{"id":74348,"date":"2026-06-09T13:37:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T05:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=74348"},"modified":"2026-06-09T13:37:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T05:37:21","slug":"vinfasts-rental-model-is-changing-how-drivers-think-about-daily-earnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2026\/06\/09\/vinfasts-rental-model-is-changing-how-drivers-think-about-daily-earnings\/","title":{"rendered":"VinFast\u2019s rental model is changing how drivers think about daily earnings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Faced with volatile fuel costs, ride-hailing drivers are weighing a new EV rental model that promises lower daily expenses and more predictable income. In the Philippines, where ride-hailing drivers often work long hours across dense urban corridors, a driver\u2019s margin can hinge on a few hundred pesos a day, and with fuel prices rising amid global volatility, those margins have grown increasingly thin.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been driving for almost eight years, and lately it feels like I\u2019m working just to keep up with fuel,\u201d said Arnel Dizon, a ride-hailing driver based in Metro Manila. \u201cSome days, you start with a full tank and by the end of the shift, a big part of what you earned is already gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had been thinking about switching to electric vehicles for months, after hearing other drivers talk about lower charging costs, though only in the way one considers a long-delayed repair: necessary, but never quite urgent enough to act on. A new car meant a down payment that would take months to recover. Keeping his current one meant continuing a pattern he could no longer predict.<\/p>\n

As he scrolled through TikTok on a recent afternoon while waiting for his next ride, the brief dopamine surge offered a momentary escape from rising fuel costs. It was at that moment that the idea of an alternative surfaced through a social media post. It outlined a rental model designed specifically for service drivers, where vehicles could be accessed for commercial use, with rental fees starting from around 1,000 pesos.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to buy the car outright,\u201d he said, recalling what stood out to him. \u201cYou can rent it, start earning right away, and your costs are easier to manage.\u201d<\/p>\n

That model is part of a new initiative from VinFast, the Vietnam-based electric vehicle manufacturer that has been steadily expanding in the Philippines with a growing lineup of battery electric vehicles and supporting infrastructure. The rollout of the program is set to begin in key metropolitan areas like Metro Manila, before expanding further.<\/p>\n

VinFast\u2019s presence in the market has also been building. In the Philippines, it ended 2025 as the No.2 battery electric vehicle brand, according to the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. At the same time, the company has been developing its charging network, a key pillar in building consumer confidence in everyday usability. Under the current policy, drivers can charge\u00a0for free<\/i>\u00a0at V-Green stations until the end of March 2029, effectively removing one of the largest operating costs altogether.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe free charging was what sold me, and I actually visited a VinFast dealership over the weekend to ask about registration,\u201d said Alvarado, another ride-hailing driver based in Pasig, adding that he is interested in the 5-seat Herio Green.<\/p>\n

The Herio Green is a variant of the VF 5 that VinFast has already introduced in the Philippines and is tailored specifically for service use. It is one of two all-electric models available under the new rental policy, alongside the 7-seat Limo Green.<\/p>\n

Alvarado has already run the numbers with this model. For a driver covering 200 to 300 kilometers a day, monthly mileage can reach 6,000 to 9,000 kilometers. At that level, a comparable gasoline vehicle can consume fuel worth around 24,000 to 36,000 pesos per month, depending on traffic and driving patterns.<\/p>\n

With the Herio Green, VinFast\u2019s free charging policy effectively reduces energy costs to zero under current incentives. The difference, which can reach tens of thousands of pesos each month, \u201ccan already cover a significant portion of my household expenses,\u201d Alvarado said. Over a year, the savings can accumulate to roughly 300,000 to over 400,000 pesos, certainly not a small sum.<\/p>\n

Also, the Herio Green\u2019s specifications appear closely aligned with the rhythm of Alvarado\u2019s work, and that of many other service drivers. Its driving range of over 300 kilometers per charge is enough to sustain a full day of urban driving, while fast charging from 10 percent to 70 percent takes around 30 minutes, a duration that aligns with a typical break between trips.<\/p>\n

\u201cI usually stop anyway,\u201d Alvarado said. \u201cIf the car charges while I rest, it doesn\u2019t feel like I\u2019m losing time.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Dizon, the thought of switching has stayed with him in recent days. Each time he runs the numbers, the gap becomes clearer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not there yet,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s starting to feel like a step I\u2019ll take sooner rather than later to really enjoy that sweet and free charging deal.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019ve been driving for almost eight years, and lately it feels like I\u2019m working just to keep up with fuel,\u201d said Arnel Dizon, a ride-hailing driver based in Metro Manila. \u201cSome days, you start with a full tank and by the end of the shift, a big part of what you earned is already gone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":74349,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[637],"tags":[628,7579],"class_list":["post-74348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motoring-2","tag-motoring","tag-vinfast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74348"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74350,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74348\/revisions\/74350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}