During his welcoming speech at the launch of the new GWM Seremban 4S centre, transport minister Anthony Loke revealed some developments his ministry is working on in relation to the electric vehicle (EV) industry in Malaysia.

First up, road tax. At present, road tax for EVs in Malaysia is free from January 1, 2022 until the end of 2025, but starting from 2026, owners and prospective buyers will need to pay following a kilowatt-based system.

The final road tax amount for an EV is calculated based on the total power rating of the electric motor(s), with different power brackets determining the base rate and accompanying progressive rate (if applicable). To simplify, the more power from the electric motor(s), the more you’ll be paying – you can see a few examples here.

In his speech, Loke said his ministry is aware that the current calculation method can discourage potential EV buyers because of the high road tax cost that can result. As such, he has instructed the transport ministry to review the road tax structure for EVs so people would be more inclined to purchase EVs, even after the end of the road tax holiday.

No specifics were given, but Loke said it will be “very affordable and even cheaper than internal combustion engine cars.” For some context, a BYD Atto 3, which retails from RM149,800, will have a road tax of RM903 after 2025. Meanwhile, a similarly-sized HR-V in e:HEV RS guise with a 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated engine is priced at RM140,800, but the applicable road tax is 10 times less at just RM90.

In addition to the matter of road tax, Loke also said a new ‘EV’ number plate series will be issued in the coming months for EVs. This will be similar to number plate series issued in different states, whereby after the starting series of ‘EV1’ to ‘EV9999’ is completed, we will get ‘EVA’, ‘EVB’, ‘EVC’ and so on.

According to the transport minister, these plates will be “RFID-linked” and serve a safety purpose too, as in the event of an accident, emergency responders will know by spotting an ‘EV’ plate that they are dealing with a vehicle that has a high-voltage powertrain that requires specific protocols to deal with safely.