Nearly 10 Million Motorcycles in Malaysia Have Expired Road Tax

JPJ says over 15 million vehicles in Malaysia have road tax expired for more than five years, with motorcycles making up the largest portion. Here’s what the data shows.

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The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has revealed that more than 15 million vehicles in Malaysia have not had their road tax renewed for over five years. Although the number may sound significant, it mainly reflects vehicles that owners no longer actively use but that still remain in the department’s registry.

According to Transport Ministry land division secretary Datuk Mohamed Irwan Mansor, these vehicles represent roughly 37% of the 41 million vehicles recorded in JPJ’s database as of December last year. Authorities believe that many of these vehicles have reached the end of their lifespan or have been abandoned, and owners never formally removed them from the system.

Motorcycles make up the largest share

Motorcycles account for the majority of vehicles with long-expired road tax. Around 9.76 million motorcycles fall into this category, followed by 4.07 million private cars. The remaining portion consists of buses, taxis, rental vehicles and goods vehicles.

Given how common motorcycles are in Malaysia, the figures are not entirely surprising. Malaysia currently has about 18.9 million registered motorcycles, but around 9.2 million are considered inactive on the road.

Similarly, Malaysia has 19.69 million cars registered, but only 15.61 million currently have valid road tax.

Vehicles often remain in the system

JPJ noted that vehicles with road tax that have not been renewed for more than five years are highly likely to be out of use. In many cases, owners may have upgraded to a newer vehicle but never officially deregistered the old one, meaning it still appears in the national database.

Authorities are encouraging vehicle owners to dispose of vehicles that are no longer roadworthy through proper channels so they can formally remove them from the registry.

Incentives to replace older vehicles

To help address ageing vehicles on the road, the transport ministry launched a matching grant programme earlier this year aimed at encouraging owners to replace older vehicles.

Under the RM10 million initiative, eligible owners of vehicles aged 20 years or older can receive a grant of up to RM2,000, and participating local vehicle manufacturers will match the amount when they upgrade to a newer model.

The programme currently covers all Proton models as well as the Perodua Aruz and Ativa. Owners can still qualify even if their vehicles are no longer roadworthy, provided the engine and chassis numbers remain intact and the ownership requirements are met.

So far, nearly 3,000 vehicle owners have participated, with RM4.43 million in grants already disbursed.

More technology in enforcement

JPJ is also planning to introduce automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems to improve road tax enforcement. The technology will allow authorities to detect vehicles with expired road tax more efficiently and help identify abandoned vehicles.

For now, the data mainly highlights the scale of Malaysia’s vehicle ownership and the natural lifecycle of vehicles over time. As newer models continue to enter the market and older ones are gradually retired, the transport landscape will continue to evolve alongside it.