEST Argument for Electric Cars... - YouTube

2 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

A century or so ago, people were still buying horses because they thought they were better than a car.

Nothing to do with the fact that cars were, at that time , simply just too expensive for most people to afford them ? Many would have bought bicycles too, I doubt they considered them to be "better " than a car either

Horses were familiar, versatile, and socially embedded in daily life.

Many people trusted horses more than “unreliable” early cars, which often broke down.

Social elites sometimes resisted cars as noisy, dangerous, or disruptive to traditional life.

2 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

Unless you really need a legacy car, I think it's madness not to buy an EV at this point in time.

The reasons for needing a legacy car are vanishingly small.

People, as long as they are allowed to, will buy whatever type of car they wish to spend their hard earned cash on.

I don't see the owners of cars powered by traditional fuels lecturing or describing the choices of others as "madness"

What is a legacy car?

6 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

What is a legacy car?

A “legacy car” generally refers to a vehicle powered by traditional internal combustion engines (ICE) — petrol or diesel — rather than an electric vehicle (EV). In today’s EV discussions, the term is often used to contrast older, fuel‑based technology with newer battery‑electric platforms.

Key Arguments for EVs

• Convenience Reframing:

  • Charging at home overnight feels more natural than making special trips to a petrol station.

  • EVs turn “refuelling” into something invisible, reducing friction in daily life.

• Cost & Efficiency Framing:

  • Electricity is cheaper and more predictable than petrol.

  • EVs reduce “mental transaction costs” — fewer price shocks at the pump.

• Environmental & Social Signaling:

  • Driving an EV signals modernity, responsibility, and alignment with future norms.

  • Petrol cars increasingly look “legacy” — outdated, noisy, and polluting.

• Behavioral Normalization:

  • Once EVs are common, petrol cars will seem absurd (like reintroducing horses after cars).

  • People adapt quickly to new baselines of convenience and sustainability.

• Psychological Safety:

  • EVs reduce anxieties about maintenance (fewer moving parts, less servicing).

  • Owners feel reassured by warranties and the perception of cutting-edge technology.

33 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

What is a legacy car?

A "legacy car" can refer to either older models of a specific car line that are being phased out, like the Subaru Legacy sedan ending production in 202

• Phasing Out: When a car model is discontinued, the remaining years of production are sometimes called "legacy" models, representing the end of a long-running vehicle. 

Examples would be Toyota Supra, Porsche 911

3 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

A “legacy car” generally refers to a vehicle powered by traditional internal combustion engines (ICE) — petrol or diesel — rather than an electric vehicle (EV). In today’s EV discussions, the term is often used to contrast older, fuel‑based technology with newer battery‑electric platforms.

Key Arguments for EVs

• Convenience Reframing:

  • Charging at home overnight feels more natural than making special trips to a petrol station.

  • EVs turn “refuelling” into something invisible, reducing friction in daily life.

• Cost & Efficiency Framing:

  • Electricity is cheaper and more predictable than petrol.

  • EVs reduce “mental transaction costs” — fewer price shocks at the pump.

• Environmental & Social Signaling:

  • Driving an EV signals modernity, responsibility, and alignment with future norms.

  • Petrol cars increasingly look “legacy” — outdated, noisy, and polluting.

• Behavioral Normalization:

  • Once EVs are common, petrol cars will seem absurd (like reintroducing horses after cars).

  • People adapt quickly to new baselines of convenience and sustainability.

• Psychological Safety:

  • EVs reduce anxieties about maintenance (fewer moving parts, less servicing).

  • Owners feel reassured by warranties and the perception of cutting-edge technology.

Agree with all of this. However, there is one crucial facet that is overlooked by almost every article I read on EVs - whether pro or anti.

That facet is the speed of development. As with any rapidly evolving technology, there is a legitimate concern that once purchased, an EV can feel outdated remarkably quickly. The pace of innovation is simply relentless.

Battery technology is the most obvious example. A few years from now we may well see batteries that are significantly lighter, deliver ranges of 2,000 km on a single charge, and recharge in minutes rather than hours. When that happens, many EVs bought today will instantly feel obsolete - and ICE vehicles will be rendered functionally obsolete almost overnight (with the obvious exception of purists and petrol heads, for whom classics will always have a place on the road).

This isn’t a theoretical concern either. My own EV, purchased just last year, is already starting to look dated when compared to the latest offerings from BYD and Xiaomi. That naturally raises anxiety around resale value - a car that still functions perfectly can lose appeal simply because the market has moved on.

There is also a broader economic dynamic at play. The speed of development, combined with aggressive Chinese cost-downs and scale-driven manufacturing, is pushing prices lower year on year.

Features that were premium yesterday become standard tomorrow. That’s good for consumers entering the market, but brutal for residual values.

In that context, depreciation is no longer just about mileage, condition, or brand - it’s about technological relevance. And that doesn’t just affect EVs. As EVs improve faster and become cheaper, all cars are likely to suffer accelerated depreciation, regardless of drivetrain.

Ultimately we may be moving into an era where cars are no longer long-term assets at all, but fast-depreciating technology products - closer to smartphones than mechanical machines and we lease them instead of buy them.

Technology moves on so fast - look at all the facilities that we take for granted with our modern mobiles

Remember when mobile phones had batteries that always ran out alarmingly quickly?

EV will progress at a similar rate- and when replacement batteries are available at a low price the future of ICE cars really will be written on the wall

W written by a sad petrol head who lives all the time in Bangkok but still has in the UK a Corvette C3 with a 383 Stroker engine- the only thing it will not pass is a petrol station!!

I bought mine in June, if I can remember (12 years ago) they were getting rid of outdated stock