Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) registrations in Malaysia reached 94,165 units since 2018, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof confirmed after chairing the National EV Steering Committee (NEVSC) meeting at Menara MITI on 19 May 2026. Fadillah, who also serves as Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, described the figure as encouraging progress and said the meeting was focused on identifying near-term solutions to strengthen the country’s EV ecosystem.

Growth Past A Significant Threshold

Fewer than 300 BEVs were registered in 2021. By 2025, annual registrations had climbed to around 44,800 units, representing roughly 5.5% of total vehicle sales for the year, according to Road Transport Department data cited by Kenanga Research. In the first four months of 2026, more than 20,000 new units were added, with Proton leading the market in Q1 at 8,197 units, driven primarily by the e.MAS 5, and BYD ranking second at 2,261 units.

A March 2024 Bloomberg Green analysis of EV adoption across more than 30 countries, written by Tom Randall, found that once purely electric cars cross 5% of new sales, more models come to market at lower prices, charging infrastructure expands, and automakers compete more aggressively on price. No country in the analysis took more than three years to go from 5% to 15%, and countries that crossed the threshold typically went from 5% to 25% of new car sales in under four years.

The closest example in the region is Thailand, which went from 5% of new car sales in Q1 2023 to nearly 13% by the end of that year, according to the same Bloomberg Green analysis, driven largely by more affordable locally assembled models and more charging points becoming available.

Malaysia crossed 5% in 2025. Once that happens, EVs stop being something only early adopters buy and become  more accessible at cheaper price points, the kind you’d compare against a Perodua or Proton when shopping for a new car. The government’s target of 20% of new vehicle sales by 2030 still has a long way to go, but the shift tends to accelerate once the 5% mark is crossed.

Why Fully Imported EVs Are Getting More Expensive

Tax exemptions on fully imported EVs, known as completely built-up or CBU models, expired at the end of 2025. From 1 July 2026, any imported EV brought in as a CBU must be priced at a minimum declared value of RM200,000 before taxes, which puts that category firmly out of reach for most buyers.

This means the more affordable EV options going forward are likely to be locally assembled models. The Proton e.MAS 5, for example, currently starts below RM100,000. 

If you’re considering buying an EV important to note that public charging infrastructure has not kept up with vehicle growth though, with around 5,360 chargers installed as of end-2025 against a government target of 10,000, and availability outside city centres and major highways remains patchy. This may improve, but how quickly?

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Christina Chandra

Christina writes about personal finance with an eye for making the complicated feel straightforward. She is drawn to the everyday money decisions people face and genuinely enjoys finding the clearest way to explain them. Between articles, she is probably napping, on a hiking trail, or terrorising her sister’s cats.

About THE AUTHOR

Christina Chandra

Christina Chandra

Christina writes about personal finance with an eye for making the complicated feel straightforward. She is drawn to the everyday money decisions people face and genuinely enjoys finding the clearest way to explain them. Between articles, she is probably napping, on a hiking trail, or terrorising her sister's cats.

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