Proton eMas EV and PHEV models have saved 21 million litres of fuel, RM39.9 million in government subsidies

At today’s rollout ceremony for the locally-assembled (CKD) Proton eMas 7 PHEV, the company claimed its fully electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models have contributed to fuel savings of 21.26 million litres.

This translates to a total fuel cost reduction of RM42.3 million for owners based on the prevailing price of RON 95 petrol at RM1.99 per litre under the Budi Madani RON 95 (Budi95) scheme. More importantly, the company said the government is saving RM39.9 million in terms of subsidising the fuel.

To arrive at these figures, Proton first referred to its internal data that showed the number of eMas models currently on the road and the total mileage they have covered, the latter made possible by vehicle telematics.

In the case of the eMas 5, there are currently 11,607 units that have covered a total mileage of 60.35 million km. When compared to a regular internal combustion engine (ICE) car with an estimated equivalent fuel consumption of 5.3 litres per 100 km, the eMas 5 alone has saved 3.18 million litres, so the company says.

This approach in projection is also applied to the eMas 7, where 11,749 units have covered 186.03 million km, and when compared to an ICE equivalent fuel consumption of nine litres per 100 km, the fully electric SUV is said to have saved 16.74 million litres. For the eMas 7 PHEV, it is 1.34 million litres.

Proton eMas EV and PHEV models have saved 21 million litres of fuel, RM39.9 million in government subsidies

Put all three together and you arrive at the claimed 21.26 million litres of fuel savings, which, when multiplied with the Budi95 price, is RM42.3 million. As for the RM39.9 million fuel subsidy savings, Proton referred to an article by The Edge posted on March 30, 2026 that stated the government subsidises RON 95 petrol at about RM1.88 per litre. Take that and multiply with 21.26 million litres and you arrive at the subsidy savings total.

It’s worth pointing out that the amount the government subsidises per litre is based on the difference between the subsidised (RM1.99 per litre) and unsubsidised price of RON 95 petrol. The latter is currently at RM3.82 per litre as per the latest weekly fuel price update, so the implied amount that is subsidised per litre is RM1.83 per litre.

With the prices of unsubsidised RON 95 changing weekly (data.gov.my tracks this), Proton’s claim of just how much the government saved on fuel subsidies is both subjective and highly specific.

For example, if the unsubsidised RON 95 price chosen to illustrate its point was RM4.27 per litre – the highest since the West Asian conflict started – the amount of subsidies paid to enable Budi95 is RM2.28 per litre, which, if applied to the 21.16 million litres that Proton says its eMas models have helped “save,” is RM48.4 million in savings for the government.

Also, note that the bulk of the “saved” litres come from the eMas 7, which started deliveries well before the recent Middle East issues. For the entirely of last year, the subsidy amount per litre was nowhere near as high as the figure being used here.

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