‘Gold’, ‘Patriot’ or ‘A_A’ Special car plates are a big business in Malaysia

A status symbol even royals pursue, they help the government collect millions in revenue each year and have given rise to a resale market.

- Lu Wei Hoong

KUALA LUMPUR - When it comes to getting the car plate of his choice, 45-year-old Au Yong does not take any chances.

On June 6, the businessman submitted bids of about RM26,000 (S$7,900) each for the number plates JYC 28 and JYC 26 on the e-bidding platform of Malaysia's Road Transport Department (JPJ). His bid for the latter car plate was nearly nine times the second-highest bid.

The letters "JYC" are a shorthand for his company's name, while he and his wife consider 28 and 26 as auspicious numbers and had used them for their seven other cars.

"Ten years ago, I spent RM2,000 to get 28 and 26. Both are our preferred numbers that helped us grow from a small contractor to a scaled-up supplier," Mr Au Yong, who declined to give his full name owing to privacy concerns, told The Straits Times.

In Malaysia, which has 38.7 million registered cars — more than its population of 34.1 million — the auction of special car plates is big business. These plates help the government collect hundreds of millions of ringgit in revenue each year and have given rise to a resale market involving thousands of agents.

In 2023, Malaysia raised RM569.6 million in revenue from the auction of special car plates, up from RM501.5 million in 2022.

Besides car plates with common prefixes paired with running numbers, there are also auctions of plates with special prefixes such as GOLD, A_A, FFF or EV, which generated revenue of RM45.9 million in 2024.

PRIZED STATUS SYMBOLS

In Malaysia, special car plate numbers are a status symbol, said Mr Anthony Lim, senior editor of popular automotive website Paul Tan's Automotive News.

"A car is not just a means of transport but also a collectible personal item. One of the key ways to personalise it is through the number plate, often featuring auspicious numbers and special meanings," he told ST.