What American Drivers Really Want, and How VinFast Is Delivering It

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As America's electric vehicle market matures and moves beyond its early stage of excitement, a new pattern in consumer behavior is emerging. Drivers are no longer persuaded by novelty alone, they are searching for a deeper sense of certainty - reliability, long-term value, and emotional reassurance. In this evolving landscape, VinFast, the rising EV manufacturer from Vietnam, is beginning to capture attention by offering not just products, but confidence.

Buying a car has always been more than a simple purchase. For many adults, it represents a rite of passage: that moment when the bright lights of a showroom transform into the freedom of the open road.

With such meaning attached, it is no surprise that buyers carefully consider a wide range of factors, performance, design, brand reputation, fuel efficiency, and safety features. Yet behind all the visible criteria lie a quieter, more personal concern: will this car protect me, not just today, but for many years to come?

A recent YouGov survey conducted across 18 international markets sheds new light on that question. Worldwide, nearly four in five consumers (78%) say that a car's warranty and maintenance plan play an important role in their purchase decision. In countries like Australia and Mexico, this figure rises to 87%. Canada follows closely behind at 81%. Even in the United States, where customers tend to prioritize performance and brand legacy, 72% of respondents still consider warranties an important factor.

This focus on protection becomes even more understandable in the current economic climate. Over the past two years, the average amount spent per dealer visit in the U.S. has jumped by 30% for both premium and mass-market vehicles. Premium car owners now pay an average of $380 per visit, a $66 increase from 2023, while mass-market owners spend around $140, up $15 year-over-year.

For customers without warranty coverage or maintenance contracts, rising inflation and higher parts and labor costs have made car ownership increasingly expensive. In this context, long-term protection becomes not only desirable, but essential.

This hesitancy, caught between wanting electric innovation while fearing long-term costs, has created an opportunity. And it is here that VinFast has stepped forward with a different kind of promise: The promise of long-term reassurance.

How VinFast Redefines Long-Term Ownership

Rather than competing solely on price or flashy features, VinFast has placed reliability and after-sales confidence at the center of its strategy. Its 5-Passenger eSUV VF 8 and 7-Passenger eSUV VF 9 come with one of the longest coverage packages in the U.S. electric vehicle market: a 10-year or 125,000-mile vehicle warranty, paired with a 10-year unlimited-mileage battery warranty. For many first-time EV buyers, particularly those concerned about battery degradation and long-term maintenance, such coverage directly addresses their biggest hesitation.

VinFast's commitment to long-term ease of ownership goes well beyond warranty terms. The VinFast app connects drivers to more than 200,000 public Level 2 and DC fast-charging stations across North America, covering roughly 95% of existing networks. Instead of navigating multiple platforms, users can plan routes, locate chargers, pay for charging sessions, and schedule service visits through a single, unified interface. This transforms what is often a fragmented and confusing EV charging experience into one that feels seamless and predictable.

VinFast is also redefining how drivers interact with maintenance. Over-the-air software updates ensure vehicles remain up to date without dealership visits. These solutions quietly shift maintenance from an inconvenience into something closer to a background process, present when needed, invisible when not.

What emerges from these elements, long warranty coverage, transparent digital tools, and accessible after-sales support, is something rare for a young automaker: an ongoing relationship with the customer, rather than a one-time sale. It's a model built on trust, continuity, and practical assurances rather than on marketing gloss.

For many American drivers, this relationship may ultimately redefine the meaning of automotive value. While horsepower and acceleration remain exciting, peace of mind is becoming a feature in its own right, one that buyers increasingly recognize and are willing to invest in. In a market still balancing optimism and uncertainty about the electric future, VinFast is placing its bet on confidence: quiet, steady, and measurable.

In the emerging electric era, that kind of confidence may well become the new currency, one that shapes not only how Americans choose their next vehicle, but how they imagine the future of driving itself.

Sources: https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-customer-service-index-csi-study

https://yougov.com/articles/46954-beyond-the-ride-the-importance-of-car-warranties-and-maintenance-plans 

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SOURCE Vinfast Auto LLC