S'pore car in Kedah refuelled with RON97, not RON95: M'sia authorities

The driver of a Singapore-registered car filled his vehicle in Kedah, Malaysia with RON97 petrol instead of the subsidised RON95 petrol as previously believed, authorities there confirmed.

Investigations revealed that the man had paid for 25 litres of RON97 petrol costing RM79 (S$25), reported Bernama, citing Kedah's Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN Kedah) director Muhammad Nizam Jamaludin on Jan. 6.

Refuelled and paid for RON97

According to Nizam, authorities launched an investigation into a petrol station in the Changlun town following widespread circulation of images of the incident.

The driver was allegedly seen attempting to refuel with RON95 petrol.

However, a review of the station's closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage found that the vehicle did not refuel with RON95 petrol.

The man opted for 25 litres of RON97 petrol costing RM79 (S$25), and payment was made using a Visa card.

Nizam reiterated that KPDN had issued a directive on Apr. 29, 2025 to ban and control the sale of RON95 petrol to foreign-registered vehicles throughout the state.

He added that petrol station operators may be fined if found guilty of violating such regulations.

Allegedly seen trying to refuel with RON95

Images and videos of the incident gained traction online after the man was seen allegedly trying to refuel his vehicle with RON95 on Jan. 3.

He was allegedly seen reaching for the subsidised RON95 petrol nozzle, but was later stopped by a staff member.

The man then allegedly said "Sabah, Sabah", purportedly to mislead the staff into believing the car was registered in Malaysia.

Top photo via Amirul Syafiq/Facebook