Do you need an IDP to rent a car in Malaysia?
The U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur states the basic rule for foreign visitors. You may drive in Malaysia with a valid foreign licence and a valid IDP issued in the same country as that licence. The embassy does not issue IDPs itself, so get yours at home before you fly.
Rental companies set the practical bar. Hertz Malaysia's rental requirements and its terms and conditions are a useful benchmark:
| Condition | Hertz Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Age | 21 to 75 for standard cars, 25 to 65 for luxury cars |
| Licence | Valid national licence or IDP; probationary licences refused |
| English-language licence | Accepted for driving in Malaysia for up to 3 months |
| Documents at the counter | Passport, licence, credit card in the renter's name |
| Debit cards | FAQ mentions an RM600 deposit for debit cards; the terms say credit cards only, so confirm |
| Fines | Renter pays all parking and traffic fines plus an RM70 admin fee per violation |
| Cross-border | No driving into Singapore, Thailand, Brunei or Indonesia |
The cross-border ban matters if you plan a day trip from Johor Bahru. The Causeway and the Second Link are covered in crossing the Johor border by car, but a Hertz car cannot make that trip.
How do you pay tolls on Malaysia's PLUS expressways?
PLUS runs the 823 km North-South Expressway and its links around Kuala Lumpur, according to the Malaysian Highway Authority. Its journey planning page says the expressways no longer accept cash, and lists what they do accept:
| Method | How it pays | Fits a rental car? |
|---|---|---|
| Touch 'n Go card | Tap the card on the reader at entry and exit | Yes, the simplest option for visitors |
| SmartTAG | In-car device that holds a Touch 'n Go card | Only if the car already has one |
| Touch 'n Go RFID | Sticker on the car, linked to a Touch 'n Go eWallet | Only if the rental company has fitted and linked one |
| Open payment (debit or credit card) | Tap a bank card at the lane | Yes, where the lane offers it |
| JustGO (number plate recognition) | App account linking a plate to a bank card | Pilot stretch only; check with the rental company first |
An RFID tag deducts from the Touch 'n Go eWallet it is registered to, together with the vehicle's details. A visitor cannot simply bring one over to a rental car. Touch 'n Go also notes that RFID lanes exist on all highways except LPT1 and LPT2, the East Coast Expressway sections, where the card or SmartTAG lanes remain.
JustGO, the plate-reading system, started as a pilot for private vehicles on 9 January 2026, covering nine toll plazas on the 87.7 km Hutan Kampung–Sungai Dua stretch in the north, according to a PLUS media statement. It requires registering the plate in the JustGO Malaysia app and linking a card. Check the app for the plazas currently covered. Without the rental company's agreement, it may clash with a tag already fitted to the car.
For buying and topping up a card in the city, see Touch 'n Go and getting around Kuala Lumpur.
Using a Touch 'n Go card at a toll plaza
How much are PLUS expressway tolls in Malaysia?
PLUS toll rates for cars, buses and taxis were cut by 18% from 1 February 2020, on the North-South Expressway, its Klang Valley and Seremban links, the Second Link and the Penang Bridge, the Ministry of Finance announced. The ministry said the restructured PLUS concession runs to 2058, and that commercial-vehicle rates stay frozen until it ends.
Bernama reported the per-kilometre figures from the Prime Minister's Office announcement: the North-South Expressway car rate fell from 13.6 sen to 11.15 sen per km, with no further increase planned until 2058. It also published two sample car fares from that date:
| Car journey | Toll reported in 2020 |
|---|---|
| Jalan Duta (KL) to Alor Setar | RM45.50 |
| Jalan Duta (KL) to Skudai (Johor Bahru) | RM38.50 |
Those are reported figures from 2020, not a current tariff. Check the fare for your exact route, including Kuala Lumpur to Penang or Melaka, in the PLUS app's journey planner before you load your card.
Worked example: KL to Alor Setar and back, with one camera flash
A visitor rents a car in Kuala Lumpur for a five-day drive north to Alor Setar and back, paying tolls with a Touch 'n Go card.
Tolls. Using the fare Bernama reported in 2020, two runs between Jalan Duta and Alor Setar cost 2 × RM45.50 = RM91, before any city expressway tolls. Loading around RM120 leaves room for other expressways around the Klang Valley and avoids a mid-trip top-up; confirm the current fare in the PLUS app first.
The summons. Suppose an AwAS camera records the car speeding on the way home. The JPJ AwAS FAQ explains that the summons is issued automatically and posted to the registered owner. The owner here is the rental company. The compound then rises with time:
| When it is paid | AwAS compound | Plus Hertz admin fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 15 | RM150 | RM70 | RM220 |
| Days 16 to 30 | RM200 | RM70 | RM270 |
| Days 31 to 60 | RM300 | RM70 | RM370 |
| After 60 days | Court action or blacklisting | — | — |
A single summons can cost more than twice the example trip's tolls. It also gets dearer the longer it sits in the post, and on a rental that post goes to the company, not to you. The tiers follow the national "the less you delay, the less you pay" rule for JPJ and police compounds that took effect on 1 January 2026. A joint media note from the transport and home affairs ministries sets the reductions: 50% off for payment in 1 to 15 days, 33% off in 16 to 30 days, the maximum rate in 31 to 60 days, and court action or blacklisting from day 61. Offences that cannot be compounded, such as driving without insurance or without a valid vehicle licence, get no reduction.
What happens if a Malaysian toll payment fails?
A failed tap, a low balance or a switched card creates an arrears record. PLUS's STORM portal lets users check and pay outstanding tolls by e-wallet, online banking or card. Records show up three days after the event. The portal only covers private vehicles and requires an account that takes up to three working days to verify. In a rental car, tell the company instead, because the arrears are recorded against its vehicle.
Pickup checklist
- Passport, home licence, IDP from the same country, and a credit card in your own name.
- Whether the car has a SmartTAG or RFID linked to the company, and how those tolls are billed.
- The admin fee for summonses and the address where notices will be forwarded.
- Where you plan to drive. Taking the car out of Malaysia is not allowed under Hertz's terms.