Low-cost Chinese EVs offer major consumer benefits where they can be sold

Chinese electric vehicles are described as unusually cheap: one example costs about $9,000 while feeling comparable to a $35,000 car. The low prices are attributed in part to subsidies and the need to export the vehicles.

Tariffs on Chinese EVs are emerging in Europe, while the vehicles are described as largely banned or excluded in the United States. In countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia that allow their sale, access to EVs at roughly one-third the price is characterized as a major consumer benefit; the vehicles are also said to require less repair because they have fewer components.