Electric Vehicle Adoption: A Comparative Analysis in Malaysia and ASEAN Countries

Electric vehicles (EVs) offer environmental and economic benefits, but face barriers to widespread adoption globally and in the ASEAN region. This paper analyses Malaysia’s EV adoption approach and progress compared to neighbouring countries to understand its positioning and potential policy improvements. The analysis examines government EV incentives, infrastructure development, market growth, and remaining challenges across multiple ASEAN nations. While Malaysia introduced early EV incentives, progress remains slower than regional leaders like Thailand and Indonesia with under 31,000 EVs on Malaysian roads versus over 84,000 in Thailand. High vehicle costs, lack of public charging stations, and low consumer awareness require urgent policy action. By learning from the successes and missteps of advanced ASEAN EV markets, Malaysia can enhance strategic support through improved incentives, infrastructure investments, awareness campaigns, and intergovernmental collaboration to accelerate sustainable electric mobility.