Perodua’s first EV – and its first fully homegrown product – hasn’t had the start that the company would’ve hoped. Launched late last year, the QV-E was saddled with not just a RM80,000 price tag but also a compulsory battery leasing plan with a nine-year contract that buyers balked at, with sales only reaching 182 units in its first six months on the market.
That’s not a good look for a company that sold 24,480 cars last month alone. And it doesn’t help that the QV-E has been haemorrhaging sales to the Proton eMas 5, which sold more than 52 times that amount with 9,569 units reaching customers’ hands over exactly the same period.
But Perodua is now staging a comeback with a big price drop for the QV-E. With a RM6,500 rebate running until September 30, the car now retails at RM63,499 with battery leasing – a more than RM16,500 reduction. The leasing cost has now been lowered from RM275 per month to RM215. For the first time, the company is also offering all-in pricing with the battery included, which will set you back RM87,499 – just RM7,499 more than the launch price that excluded the battery in the first place.
With that, it’s time to look at the QV-E versus Proton’s big seller once again. How do the unchanged specs compare, especially when reframed with the new pricing in mind? We’ll answer all these and more in this head-to-head comparison.
Pricing now much more competitive
There’s no doubt that the QV-E has just become a much more attractive proposition. Whereas previously, the QV-E would’ve run you up to nearly RM110,000 with nine years of battery leasing included (excluding hire purchase interest rates, of course), this figure is now just under RM87,000. With outright pricing being only slightly more than that, customers have the luxury of choice.
Granted, this still makes the QV-E a step more expensive than the eMas 5, which even in its priciest Premium trim costs just RM69,800 (RM56,800 for the Prime). But it’s much closer now, and this repositioning also moves the car away from the highly-competitive C-segment SUV market occupied by the likes of the eMas 7 and the BYD Atto 3. Those are accomplished machines that the Perodua can’t hope to compete, for reasons that will become apparent later on.
In a big boon for existing owners, their battery subscription price also drops to RM215 per month, and they are also entitled to a “special refund” on their purchase price of RM80,000. Whether the full amount will be returned remains to be seen, but this is a rare concession for those who already own the car.
The price cut shows the disparity in current fortunes between Perodua and Proton. The former claims that the reduction comes as part of increased localisation, with the savings being passed on to the consumer. That may be true, but we suspect the company wouldn’t have made the QV-E so much cheaper so soon had its market performance been more encouraging – this is not a firm that tends to give big discounts when sales are good, after all.
By comparison, the strong sales of the eMas 5 – and lack of any real competition – mean that Proton has not been pressured to reduce the car’s prices, even after moving to local assembly starting this month. That stands in stark contrast to the eMas 7, which fell by up to RM6,000 starting early this year as it continued to battle with the Atto 3 for class supremacy.
This does sting somewhat, but you have to remember that the eMas 5 (by that we mean its twin, the Geely Xingyuan) is built in huge numbers in China, where the Xingyuan is the best-selling car for the past two years. Meanwhile, the QV-E is currently made in such small numbers – Perodua is almost a boutique carmaker at this point – that any savings from localisation will make a significant difference to the final price.
With the eMas 5, it’s the opposite – Geely having to build thousands of specialised knocked-down (KD) kits for Malaysia will have likely resulted in cost increases, so it’s no big surprise that Proton hasn’t lowered the price. Even with all that taken into account, however, the eMas 5 remains the undisputed value champion. But will this remain the case once we dig into the rest of what the two cars have to offer?
QV-E the performance, range benchmark; eMas 5 charges faster
Early on, the QV-E notches a crucial victory. As far as performance goes, it wipes the floor with the eMas 5, offering nearly double the power of even the most powerful version of the Proton. Its front motor makes 204 PS (150 kW) and 285 Nm of torque, versus the rear-drive eMas 5 Premium’s 116 PS (85 kW) and 150 Nm.
It’s no surprise, then, that the Perodua is fairly brisk, getting from zero to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 165 km/h. Proton – or rather, Geely – has spare the eMas 5 its blushes by not quoting a zero-to-100 km/h time, only an irrelevant zero-to-50 km/h figure of 3.9 seconds.
The QV-E’s advantage extends to its range. Both cars source their LFP batteries from CATL, but the Perodua’s 52.5 kWh pack dwarfs the eMas 5 Premium’s 40.16 kWh unit, which is why it is able to travel so much further on the WLTP cycle – 370 km versus the Proton’s 325 km. A difference of 45 km may not seem like much on paper, but it could mean one or two extra days of driving before needing a charge. And on cars that are as range-starved as these, every little counts.
We should point out that in China, the Xingyuan has just been upgraded with a larger 47.14 kWh battery, delivering a range of 480 km on the Middle Kingdom’s ridiculously lenient CLTC cycle. This should equate to a WLTP figure of around 390 km, which is just a little further than the QV-E (and demonstrates just how much more efficient this car is). Will we get this bigger pack later on? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Where Perodua has dropped the ball is in charging. The QV-E only supports up to a measly 60 kW of DC fast charging, which is the same as what the eMas 7 PHEV is capable of. As such, it takes a yawning 30 minutes for the battery to be topped up from 30 to 80%.
The combination of a smaller battery and a higher DC charging capacity of 71 kW means the eMas 5 Premium is able to be in and out of the charger nine minutes quicker, taking just 21 minutes to reach the same benchmark. And while both will accept 6.6 kW from an AC wallbox charger, the QV-E takes eight hours for a full charge, whereas the Proton will need 5.9 hours of your time to be juiced from 10 to 100%.
QV-E offers more kit; eMas 5 more practical and better quality
There’s no denying that in terms of showroom appeal, the QV-E has the measure of the eMas 5, at least where the exterior is concerned. Whereas the Proton’s jellybean shape is a common sight these days, the Perodua cuts a fine figure with its sharp styling, coupé-like roofline and hidden rear door handles. If sportiness is what you’re looking for, it’s not even a contest.
We can’t say which design approach works best for you – cutesy with bright colours, or jutting and aggressive – but to us the QV-E is certainly the looker of the two. Its kerb appeal is bolstered by the fact that it rolls on stylish 18-inch alloy wheels that are two inches bigger than the castors on the eMas 5.
Both cars are shod with sub-par Chinese budget tyres – Atlas A3 on the QV-E, Linglong Comfort Master on the eMas 5. And if you’re looking to replace them with premium rubber from the get-go, as we would recommend, the Proton’s smaller tyre size means it’ll be much cheaper to replace all four. Both cars feature disc brakes all around and ride on MacPherson strut suspension at the front; the QV-E gets a simple torsion beam at the rear, while the eMas 5 receives a more sophisticated independent multilink setup at the rear.
One limitation that hurts the QV-E is the number of colours on offer. There are just two, and both are fairly similar pale-bluish metallic shades – Ice Blue and Caviar Grey. On the other hand, the eMas 5 can be had in a variety of fun hues, including Marble Cream, Quartz Rose and my personal favourite, the recently-introduced Jade Green.
Step inside and at first glance, the QV-E looks to maintain its lead. Its interior features soft-touch materials instead of the hard plastics prevalent in the eMas 5, and it comes with such niceties as a powered driver’s seat and even a digital rear-view mirror.
Its 10.25-inch instrument display is also larger than the eMas 5’s slimline 8.8-inch unit, and while its touchscreen (also 10.25 inches across) is eclipsed by the Proton’s massive 14.6-inch panel, you do benefit from physical air-con controls (with an auto function to boot). Both cars come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although the Proton does get built-in navigation with a neat integrated charging map.
Dig deeper and the QV-E starts to lose its lustre. First of all, the eMas 5 is much more practical – despite being slightly shorter in length (4,135 mm vs 4,170 mm) and wheelbase (2,650 mm vs 2,680 mm), it offers more legroom for passengers behind, while the Perodua’s sloping roof robs rear headroom. The Proton’s extra height (1,580 mm vs 1,502 mm) also allows the rear seats to be mounted higher, allowing for more natural seating compared to the QV-E’s knees-up positioning.
The QV-E isn’t just more cramped for rear-seat occupants, it feels it too, with black headlining and tiny rear windows restricting outward visibility. Entry and egress is also restricted by the small rear door aperture, which isn’t good news for those wanting to fit child seats. Further points in the eMas 5’s favour are its pair of rear air vents (none in the Perodua) and the handy 28 litres of under-seat storage.
At the back, the eMas 5 trumps the QV-E with a powered tailgate, and once open, you’ll find a larger 375 litre boot, versus 320 litres for the Perodua. The rear-mounted motor also frees up space in the front for a generous 70-litre boot, so if you’re hauling durians on the regular, the eMas 5 is the clear winner.
And then we come to the part of the comparison that the specs don’t tell you, and it’s how the cars feel inside. This is where the QV-E really starts to struggle – yes, you’ll find better materials, but the car squanders this advantage both through its design (flat dashboard, too-thick steering wheel spokes, too-small headrests) and the quality (rough part-fabric upholstery, swaths of cheap silver plastic, underdamped door handles).
Don’t get me wrong, the eMas 5 is no Rolls-Royce by comparison, but it nails the basics and has nicer faux leather upholstery. You can also opt for an Alabaster White interior which, while easy to stain, lifts the ambience beyond the dour Flint Grey. The Proton may feel like it’s built to a price, but it also feels (and looks) like it’s built to a higher standard.
It’s clear that Perodua is a generation or two behind Proton (again, Geely in this case) in these areas. Some may be more forgiving of these foibles, but to us, these little things combine to make the QV-E less of a “proper” car, which makes the steeper price even harder to swallow.
Safety-wise, both the QV-E and eMas 5 are much of a muchness with six airbags and Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functions such as adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist. The Perodua adds a rear-seat reminder that the Proton lacks, with a novel ultrasonic sensor for detecting rear occupants, rather than simply using door opening and closing logic.
Kit count is only part of the story – of greater importance is the actual safety performance, and the QV-E is the only one to have scored a five-star ASEAN NCAP rating. The eMas 5 has yet to be crash tested by any global safety agency, but given that it will be sold in Europe and Australia as the Geely EX2, expect the usual Euro NCAP and ANCAP ratings soon.
Efficiency and running costs
While the QV-E offers more range, the figures suggest that the eMas 5 is more efficient, achieving 12.4 kWh per 100 km versus 14.2 kWh per 100 km for the Perodua (you can blame the extra 300 kg for this). The caveat, of course, is that these numbers were calculated using the cars’ WLTP ranges, and you will invariably consume more energy in the real world.
All things being equal, however, the QV-E will likely cost more to charge in the long run, although its longer range may give drivers more leeway to search for cheaper charging options to reduce running costs. So it’s swings and roundabouts, really.
In terms of warranty coverage, the QV-E comes with a six-year/150,000 km warranty, which the eMas 5 beats by having no mileage cap. Perodua touts a total service cost of RM2,520.50 over nine years or 180,000 km, and while Proton’s service schedule is slightly different (there’s an initial service at 5,000 km, which P2 skips in favour of a complimentary inspection at 1,000 km), even at nine years and three months or 185,000 km, the eMas 5 is predicted to cost just RM2,275.15 in maintenance, which is a fair saving.
Additionally, both cars (if you opt for outright pricing for the QV-E) come with an eight-year/160,000 km battery warranty, with Perodua guaranteeing a replacement if the state of health falls below 70% before the warranty is out. Proton hasn’t outright stated if it offers the same guarantee for the eMas 5, but it likely does so, in line with the larger eMas 7.
Of course, with the QV-E, you do get the option of battery leasing, which Perodua claims guards buyers against battery degradation and severe EV depreciation. The RM215 monthly fee covers any maintenance on the battery (not covered under the regular service schedule, so no savings there), and just like with the battery warranty, the company will replace the battery if its health drops below 70% during the lease period.
However, any battery replacement after the lease requires buyers to sign a new nine-year leasing contract, trapping you into another long payment cycle. You also have to pay a steep three-month upfront advance payment of RM645 before you get your car, although this does cover the final three months of your lease.
Plus, every used vehicle sale has to be either performed by or facilitated through Perodua’s Pre-Owned Vehicle (POV) service, and the new buyer has to sign a new nine-year lease contract. And given that the company does not provide a guaranteed future value for the QV-E, you can’t be sure if its resale value claims hold any water, either.
You will also never own the battery outright – even once the lease payments end after those nine years, the pack will still belong to Perodua, for better or worse. You are also locked into your decision to lease the battery the second you put money down; you can’t buy it after the fact, and if you’re an existing owner and want to switch, your only recourse is to sell your car and buy another one. All in all, the scheme just doesn’t seem worth the trouble.
All this goes on top of the fact that the eMas 5 Premium is usefully cheaper to buy outright than the QV-E in the first place, to the tune of RM17,699. This covers a good chunk (if not all) of the cost of a battery replacement, so you can effectively buy three batteries for the price of a QV-E – the one that comes with the car, a free replacement under warranty if the first one dips below 70% SoH, and another replacement after that. If that’s not enough of a safeguard against battery degradation, I don’t know what is.
Final verdict
At the end of the day, which among the Perodua QV-E and Proton eMas 5 is best for you depends on what you’re looking for. If it’s all-out performance and range you’re after, then the QV-E wins, hands down. For the money, it gets closer to the class above (eMas 7, Atto 3) in these areas, although it stumbles when it comes to charging speeds.
But in a reversal of roles, it’s the Proton that’s the more practical choice. Quite apart from the fact that it is much cheaper to buy, the eMas 5 Premium should cost less to run and offers more space for passengers and luggage, plus it’s faster to charge.
It’s also hard to overstate the gulf in quality between the two cars, which is less of a compliment to the eMas 5 and more of a criticism of just how poor the QV-E is inside. Last but not least, there’s the option of an even cheaper Prime to save even more money, albeit at the expense of range (just 225 km WLTP) and active safety features.
There are other options too, including the eMas 7 Prime and the BYD Atto 2. Incredibly, there are still tax-free 2025 units of the latter available, and with various rebates and deals around, both can be had for not much more extra outlay. They may deliver a shorter range at 345 km on the WLTP cycle, but they are larger and offer much nicer cabins than the QV-E.
Still, the QV-E does stand alone as Malaysia’s only homegrown EV, which does count for something. If you can look past its various faults, the latest price cut – and the ability to purchase the battery outright – means that buying one is now a much more rational decision.
GALLERY: Perodua QV-E
GALLERY: Proton eMas 5 Premium
