Malaysia’s electric vehicle (EV) segment kicked off 2026 on a strong note, with EV registrations continuing to grow despite the end of tax incentives for fully imported units. Based on the latest JPJ vehicle registration data, a total of 6,239 EVs were registered in January 2026, which represents 9.18% share of total industry volume (TIV).
As a comparison, Malaysia recorded just 1,691 EV registrations in January 2025, when EVs made up only 3.14% of the market.
This means EV registrations have nearly quadrupled year-on-year, signalling a clear shift in Malaysia’s automotive market.
Malaysia EV registrations continue to grow after tax holiday
Despite the absence of free road tax and import tax exemptions for fully imported (CBU) EVs, adoption momentum remains intact. While overall vehicle registrations fell from December’s year-end peak of 8,123 units, EVs held up better than petrol and hybrid vehicles, allowing EV penetration to rise further.
EVs are now growing more than 10 times faster than the overall market, while hybrids are showing a slight decline. Petrol vehicles still dominate in absolute numbers, but their share has fallen noticeably as EVs have taken a larger slice of the pie.
Based on last month’s data, EVs now account for nearly 1 in 11 new vehicles registered in Malaysia. This signals that EV adoption is no longer driven purely by incentives as the EV market growth is now sustained by affordable mass market EVs.
Top 30 EV models in Malaysia for January 2026
January 2026 also marked a milestone for mass-market EV adoption, with the Proton e.MAS 5 taking the #1 spot with 3,068 registrations. That’s nearly half of all EVs registered last month.
The Proton e.MAS 5’s monthly registration figure is also a record high from a single EV model. We expect the momentum to continue since the affordable EV hatchback has raked in close to 15,000 bookings up to early January.
Taking second place is the Zeekr 7X with 426 units, followed by the BYD Atto 3 at third place with 389 units.
The list continues with the Proton e.MAS 7 at #4 with 208 units, followed by the BYD Sealion 7 at #5 with 208 units and BYD Seal 6 at #7 with 195 units.
Meanwhile, the iCaur 03 is at #8 with 183 units, Leapmotor B10 at #9 with 100 units and Tesla Model 3 at #10 with 91 units.
In case you’re wondering, the Perodua QV-E recorded zero registrations in January 2026. Between November to December 2025, the national car maker had registered a total of 38 units. As a comparison, other sub-RM80,000 contenders such as the Dongfeng Box E3 had registered 40 units, while the TQ Wuling Bingo had registered 35 units in January 2026.
Top 20 EV brands in Malaysia for January 2026
With its stellar performance last month, Proton has emerged as the #1 EV brand in Malaysia for January with 3,276 units, overtaking BYD which recorded 913 units. Zeekr takes #3 spot with 489 units, followed by Chery at #4 with 463 units and Tesla at #5 with 176 units.
Despite the early uncertainties especially when it comes to import tax and duties, the pricing of most EVs remain mostly unchanged with little price revision.
Last month, Tesla announced that it will maintain its 2025 EV pricing into 2026 and it even introduced a cheaper Model 3 Standard RWD variant that’s priced from RM147,600.
Proton even announced its locally-assembled e.MAS 7 2026 which comes with additional features and a lower price which now starts from RM99,800.
Last week, Zeekr Malaysia revealed its 2026 pricing for its popular Zeekr 7X which has a very slight increase of RM3,000-RM4,000. With a modest 1.8% increment, the Zeekr 7X remains very competitive against other similar SUVs like the Tesla Model Y, the Xpeng G6 and the BYD Sealion 7.
Double wins for Proton: #1 in petrol and #1 in EVs
Proton led both the petrol and electric vehicle segments in January 2026, with the Proton Saga recording 10,285 registrations to become Malaysia’s most popular car for the month, ahead of the Perodua Bezza at 8,431 units.
In the EV segment, the Proton e.MAS 5 leads as the #1 EV model. And with 3,068 units, it is also #5 in the overall top 20 vehicle registration list, beating the Perodua Alza, Proton X50 and the Perodua Traz.
