The Road Transport Department (JPJ) in Penang has seized 51 luxury cars worth a combined RM14 million since early January, Bernama reports. The vehicles were confiscated during a targeted crackdown running until 24 May 2026, dubbed “Ops Luxury”, after owners were caught driving without valid road tax.
Penang JPJ Director Zulkifly Ismail revealed that a total of 124 offences were recorded against these high-end motorists. According to Zulkifly, the offenders offered a range of excuses. Most claimed they either forgot to update their documents or rarely drove the vehicles, leading them to deliberately skip the renewal process.
According to the director, the seized vehicles included models such as the Toyota Vellfire, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, and Hyundai EVs. He noted that some of the owners were prominent businessmen, including individuals holding the titles of Datuk and Datuk Seri.
In total, this resulted in a government revenue loss of RM175,236.92 due to owners failing to renew their road tax and insurance coverage, with some individuals reportedly driving their cars without valid tax since 2020.
“The operation also detected a Ford Mustang that had not renewed its road tax since 2022, with the vehicle’s annual road tax estimated at RM10,900. These high-end vehicles are among those with high road tax rates,” Zulkifly stated at a press conference at the Penang JPJ headquarters.
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He added that from June to 31 December last year, Penang JPJ seized 73 luxury vehicles, which resulted in an estimated RM88,000 in government revenue leakages due to unrenewed road tax.
“None of the vehicles seized this time belonged to owners who had previously faced similar action last year, and we will continue conducting such operations from time to time to detect vehicles that do not comply with the stipulated regulations,” he concluded.
On a broader national level, JPJ Deputy Director-General of Planning and Operations Datuk Jazmanie bin Shafawi stated that the department will not compromise with motorists operating vehicles without a valid motor vehicle licence. Jazmanie emphasised during a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur JPJ depot that driving without a valid licence is a serious offence under the Road Transport Act 1987.
He revealed that a total of 1,814 luxury vehicle seizures have been recorded nationwide across various premium brands, including Porsche and Lamborghini. This overall figure includes 899 impounded vehicles in 2025 and 915 seizures so far in 2026.
Jazmanie also stressed that operating an unlicensed vehicle poses a major financial risk to road users, as these vehicles are entirely unprotected by insurance coverage if an accident occurs.
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