PETALING JAYA: For some Malaysians, owning a car is less a luxury than a practical necessity, but this could change with improvements in public transport.
Aiman Rahman, 28, from Shah Alam, said switching to an electric vehicle (EV) had made car ownership more manageable as he became increasingly conscious of running costs.
“I still need a car for work so giving up a car is not really an option for me,” he said.
Aiman said he considered several factors, including the higher upfront cost and lower maintenance costs, before recently purchasing an EV.
“I think more Malaysians will start looking at the total cost of owning a car, rather than just the purchase price,” he added.
However, Aiman said he would consider using public transport if it became more convenient and offered better connectivity.
“Even with an EV, I still need to pay for tolls and parking.
While Malaysians remain attached to their cars, the public transport system, particularly in the Klang Valley, is expanding.
The Shah Alam LRT Line (LRT3), linking Bandar Utama to Johan Setia over 37.8km, began operations in June and is projected to carry 67,000 passengers daily in its first year, with a capacity of up to 223,560 passengers a day.
Rapid Rail, meanwhile, recorded more than one million commuters daily across its network as of Dec 2025, while current national ridership data covers services including the LRT, MRT, Monorail, ETS and KTM Komuter.
The East Coast Rail Link is also expected to begin passenger operations between Kota Bharu and Gombak in January 2027, providing another alternative for long-distance travel.
Meanwhile, car enthusiast Caleb Fong, 25, said limited public transport connectivity outside major urban centres continued to make private vehicles an important part of daily life.
“For a lot of Malaysians, their workplaces remain quite inaccessible by public transport,” he said.
He added that everyday activities such as grocery shopping, dining out and meeting friends could also be difficult without a car, unless people had access to other forms of transport.
Fong said fuel subsidies also meant higher fuel prices had not yet significantly changed the way many Malaysians viewed car ownership.
“I don’t think it’s a necessity, but it’s a big convenience.
“For people with higher incomes, it can also be something to be enjoyed,” he said.
But higher fuel prices could change his own purchasing decision.
“If Malaysia were to remove the subsidies, it would greatly affect my decision to buy a car,” he said.
Fong also believed better public transport could eventually reduce Malaysians’ reliance on private vehicles.
While central Kuala Lumpur already had a relatively comprehensive public transport network, he said connectivity remained less consistent across the wider Klang Valley.
