Malaysia records 6,029 EV registrations in September, accounting for 8.1% of total industry volume

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 OCTOBER 2026 —

Malaysia recorded 6,029 electric vehicle (EV) registrations in September 2026, according to the latest vehicle registration data released by the Road Transport Department (JPJ). This figure represents a 70.7% year-on-year increase from the 3,532 EVs registered in September 2025, marking a significant acceleration in the country’s transition toward electrified mobility.

The momentum in EV adoption is reshaping the broader automotive landscape, with electric vehicles now accounting for 8.12% of Malaysia’s total vehicle registrations during the month. Although September registrations saw a 31.7% month-on-month decline from the record 8,833 EVs registered in August, the underlying year-on-year growth trajectory remains robust, signaling sustained consumer demand despite seasonal fluctuations.

For the first nine months of 2026, Malaysia has recorded a cumulative 53,537 EV registrations, a figure that is up 98.8% from the 26,928 units registered during the same period last year. This nearly doubling of registrations means EVs have accounted for 8.35% of Malaysia’s total industry volume (TIV) from January to September 2026.

The pace of adoption has been so rapid that the country has already far surpassed the 44,813 EVs registered throughout the entirety of 2025, with three months still remaining in the current calendar year.

The overall vehicle market also expanded, with a total of 74,259 vehicles registered in September 2026, up 18.65% year-on-year from 62,587 units in September 2025. Within this total, petrol vehicle registrations increased 13.04% year-on-year from 52,298 units to 59,117 units. Petrol hybrid registrations saw a particularly sharp jump of 127.15%, rising from 2,398 units to 5,447 units.

In contrast, diesel registrations continued their decline, falling 49.04% to just 133 units, while Greendiesel registrations fell 13.79% to 3,532 units.

Looking at the year-to-date figures, Malaysia recorded 640,875 total vehicle registrations from January to September 2026, up 4.39% from 613,952 units during the same period last year. While EV registrations nearly doubled over this period, rising 98.82% from 26,928 units to 53,537 units, petrol hybrid registrations were also up 83.14%. Conversely, petrol registrations declined slightly by 2.08%, indicating a gradual shift in consumer preference away from conventional internal combustion engines.

The Proton e.MAS 5 remained Malaysia’s most popular EV in September, with 2,490 units registered. Despite a month-on-month decline from its record 4,770 registrations in August, this fully electric hatchback alone accounted for 41.3% of all EVs registered during the month. The Proton e.MAS 7 took second place with 526 registrations, followed by the Tesla Model Y in third with 378 units.

The Zeekr 7X placed fourth with 347 units, while the Tesla Model 3 secured the fifth spot with 325 units.

The top ten list for September was completed by the Chery iCaur 03 in sixth place with 237 registrations, ahead of the BYD Atto 3 with 208 units. The BYD Sealion 7 took eighth place with 154 units, while the Leapmotor C10 was ninth with 124 registrations. The BYD M6 rounded out the top ten with 90 registrations.

The Perodua QV-E also rebounded to 86 registrations in September, up from 56 units in August, though it remains below its current monthly high of 109 registrations recorded in July. Further down the rankings, the XPeng G6 recorded 85 units, the TQ Wuling Bingo registered 74 units, and the Chery iCaur V23 recorded 73 units.

The Luxeed R7, a joint venture product of Huawei and Chery under HIMA, also made an appearance with a total of 9 units registered.

For the year to date, the Proton e.MAS 5 continues to hold a commanding lead with 20,327 registrations from January to September 2026. The Proton e.MAS 7 is second with 4,530 registrations, followed by the BYD Atto 3 with 3,235 units. The Zeekr 7X is fourth with 2,796 registrations, while the Tesla Model Y is fifth with 2,356 units.

The Chery iCaur V23 is in sixth place with 2,206 units, followed by the Tesla Model 3 with 2,080 registrations and the BYD Sealion 7 in eighth with 1,610 units. The list continues with the Chery iCaur 03 at 1,492 units and the BYD Seal 6 at 1,402 units.

Further down the table, the Leapmotor B10 has accumulated 961 registrations, the Leapmotor C10 recorded 718 units, the TQ Wuling Bingo has 708 units, and the XPeng G6 has 692 units.

Malaysia’s home-grown Perodua QV-E recorded 460 units from January to September 2026. Including registrations recorded in November and December 2025, a total of 498 QV-E units have been registered since launch. At the brand level, Proton e.MAS continues to dominate Malaysia’s EV market with 24,857 registrations from January to September 2026, representing a 46.4% market share in the EV segment.

BYD remains the second-largest EV brand year-to-date with 8,087 registrations, followed by Tesla with 4,436 units. Chery, heavily driven by the iCaur sub-brand, is fourth with 3,865 registrations year-to-date, while Zeekr is in fifth place with 3,402 units. Leapmotor sits sixth with 1,679 registrations, followed by MG with 1,092 units and XPeng with 1,053 units. TQ Wuling is ninth with 708 registrations, while BMW rounds out the top ten with 617 units.

Malaysia’s EV adoption is accelerating faster than its charging infrastructure rollout. After failing to achieve the target of 10,000 EV charge points by 2025, the government has revised its target to 30,000 EV charge points by 2030. As of July, the Energy Commission listed 6,178 licensed EV charge points in Peninsular Malaysia, meaning deployment would need to accelerate significantly to meet the 2030 goal.

Highway charging remains especially important to support seamless EV journeys during the peak holiday season. During the tabling of Budget 2027, the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) is said to deploy 50 EV charging stations in 2027, while LLM is also targeting 500 highway charging points by 2030. There are currently 148 DC charging points on highways nationwide, some of which have been deployed but yet to turn on after two years.

The concern is that EV charger deployment in Malaysia can still be slowed by land negotiations, lengthy approvals, and electrical capacity upgrades. Some sites have taken close to a year from construction to activation, even before considering the time spent securing the site and approvals.

With EVs already accounting for 8.35% of Malaysia’s TIV from January to September 2026, the priority should be to create a proper green lane for EV charger approvals and grid upgrades so private investment can be deployed faster. Malaysia does not just need a higher charger target; the process to get chargers built and switched on needs to move much quicker.