Given the 3 primary choices for a vehicle power supply, gasoline, diesel and electric, one stands out as the clear “best option” for the 95% of drivers, see the Pros and Cons below;

1. Gasoline: Is easy to get refueled anywhere in Thailand, however it is a lot more expensive to refuel and less costly than EVs.  The cost of the purchasing, maintenance and upkeep is about the same as a diesel, once again less than EVs.

2. Diesel:  Is also easy to refuel anywhere in Thailand, it is the primary vehicle used for businesses. As such, Thailand’s government subsidizes diesel fuel prices, so it is always roughly the same price at about 32 baht per liter. This is roughly the equivalent to 30-to 35% cheaper than price than gasoline. While Diesel vehicles are roughly the same cost and maintenance as gasoline engines. Diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline vehicles. This is because diesel fuel packs more energy than gasoline; a gallon of diesel fuel has up to 30 percent more energy than a gallon of gas. Cars and small trucks that run on normal diesel surprisingly perform better than gasoline-powered engines. Nevertheless, performance suffers in diesel engines when bio-diesel, black diesel or other types of enhanced diesel fuel is the fuel consumers choose to run on. This is another diesel only benefit, you can’t use biofuel for Gas or EVs.

3. Electric:  The topic of electric cars, is a surprising one to many, while it “feels good” to drive by a gas or diesel station without needing to refuel. The true cost of ownership of an electric car is more complex than gas or diesel vehicles.  Let’s start with charging, assuming every one understanding there is a cost to charging the vehicle, somewhere there is a fossil fuel powered electric plant and at the moment Thailand’s electric costs are lower than many other countries. It is less convenient to charge a EV it takes longer, harder to find charging stations and the costs to refuel are marginally better than gas. However, the EV purchase costs much higher, as much as double and the maintenance costs, especially for the battery can be very high. The expected lifetime of the car is less than gas or diesel vehicles. There are also 2 major concerns with electric cars, the batteries have built-in flaw, then can and do explode under some conditions. EV car fires have health risks. Additionally, electric cars are much heavier than gas or diesel vehicles causing safety and maintenance issues, from the tires wear out twice as fast to safety issues in accidents in which an electric car that hit a non-electric car is much more likely to cause person harm to the other car passengers. There are several other issues with electric cars, but let’s just leave say the technology is not capable of addressing these problems for many years.

Here is a matrix showing the Pros and Cons of each Vehicle

Reference Thai fuel prices: https://www.motorist.co.th/en/petrol-prices