KUALA LUMPUR: Some 32,535 units of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) passenger and commercial vehicles (excluding buses) have been registered in the country and are eligible to receive the benefits of the full road tax exemption incentive as at Sept 30 this year, says Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
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The Investment, Trade and Industry minister said to encourage the use of BEV, the government has offered an incentive of full exemption from road tax for four years, starting from Jan 1, 2022, to Dec 31, 2025.
“Based on the registration records from the Road Transport Department (RTD) up to Sept 30, 2024, for passenger and commercial vehicles, approximately 32,535 units of BEV passenger and commercial vehicles (excluding buses) have been registered in Malaysia and, generally, are eligible to receive the benefits of this full road tax exemption incentive,” he said in a parliamentary written reply to a question from Datuk Muslimin Yahaya (PN-Sungai Besar), who asked the ministry to state number of road tax exemptions for Electric Vehicle (EVs).
He also wanted to know what are the measures taken by the government so that the B40 group of income earners can enjoy the use of EVs.
In terms of electric vehicle usage by the B40 group, Tengku Zafrul said the ownership of such vehicles is more focused on the use of electric motorcycles rather than electric cars, considering the lack of locally manufactured electric car options at competitive prices in the local market.
“To cater to this market potential, both national car manufacturers, Perodua and Proton, are planning to produce electric cars to meet domestic demand in the near future,” he said.
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Aside from that, Tengku Zafrul said through full exemption incentives for various other taxes, some vehicle manufacturing companies from other brands have also started producing and selling their respective electric cars, offering competitive prices compared to internal combustion engine cars.
To encourage the use of electric motorcycles in Malaysia, he said his ministry, through its agency MARii, has implemented the Electric Motorcycle Use Promotion Scheme (MARiiCas)
“This scheme offers a rebate of RM2,400 for the purchase or subscription of electric motorcycles, specifically for Malaysians with an annual income below RM120,000.
“The scheme was introduced in 2024 with the aim of encouraging the public to seize the opportunity to switch to fully electric-powered vehicles as their daily mode of transportation.
“Under Budget 2025, this scheme has been extended for another year until 2025,” said Tengku Zafrul.
The Ministry, through MARii, he assured will continue to promote this scheme so that more Malaysians, including the B40 group, can take advantage of this incentive opportunity to own at least one electric vehicle, such as an electric motorcycle, as an alternative mode of transportation.
-TheStar