Data shows that the current Southeast Asian electric vehicle market is experiencing explosive growth. By the first half of 2025, the total vehicle sales in the six ASEAN countries reached 1.57 million units, among which electric vehicles accounted for 17.7% with sales of 278,000 units, representing a significant year-on-year increase of 63% compared to last year.
Meanwhile, the construction speed of charging infrastructure in many countries in the region has significantly lagged behind the growth of the electric vehicle market, and the supply-demand gap has continued to widen. Facing this dilemma, governments in Southeast Asian countries are currently actively introducing support policies to accelerate the layout of charging infrastructure.
1. "New Dark Horse in the EV Market" - Vietnam
1.1 New Energy Vehicle Policy
Car Purchase Incentives: Electric vehicle purchase tax is paid at 50% of the standard for fuel vehicles, and electric vehicle registration fees and license fees are exempted or reduced.
Replacement Subsidy (for Hanoi):
① General individuals: Supported up to 20% of the vehicle value, but not exceeding 5 million Vietnamese Dong.
② Near-poor families: Supported up to 80% of the vehicle value, with a maximum of 15 million Vietnamese Dong.
(This policy is valid until January 1, 2031, and each person can only receive the subsidy once. Additionally, users who purchase pure electric vehicles can also enjoy the "four exemptions" policy, which exempts them from license plate tax, special consumption tax, value added tax, and import tariff.)
1.2 Charging Station Policy
Land incentives: Industrial zones are required to reserve construction land for charging stations, and for land used for charging stations, land rent can be reduced by up to 50%.
Tariff Reduction: For the import of charging station equipment, the import tariff for some models of equipment can be reduced to 0%; for foreign-invested enterprises engaged in local production, they can enjoy the preferential policy of "four-year exemption and nine-year half reduction" for enterprise income tax (exemption for the first four years and half reduction for the next nine years).
2. "Emerging Force in the Southeast Asian Automobile Market" - Philippines
2.1 New Energy Vehicle Policy
In April 2022, the Philippines passed the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), laying a legal foundation for the electrification of the Philippines. It is reported that EVIDA not only covers the manufacturing, assembly, import, production, and trade of electric vehicles but also includes aspects such as the construction of related supporting facilities like charging stations, the production and R&D of related components, and the recycling of complete vehicles and components.
Tax Incentives: Imported electric vehicles and key components in the Philippines are exempt from import tariffs and excise taxes.
Government Procurement: At least 10% of the vehicle fleets of governments at all levels are electric vehicles.
Other incentives: Electric vehicles can enjoy exclusive green license plates, priority registration, road and traffic restriction exemptions, and other benefits. Motor vehicle usage fees, vehicle registration, and inspection fees for pure electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles can enjoy 30% and 15% discounts respectively.
3.2 Charging Station Policy
Tariff Exemption: Fully imported charging stations will be exempt from import tariffs within eight years from the effective date of EVIDA.
Land Construction: New commercial buildings and large-scale residential projects within the urban areas of the Philippines must reserve charging spaces.
3. "Asia's Detroit" - Thailand
3.1 New Energy Vehicle Policy
To achieve the strategic goal of "electric vehicle production accounting for 30% by 2030", the Thai government has been continuously implementing multiple industrial support policies to comprehensively promote the construction and upgrading of the local electric vehicle industry chain. According to the EV3.5 Policy (2024-2027), the Thai government is accelerating the electrification transformation through multiple measures. For example, it provides end consumers with a purchase subsidy of up to 100,000 Thai baht, significantly reduces the Import Tariff (30%) and excise tax (from 8% to 2%), and requires automakers to gradually increase the Localization production ratio, clearly setting the target of achieving a 1:3 ratio of imported vehicles to locally manufactured vehicles by 2027, among other measures.
3.2 Charging Infrastructure Policy
It is reported that by the first quarter of 2025, Thailand had built over 5,000 public charging stations and approximately 20,000 private charging stations, with the cumulative total exceeding 40,000. In terms of regional distribution, charging facilities are currently mainly concentrated in core cities such as Bangkok, highway service areas, and commercial centers; infrastructure coverage in second- and third-tier cities and rural areas is clearly insufficient, and regional balance needs to be further strengthened. To this end, the Thai government plans to provide a 30% construction subsidy for charging station construction; it also plans to build over 10,000 charging stations by 2027 and expand to 12,000 fast charging stations by 2030.
Tariff Reduction: For imports of products such as photovoltaic, energy storage, and charging equipment, import tariffs will be exempted until 2027.
Tax Incentives: Private enterprises investing in electric vehicle charging station projects that build and operate charging stations with no fewer than 40 charging stations, where fast charging stations (DC charging stations) account for more than 25% of the total number of charging stations, are eligible to enjoy the preferential treatment of exemption from enterprise income tax for 5 years.
Investment Subsidy: Up to 50% investment subsidy can be obtained for building charging stations, with a maximum subsidy cap of 2 million Thai Baht per station.
4. "ASEAN's Largest Automobile Consumption Market" - Indonesia
4.1 New Energy Vehicle Policy
As the world's core supplier of battery-grade nickel, Indonesia has officially launched its strategic layout for the electric vehicle industry since 2022, aiming to achieve the annual production capacity target of 2 million electric vehicles by 2030.
Tax Incentives: Projects such as batteries, energy storage, and complete vehicles can enjoy income tax exemptions for up to 10 years, and imported equipment and key components are exempt from import tariffs.
Car Purchase Subsidy: When users purchase electric vehicles, the government can provide a subsidy of up to 80 million Indonesian Rupiah.
① Pure electric vehicles: Provide a subsidy of up to 80 million Indonesian rupiah.
② Hybrid vehicles: A subsidy of up to 40 million Indonesian rupiah will be provided.
③ Electric motorcycles: A subsidy of 8 million Indonesian rupiah.
4.2 Charging Station Policy
Investment Incentives: The Indonesian government requires each province to lower investment thresholds, allowing foreign enterprises to enter the market with lower investment amounts, and provides tax incentives and land use support to attract domestic and foreign manufacturers to expand their electric vehicle and charging station deployment.
Financial Support: Enterprises are encouraged to build slow and fast charging stations in residential areas, commercial areas, highways, and logistics hubs, and the subsidy policy for charging stations will be extended until 2028.
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