These guys spent $1,300 on an electric car from China, they are pleased with the vehicle after unboxing but there's a big catch that will limit its utility

  • A Vietnamese YouTuber filmed an unboxing
  • It’s a $1,300 electric car from China
  • While it looks good there’s a huge catch

Published on Dec 06, 2024 at 11:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Last updated on Dec 05, 2024 at 7:20 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

A Vietnamese YouTuber filmed himself unboxing a $1,300 electric car on camera – but there was one massive catch on his import from China.

He said he bought the two-door EV for his wife ‘to take the kids to school’.

Seating four to five passengers and fitted with folding seats and extra storage space – it initially seems like the perfect runaround for the school run.

However, there is one big catch that means it might not be so useful after all.

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Unboxing the electric car from China

With plenty of room for both kids and their school bags initially, the host of the Creative Channel video thinks he’s made a worthy investment.

The EV is powered by a 12V 73Ah battery with an auxiliary gear for climbing steep slopes.

Manual windows, adjustable mirrors, a clear rearview camera, and AC mean both passengers and the driver will have a comfortable ride whatever the weather.

It accelerates smoothly and is stable on most terrains with a top speed of 50km/h (31mph) – it’s faster than the ‘world’s cheapest EV’ from China, though.

While that sounds perfect for a daily driver – there is one massive catch.

The catch

Here’s the hitch – and it’s a doozy: while it might be allowed in its native China, the electric car cannot be registered for official road use in Vietnam.

That means that the host’s wife will be restricted to driving it either on private land or off-road.

That’s certainly not going to get the kids where they need to be.

What’s more, its headlights, towing kit, and manual features could be improved.

You never know what you’re going to get with imported cars – like the time we unboxed the world’s cheapest pickup truck.

You can buy 50 of them for the same price as one Cybertruck but the team got a surprise when they attempted to drive it.

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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”