JPJ EV Road Tax System Glitch Leaves EV Brands in Limbo

As Malaysia counts down to the final hours of its EV road tax holiday, an unexpected technical issue appears to be complicating last-minute vehicle registrations across the industry.

Multiple EV brands have confirmed that the JPJ online road tax (Lesen Kenderaan Motor, LKM) registration system has begun charging EV road tax today, despite the exemption period officially running until Dec 31, 2025, with charges only meant to apply from Jan 1, 2026.

More concerning, the rates currently displayed by the system do not align with the revised EV road tax structure announced by Transport Minister Anthony Loke in 2024.

Instead, what brands are seeing appears to be a partial reversion to the old pre-2022 EV road tax framework.

Based on screenshots sighted by Carz.com.my, an EV with a motor output of around 235kW is being quoted a road tax figure of approximately RM1,400. This amount is neither consistent with the old EV rate — which would have been roughly double that figure — nor with the revised 2026 structure, under which the same vehicle should be taxed at around RM365 annually.

In effect, the system seems to be applying roughly 50% of the old EV road tax rate, a structure that was never announced as policy.

Carz.com.my reached out to several EV brands for clarification, all of whom confirmed that the issue is affecting all manufacturers attempting to register EVs today. Industry sources also indicated that JPJ is already aware of the problem and is in the process of rectifying it.

However, timing is critical.

Today marks the final day of the EV road tax exemption, and if the issue is not resolved before the end of the day, brands may be forced to delay registrations entirely. That would mean customers whose vehicles were meant to be registered today — specifically to take advantage of the exemption — could end up having to pay road tax from tomorrow onward, despite completing their purchases within the incentive window.

This comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the EV market.

Clarity on post-incentive EV road tax has been in place for over a year, with the revised framework designed to be significantly lower across the board, more progressive, and broadly aligned with comparable ICE vehicles.

The apparent system behaviour seen today runs counter to that intent — not only charging prematurely, but doing so at rates that were never formally endorsed.

For now, brands and customers alike are left waiting for a fix, with the hope that registrations can proceed before the clock runs out on one of Malaysia’s most significant EV incentives to date.

Whether JPJ is able to resolve the issue in time may decide if any EVs are registered today — effectively stalling the final day of the EV road tax holiday.

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