Cars purchased by Malaysians in 2025 could release 3.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually—equivalent to the total emissions of a small country—according to a new report by environmental group RimbaWatch.
The report, titled “The Contribution of Malaysia’s Automotive Sector to Climate Change,” found that over 825,000 petrol cars were registered last year. Over their lifetimes, these vehicles are expected to burn 24.65 billion litres of petrol—enough to fill more than 9,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools—and release approximately 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) into the atmosphere.
“That is about 3.4 million tCO2e every year, comparable to the total emissions of Lesotho,” said RimbaWatch director Adam Farhan. “This shows how much private car use contributes to Malaysia’s carbon footprint.”
The report also challenges the assumption that switching to electric vehicles (EVs) automatically reduces emissions. Adam noted that if all 825,000 new cars had been EVs, Peninsular Malaysia’s annual emissions would actually be slightly higher at 3.66 million tCO2e. By contrast, in Sarawak—where most electricity comes from renewable sources like hydropower—EVs produce far less carbon, about 68g CO2e per kilometre compared with 166g for petrol cars.
Adam stressed that EVs alone cannot solve Malaysia’s transport challenges. “We need fast, reliable, and affordable public transport—not just in Kuala Lumpur, but across the country. Better bus services, walkable streets, and first- and last-mile options such as e-scooters are essential to reduce reliance on private cars,” he said.
The report also calls for road tax reforms that reflect a vehicle’s real environmental impact, rather than engine size, and urges the government to set interim carbon targets for vehicles, gradually reducing emissions toward near-zero by 2050.
