INTERACTICE: Electric cars race ahead as e-motorcycles struggle to catch up

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI

PETALING JAYA: The adoption of electric motorcycles in Malaysia is far behind that of electric cars, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

Data from the department shows that, as of March 31, there were 98,202 electric cars on the road, far outpacing electric motorcycles at 22,308 units.

Last year alone, 44,813 electric cars were registered — exceeding electric motorcycles registrations by 25,032 units, which stood at 10,781.



The gap has persisted into this year, with electric cars recorded 14,591 new registrations as of March 31 compared with 2,764 electric motorcycles.

Over the past decade, the growth trajectory between the two segments has diverged sharply. 

From 2015 to 2025, electric car adoption expanded at an average annual rate of 95%, rising from 55 units to 44,813.

Electric motorcycles, however, grew at a slower pace of 45% annually, increasing from 262 units in 2015 to 10,781 units in 2025.

Market share figures reflect a similar disparity. 

Electric motorcycles accounted for 1.53% of new motorcycle registrations in 2025, roughly a third of the share held by electric cars.



Meanwhile, electric cars saw their share surge from 0.05% in 2021 to 5.15% in 2025. 

As of March 31, their share had climbed further to 7.58%, while electric motorcycles slightly reduced at about 1.5%.

 

Broader vehicle trends

In contrast to the electric vehicle trend, motorcycle registrations have historically grown at a faster rate than cars. 

Between 2000 and 2025, motorcycles expanded at an average annual rate of 4.43%, compared with 3.68% for cars.

Motorcycle registrations nearly tripled from about 239,000 units in 2000 to about 705,000 last year. 



Car registrations, meanwhile, grew two and a half times — from 352,000 to 870,000 units over the same period.

During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, motorcycles briefly outpaced cars.

In 2021, 615,000 motorcycles were registered compared with 530,000 cars.

However, the trend reversed sharply from 2022 onwards, with car registrations surging to a record 870,000 units last year. 

Motorcycle registrations peaked earlier at about 720,000 units.

Since then, cars have decisively pulled ahead.

In total, there are 15.38 million cars and 13.06 million motorcycles registered on Malaysia’s road as of last year.


Motorcycle market composition

In 2025, the motorcycle market remained dominated by conventional petrol-powered models, which accounted for 693,917 registrations, compared with 10,781 electric units.

By brand, Yamaha led the overall motorcycle market with 376,494 units registered, followed by Honda (151,763 units) and SM Sport (27,135 units).

Within the electric motorcycle segment, Yadea topped the list with 4,098 units, followed by GGR with 2,601 units and Zeeho with 1,303 units.

 

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