Through Thaivisa.com we have a platform that is an incredibly powerful tool in building market intelligence on fellow expats in Thailand. It allows us to properly understand what is happening in the market rather than rely on hearsay.
The latest survey we conducted explored car ownership status and there certainly some stand out statistics, such as 1 in 4 Bangkok Expats spending over 2million baht on a car (much of this was purchased on finance).
© Thaivisa survey April 2019 / 570 respondents
Summary
- Over 50% of expats currently own a car
- 75% of expats will at some point get a new car in the future
- 46% spent over 1 million baht on their cars
- Bangkok Expats spend the most on cars with 25% spending over 2million baht
- 43% of Bangkok Expats paid via finance versus 26% average
Ownership Status
- Over 50% of expats own a car
- 42% own both a car and motorbike
- Rises to 62% and 64% car ownership in Bangkok and Hua Hin
Payment Terms for Car
- 74% paid for upfront
- 26% paid via finance (by virtue of having a work permit)
- 42% of Bangkok Expats paid using finance which correlates to percentage of working expats used work permit to get finance
Average Spend on a Car
- 46% spent over 1million baht on a new car
- 69% in Bangkok spent over 1million
- In contrast, 67% Chaing Mai Expats spent less than 1million baht
- 1 in 10 spent over 2million baht
- 1 in 4 Bangkok Expats spent over 2million baht
Next time an Expat will Buy a New Car
- Almost 1/3 of Expats will get a new car within the next 2 years
- 75% will at some point buy or
get a new car in the future
- Rising to 82% in Bangkok
