The Dongfeng Box is a small electric hatchback, one of the lower-priced electric cars on sale. If you are comparing it with other small cars, the yearly bills tell you as much as the showroom figure.
Here are the list price, the COE rule, road tax and car insurance. The insurance prices are examples for one stated driver, as of 1 November 2026, and not a quote.
The Box you can buy, and the ones you can insure
The new-car list read on 2026-10-10 has one version: the Dongfeng Box Electric Essential 42.3 kWh. It is a hatchback made in China, with a 94bhp electric motor.
The quote form lists two:
- Box 42.3 kWh (electric)
- Box Essential 42.3 kWh (electric)
The prices below are for the Essential 42.3 kWh, which most of our insurers quote.
Price as listed
As listed on 2026-10-10, the Box Essential was S$171,888, including COE that day.
That figure moves with each COE round. Check what any dealer quote includes before you compare.
COE for an electric Box
The price page sets out the rule:
- Category A if the motor is 110kW (147bhp) or less. Category A closed at S$132,004 in the October 2026, 2nd round.
- Category B if the motor is more powerful. Category B closed at S$131,901 in that round.
The dealer can confirm the category for your car. The COE page shows the latest results.
Road tax on a small motor
For an electric car, road tax goes by motor power. The Box's 94bhp (70kW) motor pays S$1,325.60 a year on LTA's formula, checked on 2026-10-19, before any age surcharge.
Even a small electric motor pays more road tax than many small petrol engines. That is worth knowing if you are comparing the Box with a petrol hatchback.
The age surcharge, if you keep the car long enough:
- Over 10 years: +10%
- Over 11 years: +20%
- Over 12 years: +30%
- Over 13 years: +40%
- Over 14 years: +50%
The road tax page works out other motors and engines.
Insurance: four prices for the example driver
The Dongfeng Box price page prices:
- Car: Box Essential 42.3 kWh, registered 3 years ago, private use, comprehensive cover
- Driver: aged 40, married, office job, 10 years' driving
- Record: 50% NCD, no claims
- Repairs: authorised workshop, no options
4 insurers price it. The lowest is S$1,013.98 a year. The insurer whose lowest plan costs most asks at least S$1,371.48. That gap is S$357.50, or 35% on top. Prices include 9% GST.
Three insurers say why they do not price it. One does not list the model. Two do not quote electric cars online. Others have no online price yet.
Here the lowest price has the lowest excess
The excess is what you pay towards a claim. On this page:
- S$1,013.98: S$0 excess, an estimate
- S$1,314.63: S$900 excess, on a plan named for any workshop
- S$1,371.48, two plans: S$600 excess
It is unusual for the lowest premium to carry no excess at all. Still, it is an estimate, so the price you are offered may differ. Check the plan terms as well as the figure.
Changes that move the lowest price
With one detail changed, the price page shows these lowest prices. All 4 insurers price every case.
- No NCD (0%): S$2,113.16, S$1,099.18 more
- Driver aged 27, 3 years' driving, 30% NCD: S$1,920.08, S$906.10 more
- 20% NCD: S$1,690.52, S$676.54 more
- Driver aged 65, 20 years' driving: S$1,130.95, S$116.97 more
- A new car, registered this year: S$1,013.98, the same
- A car 8 years old: S$1,013.98, the same
Losing the NCD costs most, lifting the lowest price by 108%. A young driver comes next. For the young driver, a different insurer has the lowest price, so the order on the page is not fixed.
These are lowest prices. Other plans may move by different amounts.
Against other electric cars
The price page compares 6 electric cars, for the same driver and car age:
- BMW iX1: S$1,907.27
- BYD Sealion 7: S$1,390.72
- Tesla Model Y: S$939.71
- BYD Atto 3: S$913.63
- Tesla Model 3: S$913.62
- BYD M6: S$861.41
They average S$1,154.39. The Box is 12% below that, yet 4 of the 6 are cheaper to insure on these details. The two dearest cars lift the average.
It may seem odd that larger cars can cost less to insure. Part of it is the number of insurers: four of those cars draw 9 or 10 prices each, against 4 for the Box. More low-priced cars are on the cheapest cars to insure page. Other Dongfeng models are on the Dongfeng car insurance page.
What you will need to estimate
- Charging: home, office and public chargers each cost differently. Your distance sets the total.
- Parking: season parking at your HDB block or condo, plus parking at work and when out.
- ERP: depends on your routes and when you drive.
- Servicing: ask how long the battery warranty runs and what it covers.
- Depreciation: what the car loses over its COE life depends on what you pay now and what it fetches later.
Summary of yearly costs we can show
Dongfeng Box Essential 42.3 kWh:
- Road tax: S$1,325.60 a year before age surcharge (checked 2026-10-19)
- Insurance, example driver: from S$1,013.98 a year (as of 1 November 2026)
- Insurance, no NCD: from S$2,113.16
- Insurance, driver aged 27: from S$1,920.08
Up front: S$171,888 as listed on 2026-10-10, COE included. Category A closed at S$132,004 and Category B at S$131,901 in the October 2026, 2nd round.
Before you buy: car insurance for the Dongfeng Box
Before you drive off, get your car insurance through Shenton Brokers. Compare car insurance for the Dongfeng Box to see today's prices from every insurer we compare and how they change with the driver and the car's age. Or get a quote with your own details.