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Demystifying Malaysia's numbering system for license plates: Why does each state have its own unique alphabetical code?
Malaysian number plates are displayed on the front and rear of all private and commercial vehicles as required by law. According to the regulations of the Malaysian Ministry of Transport (Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Malaysia, referred to as JPJ), the issuance of license plates is controlled and managed. You can check the latest license plate issuance status through the JPJ official website. Malaysian number plate designs are derived from pre-1932 British number plate formats that were introduced during the British colonial period in the 1900s and came into use with the introduction of motorcycles.
Malaysian number plates are primarily used on all vehicles running on rubber tyres, including most road-legal private, commercial and industrial vehicles as well as motorcycles, emergency vehicles and selected heavy equipment. Most license plates have white letters on a black background, a standard that applies to all vehicles except taxis, car dealers and diplomats.
Standards for license plate design are defined by the Ministry of Transportation, but actual implementation varies. There are stricter specifications on the use of character size, layout and color to ensure accurate recognition and optimal visibility.
The best display effect of Malaysian license plates mainly comes from the unified specification of character size and color. However, the shape and dimensions of license plates are more loose. Although the plates displayed on some vehicles are within the compliance range, their borders and display materials may not meet the standards. In fact, license plates that are more suitable for small cars or sports cars are often designed to better "fit" the size configuration of their respective bodies. This practice, although it may be legally controversial, is widespread in the market.
Early Malaysian number plates were mainly made of pressed metal, but starting in the 1970s, the emergence of plastic plates quickly replaced metal plates. Plastic license plates are favored by car owners because they are cheaper and less likely to be stolen. However, many car owners are troubled by the fragility of plastic license plates and their tendency to fade and letters to fall off in bad weather. JPJ raised discussions on standardized number plates in 2016, including the idea of using RFID chips and pressing metal plates.
License plate format in Peninsular Malaysia
In Peninsular Malaysia, the number plates of all private and commercial vehicles follow xxx
