Geely-Backed e.MAS 7 Leads Malaysia EV Market as Chinese Brands Grab Over Half

Data from the Malaysian Road Transport Department (JPJ) and automotive media outlet Paul Tan showed total EV registrations reached 8,287 units.

Of these, 5,038 were fully electric vehicles, down 14.5% from April, representing 7.6% of new car registrations.

Amid an overall market slump, Chinese EV brands retained market leadership with 2,637 monthly registrations, accounting for over 52% of all battery electric vehicles.

Proton, a Geely-backed local brand, led the pack with 2,408 EV registrations.

The Proton e.MAS series contributed 1,779 units, or 35.3% of Malaysia’s fully electric vehicle market.

Within the e.MAS lineup, the e.MAS 7 (the Malaysian version of Geely Galaxy E5) recorded 896 registrations, surpassing its sibling model e.MAS 5 by 13 units to become the country’s best-selling EV for the month.

To strengthen its position, Proton launched the e.MAS 7 Premium Plus at today’s KLIMS 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, starting at RM 118,800 ($17,525).

Additionally, the local CKD assembly line for e.MAS 5 is scheduled to start production this month to expand EV output.

BYD and Denza brand followed with a combined 959 registrations, down 34.2% month-on-month, ranking first among Chinese brands.

Seven BYD models entered the top 20 EVs, with Seal 6, Sealion 7, and Atto 2 totaling 718 units, accounting for 75% of the brand’s local registrations.

Chery’s iCaur series recorded 522 registrations, with the iCaur V2 contributing 397 units, ranking third among fully electric models.

Zeekr 7X added 355 units, while Xpeng, Leapmotor, and SAIC MG totaled 554 registrations.

Tesla’s presence continued to decline, registering only 197 units in May and dropping from fifth to sixth place.