A guide to the traffic and driving in Malaysia

The driving culture of Malaysia

Malaysia has a high quality road system with an excellent reputation, especially on the highways between the larger cities of the country. Driving in Malaysia is generally safe and Malaysians love to drive. The country has the third highest rate of car ownership in the world, with 93% of the households owning a car. (This is caused by the fact that many households have multiple cars).

Just like in many countries differs the driving style between drivers within the city borders and out of the city borders. Drivers seem to be more easy-going out of the city borders and at some highways you will even have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the valleys and jungles. It is a different story within the city borders. Drivers are more hasty and you will have to be more alert and aware of the traffic around you. This is probably not different from other major cities and it is also not so strange when you consider that Kuala Lumpur is a densely populated city with about 1.8 million inhabitants.

In general can be said that people from Malaysia are better drivers than other people from Southeast Asia, but they still take the traffic rules with a grain of salt. So always look around your car before making any maneuver. You also have to accept that the traffic lights and the straight white lines on the road are not always honored by all drivers.

Asian cities have more motorcyclists on the road compared to major European and North-American cities, so you must be careful with the blind spots around your car. And always put on your direction signals when you are going to change lanes. But when you stay calm, take your time and have some experience with driving in a major city it is not difficult to drive in Kuala Lumpur.

The chance to end up in a traffic jam in Kuala Lumpur are the highest during the 7-10 AM rush hours when people drive from their homes to their work and at the 4-7 PM rush hours when the same people drive back from their work to their homes. When you are late for an appointment take a deep breath and don’t worry about it too much, because being a little late is widely accepted in Kuala Lumpur.

Car rental in Kuala Lumpur

Although public transport in Kuala Lumpur has improved recent years, it still has its issues. It does not cover every part of the city, it can have its delays and it can be crowded. This is why many people in Kuala Lumpur still prefer to take the car above public transportation. And many travelers to Kuala Lumpur seem to agree with the locals.

At Meet The Cities we tend to make use of the public transport when we stay in the city center of Kuala Lumpur. But we prefer to hire a car when we leave the city center, as a rental car is a comfortable and affordable way to travel around in Kuala Lumpur and to discover other areas of Malaysia. It gives you the freedom to discover different areas and places at your own pace and according to your own program.

Many of the major car rental companies like Alamo, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt are present in Malaysia. Within Kuala Lumpur you will find most car rental companies at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and several in downtown Kuala Lumpur. A great feature of renting from one of these major car rental brands is that the cars that they offer are often fairly new. And most rental companies offer the possibility to drop the car off at another location than where you’ve picked the car up. This is especially convenient when you travel to different areas in Malaysia.

An advantage of booking your rental car well in advance is that your selected car will be ready for you when you arrive at the car rental location. This will save you time waiting and discussing with an car rental employee about which cars are (only) available today at which tariffs. So by booking in advance you will be sure that you don’t end up with a smaller car while you’re you travel with a large family, or the other way around. Booking a rental car in advance is also often cheaper than at the car rental location, especially when you make your booking before the peak seasons. In general it could be said that the price becomes lower the further you book in advance and that the price per day becomes lower when you rent a car for a longer period.

If you want to find the best deals it’s useful to make use of a website that compares the rates of many car rental companies considering the car and period that you prefer. Probably the most convenient and well-known website that compares the terms of car rental companies for you is rentalcars.com. Such websites often have attractive deals with rental companies so that they can offer you prices with a discount. And if your travel schedule is a little flexible you can compare different dates and different kinds of cars to see how you can get the best deal.

Most popular rental companies in Malaysia offer an unlimited number of kilometers (miles) for free, but it is always wise to check this in advance at the car rental comparison website. Most rental car companies have the policy that you will receive the selected rental car with a full tank and that you also have to return the rental car with a full tank.

Who are allowed to drive in Malaysia

In Malaysia is the minimum legal age to drive a car 17 years and to ride a motorcycle 16 years. Obviously must the person also be in possession of a valid driver’s license. In Malaysia there are five types of driving licenses.

The LDL: A Learner’s Driving License is for the learners that attend a driving school and are only allowed to drive in a car from a driving school that displays the L plate.
The PDL: A Probationary Driving License is for the drivers that have passed all the driving tests and procedures less than two years ago.They also must display the probationary licence plate on their vehicle.
The CDL: A Competent Driving License is for the qualified drivers that are promoted from the PDL.
The VDL: A Vocational Driving License is a special driver’s license for drivers of commercial vehicles like buses, trucks and lorries.
The IDP: An International Driving Permit is an international driver’s license that allows Malaysians to drive in other countries.

Foreign citizens are not required to hold a Malaysian driver’s license for up to three months, if they want to drive in Malaysia. They only need a valid driving license that is accompanied by a translation in English or Malay from the relevant authority of their home country that has issued the driving license (when the driving license is in another language than English or Malay). After these three months a foreign citizen has two options. It will need to be in possession of an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued by the relevant authority of its home country, or it will need to obtain a Malaysian driving license. For expats it can be sensible to obtain a Malaysian driving license as the IDP is only valid for one year. The Malaysian driver’s license can be obtained via the Road Transport Department Malaysia (Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Malaysia).

Traffic rules in Malaysia

Malaysia was a British colony in the past, but they still follow the British system of driving on the left-hand side of the road. Taking over occurs on the right-hand side of the road and also the steering wheel is on the right side of the vehicle.

But the Malaysian road signs are pretty easy to understand for most visitors as they follow the standardised international protocol. The Malaysian road signs are comparable with the road signs in Europe and the USA, but of course with some distinctions. And the traffic lights in Malaysia also have the same system as in most other countries where you must stop for a red light, you should stop for an amber light and you’re allowed to drive with a green light. In a major city like Kuala Lumpur are always people on the road that seem to be in a hurry. These kind of people will sometimes ignore the rules of the traffic lights, so you always have to be alert for these types of people when your traffic light becomes green.

The maximum speed limit on the Malaysian highway, which is called the expressway, is 110 km/h (68 mph). On the federal and state roads in mountain areas and near urban areas is the speed limit 90 km/h (56 mph). Within the city borders is the speed limit 60 km/h (37 mph).

Just like in many countries must the driver always have a valid driver’s license with him/her and must all passengers wear seatbelts. Driving and alcohol is a dangerous combination. When a driver has a blood/alcohol level of 0.8 grams per litre (g/l) or higher it is considered as driving under the influence of alcohol and will result in strict penalties. So make sure to avoid this.

The infrastructure of Malaysia

As described earlier has Malaysia a good infrastructure and a well maintained road network, which is often considered as one of the best in Southeast Asia. This especially goes for the highways, but some of the smaller roads can be less well maintained.

The driving distances on peninsular Malaysia, where also Kuala Lumpur is located, are quite manageable. From Kuala Lumpur is it possible to reach the border of Thailand or Singapore by car in about 4 hours.

The Malaysian highways (called expressways) have toll booths where you can conveniently pay with cash, or with a stored-value prepaid card like the Touch ‘n’ Go card or the SmartTag. Purchasing or refilling a Touch ‘n’ Go Card is possible at the local grocery shops or gas stations. On selected highways you also have reload lanes at the toll payment gates and occasionally you will find customer service counters next to the highway.

Right besides the highways you will find emergency phones about every two kilometers, which can be used in case you have car trouble. At these roads you will also frequently find places where you can stop with services like gas stations, toilet facilities, restaurants, food courts, motels, and some small stores. When you stop at a gas station it’s customary to first walk inside to state which pump you are going to use and how much gas you want to fill it up with. After filling your car up you might have to pay some extra if you tanked too much, or get some money back if you didn’t use the requested amount. But it should be the intention that you fill your tank with the requested amount. Sometimes there is an employee that helps you to refuel your car, but this isn’t always the case.

When you are going to park your car in Kuala Lumpur It is advised to park your car in a garage, such as a covered car park or a multi storey car park as it is a very crowded city. Street parking can lead to scratches or bumps on your car when people try to double park due to the lack of parking spaces on the streets.