For an ordinary car, the Malaysia driving licence class you need is Class D, or Class DA if you only drive automatics. Both cover cars up to 3,500 kg unladen. Motorcycles are Class B2 (up to 250 cc) or Class B (no engine-size cap), and lorries, tractors and machinery have classes of their own. JPJ, the Road Transport Department, sets them; this is how they stand in 2026.
| Class | What it covers |
|---|---|
| A | Motorcycles adapted for disabled drivers |
| A1 | Motor cars adapted for disabled drivers |
| B | Motorcycles of any engine size; since B1 was dropped, the class for anything above 250 cc |
| B2 | Motorcycles up to 250 cc |
| C | Three-wheeled motorcycles |
| D | Motor cars up to 3,500 kg unladen, manual or automatic |
| DA | Motor cars up to 3,500 kg unladen, automatic only |
| E classes | Heavy vehicles and lorries |
| F, G, H, I | Tractors and light or heavy mobile machinery, wheeled or tracked |
The mix-ups
Class B on an International Driving Permit is a car. In Malaysia, Class B is a big motorcycle. On an IDP, and in many countries' own licences, category B means an ordinary car up to 3,500 kg; here a car is Class D. So if your IDP shows category B, that's the one that lets you drive a car in Malaysia.
DA doesn't cover a manual. Class D covers cars with a clutch pedal as well as automatics. DA is for cars without one: automatics, which includes dual-clutch gearboxes and electric cars. To drive a manual on a DA licence you need to upgrade to D, and a driving institute can tell you how.
The 3,500 kg is unladen weight, the car empty, not with passengers. Ordinary cars, SUVs and MPVs sit well under it, large luxury SUVs and seven-seat MPVs included, so D or DA covers them. Lorries and buses are a different matter.
Class B1 has gone. It covered motorcycles up to 500 cc; JPJ stopped offering it to new applicants from October 2024 and merged it into Class B. Existing B1 holders can keep it or join an upgrade programme to B. B2, for bikes up to 250 cc, carries on.
Apakah perbezaan lesen D dan DA? Lesen D untuk kereta manual dan automatik; lesen DA untuk kereta automatik sahaja. Kedua-duanya untuk kereta sehingga 3,500 kg tanpa muatan.
How a Malaysian gets a licence
As at 2026 the minimum age for Class D is 17, and a new driver goes through three stages.
- Learner (LDL). Join a JPJ-registered driving institute, sit the KPP01 theory course and pass the road law test. The learner licence lets you train with L plates on the circuit and on public roads.
- Probationary (PDL). Pass JPJ's practical test and you get a probationary licence for two years, with P plates front and rear. Go past 20 demerit points under JPJ's KEJARA system in that time and the licence is revoked. Our guide to speed limits and AES cameras covers the demerit points that matter most on a P licence.
- Competent (CDL). After probation, a full competent licence, renewable for up to 10 years at a time. Adding another class later doesn't put you back on probation.
Driving for a living needs a vocational licence on top: GDL (Goods Driving Licence) for commercial goods vehicles such as lorries and panel vans, or PSV (Public Service Vehicle) for commercial passenger vehicles such as taxis, buses and e-hailing cars. E-hailing drivers have needed a PSV since 2019. You must be a Malaysian citizen or permanent resident, 21 or over, in good health, with a competent licence.
Visitors and new residents
Visitors don't need a Malaysian licence. With an ASEAN licence you drive on it as it is; other visitors carry their own licence plus an International Driving Permit issued at home. Malaysia road rules for foreigners has the details.
If you're moving here, only some categories of foreign licence holder can convert, and the rules change from time to time. Ask a JPJ state office, and read cars for expats in Malaysia.
Renting with your licence
Rental companies add their own rules on top of the law, such as a minimum age and how long you've held the licence. Grandpride's are CHECK: minimum age, minimum years licensed, whether probationary (P) licence holders can rent, and any stricter rules for supercars. Car rental age requirements in Malaysia explains how companies usually set them.
Only the named renter may drive a Grandpride self-drive car, so that person's licence is the one that counts. Most luxury cars and supercars now are automatic or dual-clutch, which a DA licence covers, but a few sports cars are made only as manuals CHECK: which rental cars, if any, have a manual gearbox, so DA licence holders know what they can rent. On a DA, ask before you book a sports car, or stay with an automatic like the Honda Jazz at RM 600 a day.
If nobody in the group has the right licence, a Grandpride chauffeur can be booked by the hour instead.
