2024 VinFast VF 7 SUV

　　2024 VinFast VF 7 Review

　　byJosh SadlierDirector of Content Strategy

　　Josh Sadlier has worked in the automotive industry since 2008. He has written or edited thousands of expert car reviews and road-tested hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Josh is director of content strategy at zzdcar and has also contributed to Autotrader and Automobile. Under his stewardship, zzdcar' own 1989 Yugo GVL won first place at the Concours d'Lemons, taking home a jar of borscht, a can of beets, a cutting board and a pint of VIP vodka.

　　11/17/2022

　　What is the VinFast VF 7?

　　You can think of the VF 7 as VinFast's answer to the Toyota RAV4, which means it could very well end up being the most popular of VinFast's electric SUVs. Small enough for tight urban spaces but theoretically substantial enough to hold its own on the open road, the VF 7 should appeal to a broad cross-section of electric-SUV shoppers.

　　Looking at Vietnamese startup VinFast's burgeoning model lineup, it's no mystery where the VF 7 fits in. We've been hearing about the two-row VF 8 and three-row VF 9 electric SUVs for a while now, and the extra-small VF 6 is waiting in the wings for shoppers with no space to spare. But the gap between VF 6 and VF 8 is significant — the latter is about the size of an Acura RDX, which is one of the longer small luxury SUVs. That leaves plenty of room for a more compact but still versatile SUV that could feel just right to a lot of American drivers.

　　Detailed specifications have yet to be released for the VF 7, but like its smaller VF 6 sibling, it seems to have more cutting-edge styling than the larger VF 8 and VF 9. That should only help its cause in the image-conscious EV marketplace. If VinFast gets the pricing right, look for the VF 7 to be the driving force in the company's U.S. sales.

　　

Am I Ready for an EV?

EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.

　　If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.

　　Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.

　　Learn more about EV charging

　　zzdcar says

　　Will the VF 7 be the model that vaults VinFast to mainstream success? We can't rule it out based on what we've seen so far. Keep coming back to this page for all the latest information on the compact VF 7 electric SUV as VinFast rolls out more details.