Business Sector Deep-Dive
Thailand's Electric Vehicle Sector
Battery-electric production, battery and component investment, and one of Southeast Asia's most explicit national EV promotion packages — mapped from official and industry sources, with every figure sourced.
Thailand's EV Sector at a Glance
Thailand is an established vehicle manufacturing base that is now converting part of that base to electrification. The shift is policy-led: a sequence of national promotion packages (commonly referred to as EV3 and EV3.5) pairs consumer subsidies and excise-tax reductions with a binding obligation on importers to build vehicles locally, and the Board of Investment (BOI) runs a parallel activity-based promotion track for battery, component and charging investment.
The measurable result to date is a rapid step-change in domestic battery-electric output rather than a mature, self-sufficient EV supply chain. In 2025 Thailand produced 70,914 battery-electric cars, a 631.98% increase on 2024, while battery-electric vehicles took 19.37% of a 621,166-unit domestic vehicle market — figures published by the Federation of Thai Industries' Automotive Industry Club.
BEV production, 2025
70,914
Battery-electric cars built in Thailand in 2025, up 631.98% year-on-year (FTI Automotive Industry Club).
BEV domestic sales, 2025
120,301
Units sold — 19.37% of Thailand's 621,166 total vehicle sales, and 80.27% above 2024 (FTI).
BOI-approved EV projects
198
Projects across the EV value chain worth more than 137 billion baht, BOI data as of May 2026.
How to read these numbers. Production and sales figures on this page are the Federation of Thai Industries' own published series, and investment figures are the Board of Investment's. T3 has not recalculated, combined or converted them. Different Thai bodies count "EV" differently — some series are battery-electric only, others include hybrids and plug-in hybrids — so every figure below states exactly which category it covers.
Segments of the EV Value Chain in Thailand
The BOI's own project breakdown is the clearest published map of where investment is actually landing across the chain. The segments below follow that breakdown.
Battery-electric vehicle assembly
18 BOI-approved BEV projects worth 39.5 billion baht. Assembly plants built by international OEMs are concentrated in Rayong and the wider Eastern Economic Corridor.
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid
7 HEV projects (29.9 billion baht) and 7 PHEV projects (9.429 billion baht). Hybrid sales reached 146,059 units in 2025, exceeding sales of internal-combustion passenger cars for the first time.
Batteries and energy storage
The largest single project count: 57 approved projects worth 33.5 billion baht covering cells, modules, packs and stationary energy storage.
EV components
49 approved projects worth 12.5 billion baht — traction motors, battery management systems and related power electronics.
Charging and battery swapping
42 approved projects worth 9.788 billion baht, covering more than 22,900 planned charging outlets nationwide, of which more than 10,000 are fast chargers.
Buses, trucks and motorcycles
18 approved projects worth 3.1 billion baht in other electric vehicle categories, including electric buses and electric motorcycles.
Source for every figure in this section: Board of Investment data as of May 2026, reported by The Nation Thailand, 3 July 2026.
Verified Market Data
Thailand's full-year 2025 electrified-vehicle numbers, exactly as published by the Federation of Thai Industries' Automotive Industry Club. No figures below have been combined or converted.
Domestic sales and production — full-year 2025
| Category | 2025 figure | Change vs 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEV production (cars) | 70,914 units | +631.98% | Domestically manufactured battery-electric cars |
| BEV domestic sales | 120,301 units | +80.27% | 19.37% of all vehicle sales |
| PHEV domestic sales | 8,621 units | +260.56% | Plug-in hybrids |
| HEV domestic sales | 146,059 units | Not stated in source | Exceeded internal-combustion passenger car sales for the first time |
| Total vehicle sales | 621,166 units | +8.47% | Excludes motorcycles |
Source: Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), Automotive Industry Club, full-year 2025 data, as reported by electrive, 29 January 2026. Accessed 17 August 2026.
Electric vehicle exports — full-year 2025
| Export category | Units | Share of total vehicle exports |
|---|---|---|
| Battery-electric cars | 12,695 | 1.36% |
| Battery-electric pickup trucks | 363 | 0.04% |
Source: FTI Automotive Industry Club, as reported by electrive, 29 January 2026. These shares show that as of 2025 Thailand's EV output was still overwhelmingly for the domestic market, not for export — a material difference from the country's long-established internal-combustion pickup export base.
Investment in the EV value chain
As of May 2026 the Board of Investment had approved 198 projects across the EV value chain worth more than 137 billion baht, employing more than 16,000 Thai workers. Companies named by BOI in that reporting include Mercedes-Benz, Great Wall Motor, SAIC Motor-CP, BYD, AION Automobile, Changan, EV Primus, BMW, Hyundai Mobility, and Omoda & Jaecoo.
Source: Board of Investment data as of May 2026, reported by The Nation Thailand, 3 July 2026. Accessed 17 August 2026.
Investment Incentives and the EV3.5 Package
Thailand's EV promotion runs on two tracks that are often confused. The first is the EV3.5 package — a subsidy, excise-tax and import-duty scheme for the 2024–2027 period announced by the Excise Department and Ministry of Finance, which carries a binding local-production obligation. The second is ordinary BOI activity-based promotion, which is what battery, component and charging investors apply for.
EV3.5 (2024–2027): purchase subsidies
| Vehicle type | 2024 | 2025 | 2026–2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger BEV, battery 10–50 kWh | THB 50,000 | THB 35,000 | THB 25,000 |
| Passenger BEV, battery 50 kWh and above | THB 100,000 | THB 75,000 | THB 50,000 |
| Electric pickup truck, locally assembled, up to 4,000 kg | THB 100,000 per unit across 2024–2027 | ||
| Electric motorcycle, locally assembled | THB 10,000 per unit across 2024–2027 | ||
EV3.5: tax and duty terms
- Excise tax on passenger BEVs reduced from 8% to 2%.
- Excise tax on electric pickup trucks reduced from 10% to 0% for 2024–2025, then 2% from 2026.
- Excise tax on electric motorcycles reduced from 5% to 1%.
- Import duty on qualifying completely-built-up imports reduced by up to 40%, for 2024–2025 only; the reduction does not run in 2026–2027.
- Local production obligation. Importers benefiting from the scheme must compensate imported units with local production at a ratio of 1:2 if local production is fulfilled by December 2026, or 1:3 if only fulfilled by December 2027.
Source: EY Global tax alert, 7 February 2024, reporting the Thai Excise Department and Ministry of Finance announcement of 28 December 2023; cross-checked against the Board of Investment's own English-language EV Board news item. Accessed 17 August 2026.
Battery-cell and commercial-vehicle measures
- Battery cell manufacturing is supported through the Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, with applications open until the end of 2027. Announced technical thresholds include an energy density of not less than 150 Wh/kg and a battery life of not less than 1,000 cycles.
- Electric buses and trucks were supported by a corporate expense-deduction measure — two times the actual price with no ceiling for domestically manufactured vehicles, or 1.5 times for imported vehicles — stated as effective until 31 December 2025. Confirm the current status of this measure directly with BOI before relying on it.
Source: Thailand Board of Investment, English-language EV Board news release (boi.go.th). Accessed 17 August 2026.
Verify before you rely on this. Thailand's EV incentive terms have changed several times since 2022 and carry conditions specific to the applicant, the vehicle, the battery and the year. The figures above are reproduced from the sources named and are for orientation only. Confirm current eligibility directly with the Board of Investment and the Excise Department before making an investment decision.
How to Enter Thailand's EV Sector
General orientation only — the route depends heavily on whether you are manufacturing vehicles, manufacturing batteries or components, or operating charging infrastructure. Every step below should be confirmed with the relevant authority.
1. Decide which promotion track applies to you
The EV3.5 package is aimed at vehicle importers and manufacturers and carries a local-production obligation. Battery, component and charging businesses instead apply for ordinary activity-based BOI promotion. These are separate applications with separate conditions — establish which one (or both) applies before doing anything else.
2. Register the Thai entity
Company registration in Thailand is handled by the Department of Business Development (DBD) under the Ministry of Commerce. Foreign shareholding limits under the Foreign Business Act may apply depending on the activity — BOI promotion can change what is permitted, which is one reason the promotion decision usually comes first.
3. Apply to the Board of Investment
BOI promotion is granted per activity, at a defined incentive tier, against stated conditions. For EV-chain activities the conditions typically cover technology, local content and, for battery cells, specific technical thresholds. BOI approval is also the gateway to machinery and raw-material import-duty benefits.
4. Choose a location
Thailand's EV assembly investment has clustered in Rayong and the wider Eastern Economic Corridor, close to the existing automotive supply base and to deep-sea port capacity. Industrial estate operators and the EEC Office are the relevant counterparties for land and estate-level privileges.
5. Handle product standards and vehicle registration
Industrial product standards in Thailand are administered by the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) under the Ministry of Industry. Vehicle type approval and registration sit with the Department of Land Transport. The Thailand Automotive Institute operates vehicle testing, inspection and certification services used by the industry.
6. Join the industry bodies
The Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT) is the sector's dedicated membership body; the Federation of Thai Industries' Automotive Industry Club publishes the production and sales series the whole industry works from; the Thai Auto-Parts Manufacturers Association covers the components base. All three are listed in the directory below.
Where the Sector Meets
EVAT runs a dedicated EV programme in Thailand and co-organises sector conferences and exhibitions, and Thailand's major motor shows now carry substantial EV content. T3 was not able to verify specific confirmed 2026–2027 edition dates and venues for a Thailand EV-specific exhibition to a standard that meets this page's sourcing rule, so no named event with dates is listed here rather than publishing an event that might not run as described. For current dates, contact EVAT directly — its details are in the directory below.
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Electric Vehicle Ecosystem Directory
Vehicle manufacturers with Thai production operations, battery and component suppliers, and the associations, standards bodies and government agencies that govern the sector. Every entry was located through direct research and carries a note stating exactly how it was verified.
BYD Company Limited (BYD Auto Thailand)
BEV manufacturer with a Rayong assembly plant
Changan Automobile Southeast Asia (Thailand)
NEV manufacturer with a Rayong production plant
Delta Electronics (Thailand) Public Company Limited
EV charging and powertrain electronics manufacturer
Department of Land Transport (DLT)
Vehicle registration and type-approval authority
Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT)
National EV industry association
- Location:
- KX Building, 14th Floor, 110/1 Krung Thonburi Road, Bang Lamphu Lang Subdistrict, Khlong San District, Bangkok 10600
Energy Absolute Public Company Limited (EA)
Thai EV, battery and charging network group
- Location:
- No. 89, AIA Capital Center Building, 16th Floor, Ratchadaphisek Road, Dindaeng, Bangkok 10400
Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) — Automotive Industry Club
Publisher of Thailand's vehicle production and sales data
GAC AION (Thailand)
BEV manufacturer with a Rayong assembly plant
Great Wall Motor Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
EV and hybrid manufacturer, Thailand operations
Horizon Plus Co., Ltd.
Foxconn–PTT EV contract-manufacturing JV (status in flux)
MG Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
EV brand operated by the SAIC Motor-CP venture
Thai Auto-Parts Manufacturers Association (TAPMA)
Auto and EV components industry association
Sources, Methodology & Data Coverage
Every figure on this page comes from one of the sources listed below and is attributed in place. Nothing was estimated or interpolated. Where a topic could not be verified, it has been left off the page rather than filled with an approximation.
- Production, sales and export figures (2025): Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), Automotive Industry Club, full-year 2025 data, as reported by electrive — electrive.com, published 29 January 2026, accessed 17 August 2026.
- EV value-chain investment (BOI data as of May 2026): The Nation Thailand — nationthailand.com, published 3 July 2026, accessed 17 August 2026.
- EV3.5 subsidy, excise and duty terms: EY Global tax alert reporting the Thai Excise Department / Ministry of Finance announcement of 28 December 2023 — ey.com, published 7 February 2024, accessed 17 August 2026.
- Battery-cell and commercial-vehicle measures: Thailand Board of Investment EV Board news release — boi.go.th, accessed 17 August 2026.
- Institution contact details: Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (evat.or.th) and Thailand Automotive Institute (thaiauto.or.th), both opened directly, 17 August 2026.
What this page does not cover
- EVAT's own registration and charger series. EVAT publishes these on its Statistical Information page, but only as images, which could not be read as text in this session. No charging-point total is therefore quoted on this page except BOI's figure for planned outlets under approved projects, which is a different measure.
- Named EV trade events with dates. No Thailand EV exhibition could be confirmed to this page's standard with a specific verified forward edition date and venue, so none is listed.
- General automotive manufacturing. ICE assembly, pickup exports and the broader Tier-1 parts base are the subject of T3's separate Automotive sector page, not this one.
- Company financials and market shares. No revenue, capacity utilisation or market-share figure is published here unless it appeared in a named source above.
Page last updated: 17 August 2026.
T3 — The True Thailand is an independent knowledge and business-gateway platform. T3 is not a government agency, investment adviser, customs broker, or authorised representative of any institution or company listed on this page. Directory inclusion is informational and does not indicate endorsement, membership, partnership or recommendation by T3. Confirm all incentive terms, standards requirements and contact details directly with the relevant authority before acting on them.