Malaysia’s Road Transport Department has seized 1,050 luxury vehicles, including Rolls-Royces and Lamborghinis, worth over RM200 million (US$50.9 million) since July 2025 in an operation targeting traffic violations.
The campaign focused on owners of high-end cars and targeted offenses such as unpaid road tax, missing insurance coverage and expired or invalid driving licenses. Vehicles taken also included Mercedes-Benz and BYD models.
“The implementation of Ops Luxury sends a clear message that JPJ (Road Transport Department) will not compromise with any party that fails to comply with road traffic regulations. Ownership of luxury vehicles is not an excuse to neglect responsibilities as lawful road users,” the department said in a statement cited by online news site SAYS.
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One of the luxury cars seized by Malaysia’s Road Transport Department. Photo from the department’s Facebook |
Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan, the department’s senior enforcement director, said enforcement actions have boosted awareness among owners and made it increasingly rare to find luxury cars without valid road tax.
“Previously, we could seize many vehicles in a single operation. Now, during recent operations, we only managed to seize six, which shows improved compliance,” he said, as quoted by the New Straits Times.
“However, monitoring continues, and several vehicles remain under our radar, particularly in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.”
He noted that some owners blamed forgetfulness or financial constraints for not renewing their road tax, even though their cars were valued at RM3 million to RM5 million.
The department used to only issue summonses with fines as low as RM300, which was ineffective, he said.
Since the department began impounding vehicles and requiring owners to clear outstanding road tax payments, compliance has improved sharply, with about 90% settling their arrears, according to national news agency Bernama.
