Japanese cars hold 81% in the Philippines — why Korean and Chinese cars lag, plus EV price comparison

Japanese cars hold 81% in the Philippines — why Korean and Chinese cars lag, plus EV price comparison

In one line
A Korean-Filipino couple living in Bacolod talk about the Philippine car market over lunch at a budget restaurant, then compare Kia, VinFast and Chinese car prices and build quality at an EV event the next day.

💡 Key takeaways

[Car market share in the Philippines — per the host]
• As of this year: Japanese 81%, Chinese about 8%, US 4%, Korean 3%, Vietnam's VinFast about 1.7%. That's 8 in 10 cars being Japanese.
• Why Japanese cars win: potholes cause frequent minor breakdowns, and Japanese cars can be fixed anywhere, with genuine and aftermarket parts easy to find (even online) and an active used market.
• The host thinks most people buy a Japanese car first and try Korean or American brands for a second or third car, because a first car must be fixed within a day if it breaks.

[Korean, Chinese, American cars — host's view]
• Korean: quality rivals Japanese, but the service network isn't as wide, local third-party shops struggle to fix them, maintenance costs more, and tariffs make them pricey. Thanks to Korea's good image, you do see more of them lately.
• Chinese: cheap and decent, but local online communities say "you'll grow old waiting for repairs" — the after-sales service is that bad.
• American: bought for style; high maintenance and inconsistent quality.
• An acquaintance's Geely broke down mid-road and was diagnosed with a broken transmission. The warranty was first approved, then denied; it nearly went to court, the car sat at the service center for 1–2 years, and he ended up getting rid of it.

[EV event prices — staff/price tags, in pesos]
• Nissan Navara Pro (plug-in hybrid pickup): about 2.76M
• Kia EV3 (full EV): about 1.9M, 204 hp. Back seat is tighter than an Innova.
• Kia Sorento Hybrid: about 2.2M / 2.6M / 2.9M (top trim)
• Aion (Chinese): about 1M
• VinFast: about 1.6M — finish is noticeably worse than the Kia.
• Unnamed Chinese brand: about 1.5M (name shown in the video)
• BAIC hybrid 4WD: about 1.96M
• Jetour: about 1.96M — same price range as the Kia EV3.

[EV charging — watch out]
• Bacolod to Dumaguete is about 230 km, roughly 6 hours by car over the mountains.
• Staff said Negros has chargers at the event venue and in Dumaguete, but provincial towns like Kabankalan have few or none yet.
• So the couple think a hybrid or gasoline car beats a full EV in Bacolod for now. If they buy, it'll be a Toyota.

[Budget restaurant prices]
• A recently opened branch with indoor seating, fully packed at lunch (restaurant name shown in the video — subtitles spell it differently).
• Most meals are around 100 pesos; a rice meal was 98 pesos. Two rice meals, one noodle dish and two drinks totaled 421 pesos.
• Citron Americano (Americano mixed with yuja tea) was 130 pesos — with a Starbucks Tall Americano at about 150 pesos, drinks are pricey next to the food. The host thinks the rice meals are loss leaders and drinks carry the margin.

[Exchange rate]
• The peso-to-won rate was about 25 a few months ago and is now near 20 (as of filming).
• Sending 1 million won used to get the low 40,000s in pesos; now it's about 46,000–47,000 pesos, a big difference for people living on remittances from Korea.

⏱ Chapters
00:00 Almost every car is Japanese; budget restaurant
01:03 Market share and why Japanese cars are popular
02:06 Where Chinese, American and Korean cars stand
03:07 The food and the total bill
04:08 Peso exchange rate drop and remittances
06:10 EV event, Navara Pro
08:13 Kia EV3 and the charging problem
10:15 Sorento, Aion and VinFast compared
12:20 Chinese car prices and the Geely repair story

💬 What viewers said (43 comments)
• Most agreed that in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, Japanese cars — especially Toyota — are the practical choice because of maintenance and parts.
• Korean residents driving a Hyundai Stargazer or Starex shared repairs that dragged on for months.
• Other informative comments covered used BYD budget hybrid prices, EV owners who install solar and chargers at home, and VinFast's current status.