Tesla, Proton lead Malaysia’s monthly high EV registrations as drivers rush to beat 2026 tax hike

Electric vehicle (EV) registrations in Malaysia hit a monthly high in November as drivers rushed to complete their purchases before the tax holidays for imported EVs end after December 2025.

Malaysia registered 5,417 new electric cars in November, a 200.1 per cent rise from the previous year, according to official data by the Road Transport Department in its final release of registration statistics before 2025 ends.

Tesla’s Model Y SUV had 810 units registered, the highest number in November, edging out Malaysia’s best-selling electric car for 2025, Proton’s e.MAS 7, which had 786 cars registered.

The new high comes after Malaysia’s government announced in October that tax holidays enjoyed by imported electric car buyers since 2022 would end after Dec 31, 2025. Registrations for new EVs in October was the previous monthly high at 4,345.

Consumers who buy EVs from 2026 will be subject to excise and import duties, easily making the price of imported electric cars cost 30 per cent higher. An imported BYD Atto 2 compact SUV that starts from around RM100,000 (S$31,500) is expected to cost about RM30,000 more, according to sales advisers.

The imminent lapsing of the tax exemptions prompted more drivers to get their car purchases over the line before the end of the year.

“Finally, getting my first car,” said Penang-based property consultant Ghee Yih Farn, who collected his Tesla Model Y on Dec 6, one month after placing his booking. He added that he was eager to test his new SUV’s self-driving functions.

Locally manufactured EVs such as Proton’s e.MAS 5 and Perodua’s upcoming QV-E will continue to enjoy tax exemptions until end 2027, with EV sellers including and . These cars will also avoid the RM100,000 price floor placed on imported EVs.

The year 2025 has already been a bumper year in EV registrations for Malaysia with numbers in the first eight months (23,396) already surpassing 2024’s total (21,789).

EV registrations until Nov 30, 2025 were 36,690, with the total for the year expected to exceed 40,000.

While their numbers registered in Malaysia have nearly doubled from the previous year, electric cars make up just 4 per cent of total vehicle sales in the country.

The move to end tax holidays for imported EVs is expected to increase excise duty coffers by 2.3 per cent to RM12.79 billion in 2026, according to Malaysia’s finance ministry.