Budi95: Foreign Vehicles Sighted Filling RON95 Despite Ban

Earlier today at 3.55AM, a Singapore-registered vehicle was spotted refuelling RON95 at a petrol station in Masai, Johor. The driver paid RM2.60 per litre, with social media posts suggesting some motorists are deliberately fuelling up at odd hours to avoid detection. 

What stood out was that the incident was flagged by another customer, while the kiosk attendant did not stop the foreign car from pumping RON95.

The case comes despite repeated reminders that foreign-registered vehicles are strictly barred from buying RON95 in Malaysia. The fuel, even at unsubsidised price of RM2.60, remains far cheaper than in Singapore, where petrol costs around SGD2.88, or RM9.40 per litre.

Best of all, the incident came just hours after MalayMail reported the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) said monitoring at petrol stations near the Malaysia-Singapore border will be stepped up. 

According to Johor KPDN Director Lilis Saslinda Pornoma, there will be no compromise, with operators also responsible for ensuring only Malaysian-registered vehicles enjoy the RON95 subsidy.

“The ban is clear, and it is also the responsibility of petrol station operators to ensure that only vehicles registered in Malaysia enjoy the subsidy at RM1.99 per litre. Foreign vehicles must opt for the more expensive RON97,” she said after inspecting the Budi95 scheme’s rollout.

The Budi95 initiative, allows eligible Malaysians to buy up to 300 litres of RON95 a month at the subsidised rate of RM1.99 per litre, down from RM2.05. She also added that a reporting platform has also been created for the public to flag suspected subsidy abuse.

However, based on what we can see online even on Carz.com.my’s social post comments, confusion still lingers. Some motorists wrongly assume RON95 is unsubsidised and open to all vehicles, but the rule remains unchanged: only Malaysian-registered vehicles can pump RON95, while foreign vehicles are limited to RON97.

The government insists its stance is firm. But with the wide price gap and messaging still muddled for many, the question arises: since RON95 is now on at floating price, should foreign-registered vehicles be allowed access too? What do you think?