2023 VinFast VF8 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The 2023 VinFast VF8 is slightly larger than the typical compact SUV, but it's not quite as big as vehicles in the midsize class. It features bold styling from the famed Italian Pininfarina design studio, which is known for creating some of the most beautiful Ferraris in history. The distinctive "V" motif in the front and back make the VF8 easily recognizable, especially at night, and the grille looks slightly less busy in person than it does in photos. In many ways, it could be mistaken for a gasoline-powered SUV instead of an EV, which may be a plus for some shoppers.

The interior styling adopts a more minimal and austere personality, with a stark but attractive cabin. A large infotainment touchscreen is placed high on the dashboard, adding a modern high-tech feel to the cockpit, though the conventional air vents tend to bring it back to the present day. There's no instrument panel in front of the driver. Instead, a head-up display projects important information onto the windshield.

The center console features large angular buttons to select park, reverse, neutral, or drive, and it lends it a slightly sporty feel. In black, the interior can seem perhaps too understated, but the Plus trim is eligible for brown and blue synthetic leather upholstery, as well as a beige fabric. Materials quality approaches entry-level luxury standards, but the structures underneath aren't as solidly assembled as other vehicles, and they are prone to annoying creaks and rattles.

The VinFast VF8 comes with dual motors for all-wheel-drive (AWD) and there are two sizes for the cobalt-manganese battery packs. The standard VF8 battery has a usable capacity of 87.7 kWh while the VF8 City Edition goes with a smaller 82-kWh battery. Within these two variants, there are two trim levels: Eco and Plus.

The Eco produces 349 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque while the Plus increases output to 402 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. Vinfast estimates the VF8 Eco will accelerate to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and the Plus at 5.5 seconds. The City Edition Eco is estimated at 6.5 seconds and the City Edition Plus at 5.5 seconds. These are respectable times and any of these models will be quicker than most drivers will ever need.

Range is EPA estimated at 264 miles for the VF8 Eco and 243 miles for the Plus. The City Editions drop to 207 miles and 191 miles, respectively. These figures are slightly lower than the competition, many of which return more than 300 miles of range. DC fast charging is standard on all VF8s and should replenish the battery from 10 to 80 percent in 30 minutes.

As with most electric cars, the VF8 is very responsive and acceleration is impressive. The accelerator may be a bit too responsive though, as the slightest change in pedal pressure results in subtle lurches that could make some passengers queasy. Switching to the Eco drive mode doesn't seem to change responsiveness, either. The brake pedal is alarmingly soft in its initial stroke and takes some getting used to. In panic braking situations, the VF8 tracks straight with no shimmy and remains controllable, though the amount of nosedive is noticeable.

On a curvy road, the VF8 doesn't encourage sporty driving, as the driver feels somewhat disconnected from the road. There's virtually no steering feedback and the wheel effort is too light for our tastes. The suspension also exhibits some residual bounces after driving over a bump in the road. Combined with the soft brake pedal, the VF8 seems ill-suited to spirited drivers and may not feel as buttoned-down as other EVs. Maneuverability can also stand some improvement, as it takes a lot of space to execute a U-turn.

The ride quality is agreeably compliant and most imperfections are smoothed over without allowing sharp jolts to enter the cabin. Road and wind noise are also well silenced, thanks to acoustically insulated windows.

There's plenty of space for taller folk in the front, and average-sized adults will be comfortable in the back seats. Their padding is rather firm, but over the course of a few hours, the seats remained comfortable with no objectionable hard points.

The stark interior design that is almost devoid of traditional buttons and knobs forces users to use the infotainment touchscreen to control almost every feature in the VF8. This can be annoying for the most basic of functions, such as adjusting the mirrors or opening the sunroof. Compounding matters is the infotainment system's complicated and unintuitive menu structure.

With a standard wireless charging pad, large cupholders and a moderately sized center armrest bin, there's an adequate amount of storage space for your personal items. The cargo area behind the rear seats, however, is quite a bit smaller than what you'd expect of an SUV this size. Capacity is limited to 13.2 cubic-feet, which is half as much as some of its rivals. The rear seats do fold flat to the cargo floor and increase capacity to 48.4 cubic feet. There's also a small 2.7-cubic-foot tray in the front trunk that could be useful for a charging cable.

We like how the large 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen is placed high on the dash and within the driver's sightline to reduce distraction. The screen graphics are sharp and response is fairly quick, though the system takes a little too much time to boot-up. As noted before, almost all functions are controlled through the touchscreen, which can be frustrating. There are voice commands that can help alleviate some of the annoyance. It's activated by saying, "Hey VinFast," followed by your request, such as, "how do I adjust the mirrors?" It takes several seconds for the request to be processed, though. We much preferred to use Apple CarPlay instead of the native infotainment system as it is more intuitive and familiar.

The VF8 has the capability to receive over-the-air software updates and we're hopeful that some of the drawbacks in both the infotainment and drive behaviors can be addressed.

For times when you're waiting at a charge station, there are streaming audio and video options through the included Wi-Fi connection. There's also an integrated billing system that makes charging a bit easier by consolidating multiple charge networks into a single account. That means you may not have to worry so much about having the right access card or smartphone app to start a charge.

Neither the The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have published crash test results for the VinFast VF8 yet, but it comes standard with a long list of features.

All VF8 models include frontal-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, a surround-view camera system, front and rear parking sensors, automatic high beams, highway driving assist, and a traffic sign reader. Lane-change assist, automated remote parking, and a driver attention monitor are features that are slated for addition through over-the-air software updates in the future.

As comprehensive as that list of safety features is, we were disappointed in the way these systems operate. On our drive, we experienced a litany of warning beeps and very little indication of what was triggering these warnings. Some may have been for lane departure, others for speed, but it was difficult to attribute them to any one feature. You can disable the warnings, which defeats the purpose of having them in the first place. On top of that, the settings will default back to their active state when the vehicle is restarted. A "Reduced Chime" drive mode is listed as a future software update feature, so hopefully that will help matters.

The 2023 VinFast VF8 Eco has a staring price of $50,200 (including $1,200 in destination fees). The City Edition is available as a lease only that starts at $414 per month for 36 months. The VF8 Plus model starts at manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $57,200 and the City Editions Lease starts at $528 per month. These prices are on the high end of the lineups for the competing Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Ford Mustang Mach-E electric crossovers, which tend to deliver more range and noticeably better and consistent build quality.

Within the VF8 lineup, we'd recommend the standard VF8 in Eco trim. It already has a generous list of standard features and is also estimated to return more range than the Plus model. For us, the handful of features and upgrades you get with the Plus don't quite justify the $7,000 premium.

VinFast smartly includes a very generous 10-year/125,000-mile basic new car warranty and also covers the battery pack for 10 years without a mileage limit. These should add some assurance for hesitant shoppers and for added enticement, the Vietnamese automaker also offers some charging incentives. Owners can choose between a free home charger or three years of free charging on participating networks that include Electrify America and EVgo among others.

Considering the numerous drawbacks and complaints we have with the VF8, we suggest shoppers hold off on acquiring one until they're addressed.