THE Philippine electric motorcycle market is finally beginning to mature.
For years, buyers were largely limited to low-speed e-bikes and inexpensive Chinese scooters that often blurred the line between bicycles and motorcycles. Today, however, a growing number of Land Transportation Office (LTO)-registerable electric motorcycles are giving Filipino commuters legitimate alternatives to gasoline-powered machines.
VinFast may have arrived at exactly the right time.
The Vietnamese manufacturer recently opened reservations for three electric motorcycles — the Evo, Feliz II, and Viper. Their prices appear attractive, starting at P70,000 for the Evo, P72,400 for the Feliz II, and P81,900 for the Viper.
But those figures only tell half the story.
The prices apply only to VinFast’s battery subscription program. Buyers purchase the motorcycle but lease the batteries for P439 per month each. Since all three models are designed to carry two batteries to maximize their range, owners will spend P878 monthly on subscription fees, plus P35 for every battery swap.
VinFast is offering an incentive for early adopters. Customers who sign up on or before July 31 will receive 12 months of free subscription for one battery and up to 20 free battery swaps per month.
The offer certainly helps lower first-year ownership costs. However, for many Filipinos, battery subscriptions may still not be the most practical option.
The alternative is to purchase the motorcycles with the batteries included. Doing so raises the purchase price by roughly P25,000 but eliminates subscription fees and swap charges altogether.
With that, the Evo costs P95,400, the Feliz II P97,800, and the Viper P107,300.
At those prices, VinFast suddenly becomes a compelling proposition.
Honda’s EM1 e:, for example, sells for around P94,900 and benefits from Honda’s extensive dealer and aftersales network. NXT’s Polaris Pro, meanwhile, costs P115,000 and follows a straightforward ownership model with no subscriptions required.
Even so, VinFast remains competitive while offering performance figures that move it closer to conventional gasoline scooters.
Honda and VinFast take very different approaches to electric mobility.
The Honda EM1 e: is intentionally conservative. It uses a 1.7-kilowatt motor and a single removable 1.3-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery, producing a top speed of around 45 kph and a range of about 40 to 50 kilometers (km). It works well for short trips within subdivisions, campuses, and urban centers, but may be limiting for riders who regularly travel between towns.
VinFast targets a broader audience.
The Philippine-spec Evo, Feliz II, and Viper all use an IP67-rated BLDC in-wheel motor producing 5.2 kilowatts of peak output. Each can carry up to two 1.5-kWh lithium iron phosphate batteries, delivering a claimed range of up to 150 km. The Evo can reach 80 kph, while the Feliz II and Viper can attain 90 kph.
On paper, VinFast’s products are much closer to a conventional 125cc gasoline scooter in terms of performance and practicality.
NXT also deserves attention. Its Polaris Pro, priced at P115,000, offers a simple ownership experience. There are no subscriptions or battery-swapping requirements. Owners simply charge at home and ride. It also comes equipped with a 3-kilowatt motor, regenerative braking, keyless ignition, and a claimed range of up to 170 km.
But VinFast’s biggest challenge today has little to do with the motorcycles themselves.
It is infrastructure.
VinFast and its partner, V-Green, are actively deploying battery-swapping stations in the Philippines, but the network remains extremely limited. Outside a handful of urban areas, swapping stations are scarce and virtually nonexistent in many provinces.
For provincial buyers, relying on battery swapping simply isn’t realistic.
That is why buying the batteries outright may currently be the smarter option.
Home charging remains the most practical solution for most Filipino households. Owners can simply plug in their motorcycles overnight using a standard household outlet without worrying about locating swapping stations or maintaining subscriptions.
The economics also make sense. A rider subscribing to two batteries will spend more than P10,500 annually in subscription fees alone, excluding battery swaps. Over several years, the savings from the lower upfront purchase price begin to disappear.
By purchasing the batteries outright, owners avoid recurring costs and gain the flexibility to charge whenever electricity is available.
That approach also makes VinFast far more appealing to buyers outside Metro Manila.
VinFast may eventually gain a major advantage if its battery-swapping network expands nationwide. But that future has not yet arrived.
For now, the smartest way to own a VinFast may be to ignore its most heavily promoted feature.
Buy the batteries, charge at home, and treat battery swapping as an added convenience rather than a necessity.
Until the infrastructure catches up, home charging remains the simplest, most practical, and arguably smartest way to own an electric motorcycle in the Philippines.