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Verify who is selling and what the vehicle's status is. Inspect it properly. Put the payment terms in writing. Complete the transfer inspection. Then transfer ownership at JPJ.
The sequence is the protection. Each step is cheap to walk away from, and the next one costs more — which is why the expensive commitments come last. And do not pay in full simply because a car “passed PUSPAKOM”: that inspection is narrower than most buyers assume.
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| Step | What it settles |
|---|---|
| 1. Seller and status | Who owns it, and whether anything blocks a transfer |
| 2. Mechanical inspection | What it will cost you after you own it |
| 3. Written terms | What happens if the deal falls through |
| 4. Transfer inspection and JPJ | The registration itself |
Check that the person selling the car is the registered owner, and that the registration document matches the car in front of you — chassis and engine numbers included.
Then check that nothing blocks a transfer. JPJ states that an ownership transfer cannot proceed where there are restrictions on the vehicle — an ownership claim by a finance company, unsettled customs duty, a blacklist, or other registration conditions. Finding that out before money changes hands is the entire reason this is step one.
If the car still has financing on it
The route is to settle the financing and then transfer ownership. If the seller instead proposes that you simply take over the monthly payments, that is sambung bayar — it transfers no ownership, and the car can be repossessed however reliably you pay.
The last point is the one that saves money. An inspection arranged by the person selling the car answers their question, not yours.
The report required for an ownership transfer is now called the Motor Vehicle Inspection Report for Transfer of Ownership (M.V.15). It was previously known as B5; the rename is administrative and does not change the fee.
It verifies the things registration depends on — vehicle identity, chassis and engine numbers, and that the car matches its record. The inspection can be done at PUSPAKOM or at a recognised motor vehicle inspection centre.
Confirm the validity period when you book
The report is valid for a stated period, and that period was changed recently. Rather than repeat a number that may already be out of date, check the current validity with PUSPAKOM at the time you book. What matters in practice is the same either way: do not let the report expire between the inspection and your JPJ appointment.
PUSPAKOM itself has been explicit that its inspections have different purposes: the transfer-ownership inspection, the hire-purchase inspection, special inspections and the voluntary vehicle inspection each cover different ground. A car can pass the inspection required for registration and still need a separate assessment for risks that inspection never looked at.
Where a used vehicle is bought with financing, PUSPAKOM states that it must undergo a Hire Purchase Inspection under the Hire Purchase Act 1967. That is a separate inspection from the transfer one, with its own purpose and its own fee.
Financing an older car generally means a shorter tenure and less favourable terms than a new one. Work out the instalment and the total repayable before you commit — the car loan calculator covers both, and note that hire-purchase agreements entered into from 1 June 2026 are on reducing balance with a disclosed EIR.
Before any deposit changes hands, write down what happens in each outcome. At minimum:
The deposit condition is the one people leave vague, and it is the one that is argued about. Settle it before paying, not afterwards.
For a voluntary transfer of a privately owned vehicle between individuals, JPJ requires both the registered owner and the new owner to attend in person for biometric fingerprint verification. A completed JPJK3 form is part of the basic documentation, alongside identification and the vehicle's own papers.
There is also a statutory seven-day window most buyers never hear about. Section 13(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 [Act 333] requires both parties to send the prescribed form to the Director within seven days of the change of possession — the seller under paragraph (a), the buyer under paragraph (b). Paragraph (c) is the one that matters most to a buyer: the vehicle may not be used for more than seven days after the change of possession unless the new owner has been registered as the owner. Driving the car while the paperwork “gets sorted” is not a safe zone; it has a deadline in law.
Insurance and road tax follow. Arrange cover in the new owner's name to take effect from the handover, and do not drive away on the strength of a promise that it will be sorted out later.
| Item | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership transfer, private car — Peninsular Malaysia | RM100 | Gazetted |
| Ownership transfer, private car — Sabah & Sarawak | RM40 | Gazetted |
| Transfer of ownership inspection | RM30 | Gazetted |
| Hire purchase inspection | RM60 | PUSPAKOM's published price, not a statutory fee |
| Voluntary vehicle inspection | RM50 | PUSPAKOM's published price; not a mandatory inspection |
The distinction in the last column is worth keeping. The first three amounts are set by gazette. The last two are prices PUSPAKOM publishes for services it offers — they can change without an amendment to any instrument, so confirm them when you book.
Note also the regional gap on the transfer fee: RM100 in Peninsular Malaysia against RM40 in Sabah and Sarawak.
Verify the seller and the vehicle’s status first, then inspect it mechanically, then agree payment terms in writing, then complete the transfer inspection, and only then transfer ownership at JPJ. The order matters because each step is cheap to walk away from and the next one is more expensive. Never pay in full simply because a car has passed an inspection.
No, and PUSPAKOM says so itself. The transfer-ownership inspection, the hire-purchase inspection and the voluntary vehicle inspection have different purposes and different scopes. A car can pass the inspection required for registration and still need a separate mechanical assessment for risks that inspection was never looking at. Treat a pass as meaning what it says, within its own scope.
It has a stated validity period and that period was changed recently, so confirm the current one with PUSPAKOM when you book rather than relying on a figure you read anywhere — including here. The practical consequence is the same either way: do not let the report expire between the inspection and the JPJ appointment.
The transfer fee for a private car is gazetted: RM100 in Peninsular Malaysia and RM40 in Sabah and Sarawak. The transfer-ownership inspection fee is also gazetted, at RM30, and PUSPAKOM is authorised to collect and keep it. Other inspections are priced by PUSPAKOM rather than set by gazette — a hire-purchase inspection and a voluntary inspection are published at RM60 and RM50, but those are prices, not statutory fees.
For a voluntary transfer of a privately owned vehicle between individuals, JPJ requires the registered owner and the new owner to attend in person for biometric fingerprint verification. A completed JPJK3 form is part of the basic documentation.
JPJ states that a transfer cannot proceed where there are restrictions on the vehicle — an ownership claim by a finance company, unsettled customs duty, a blacklist, or other registration conditions. This is why checking the vehicle’s status comes before paying anything, not after.
Decline. An informal takeover transfers no ownership and leaves the financing in the seller’s name, which means the car can be repossessed however reliably you pay. If the car still has outstanding financing, the correct route is to settle it and then transfer ownership properly.
General educational guidance, not legal advice. Fees, forms, inspection scope and validity periods change. Confirm current requirements with JPJ and PUSPAKOM on their official channels before you book or pay.