# Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333): The Statute Behind Every Driving Licence and Number Plate

> Statute entity page for Act 333 — the law that requires a registered vehicle and a valid driving licence before anyone gets on a Malaysian road, the Parts it is organised into, and the compulsory third-party insurance regime it creates.

- Category: law
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/law/road-transport-act

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Every time a car changes hands in Malaysia, or a learner sits a driving test, or an
insurer pays out after a crash, one 1987 statute is quietly doing the work. It is
the reason a vehicle needs a registration number before it can touch a public
road, and the reason a driver without a licence is breaking the law the moment
the engine starts.

This page is the statute record for Act 333 — what it is, how it is structured,
and which Part to open for which question. It does not reproduce fine amounts,
demerit-point tables or step-by-step JPJ counter procedures, since those change
by subsidiary legislation and administrative notice far more often than the Act
itself.

## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Short title | Road Transport Act 1987 |
| Act number | Act 333 |
| Royal Assent | 30 August 1987 |
| Gazetted | 24 September 1987 |
| Commencement | 1 January 1988 |
| Administering agency | Road Transport Department (JPJ), under the Ministry of Transport |
| Latest reprint | Consolidated reprint maintained by the Attorney General's Chambers |

## What the Act is for

Act 333's long title describes an Act to regulate motor vehicles and traffic on
roads, to protect third parties against risks arising from the use of motor
vehicles, and to coordinate the means and facilities for transport and for the
construction and adaptation of motor vehicles.

In practice, it is the statute behind four everyday things:

- **Vehicle registration** — no vehicle may lawfully be possessed or used on a
  Malaysian road unless it is registered.
- **Driver licensing** — no one may drive without a licence valid for that class
  of vehicle.
- **Compulsory third-party insurance** — a vehicle used on a road must be
  covered against death, bodily injury or property damage liability to third
  parties.
- **Road traffic offences and enforcement** — the general framework for traffic
  offences, and the powers JPJ and the police use to enforce it.

## How the Act is organised

Act 333 runs to roughly 129 sections, organised into these Parts:

| Part | Covers |
| --- | --- |
| I | Preliminary — short title, interpretation, appointments and authorised officers |
| II | Classification, registration and licensing of motor vehicles and drivers |
| IIA | Periodic inspection of motor vehicles (roadworthiness/PUSPAKOM-type certification) |
| IIB | Foreign motor vehicles entering Malaysia |
| III | Roads — traffic control, speed limits and road use |
| IIIA | Motor vehicle road charges |
| IV | Provisions against third-party risks arising from the use of motor vehicles (compulsory insurance) |
| V | Offences and miscellaneous provisions |

Two specific obligations anchor the whole scheme. Section 7(1) provides that no
person shall possess or use a motor vehicle unless it is registered in
accordance with the Act. Section 26(1) provides that no person shall drive a
motor vehicle on a road unless they hold a driving licence authorising them to
drive a vehicle of that class.

## The compulsory insurance layer

Part IV is what makes Malaysian motor insurance different from an ordinary
commercial policy. It requires that a vehicle used on a road be covered against
third-party liability for death, bodily injury or property damage, and it gives
an injured third party a direct route to enforce a judgment against the
insurer — not just against the driver personally. This is the statutory
backbone underneath every "third-party", "third-party fire and theft" and
comprehensive motor policy sold in Malaysia.

## Not a single, static text

Act 333 has been amended repeatedly since 1988 — the AGC's own record for the
Act lists amendment after amendment across nearly four decades, consolidated
into the reprint the AGC currently maintains. Provisions on vehicle
inspection (Part IIA), foreign vehicles (Part IIB) and road charges (Part
IIIA) were all inserted well after the original 1987 text, which is why the
Part numbering has letters in it. Anyone citing a specific section should check
it against the current reprint rather than an older PDF copy circulating
online.

## What's next

This page fixes Act 333's identity and structure. Where a traffic matter ends
up being tried — and how far it can go on appeal — is a question for the
[court hierarchy](/en/law/court-hierarchy); where a road incident also
involves a general criminal charge such as causing death or hurt by a
negligent act, the relevant provisions sit in the
[Penal Code](/en/law/penal-code). How a company's own vehicles are treated for
tax depreciation purposes — a different question from registration under Act
333 — is covered in
[motor vehicles and the capital allowance restriction](/en/taxation/motor-vehicle-capital-allowance).

## Sources

- Act 333 — Road Transport Act 1987, principal Act record and amendment timeline — https://lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?type=principal&lang=BI&act=333 (Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia)
- Act 333 - Road Transport Act 1987 (Act text) — https://www.mot.gov.my/en/Documents/Act%20333%20-%20Road%20Transport%20Act%201987.pdf (Ministry of Transport Malaysia)
- Act 333 — https://www.jpj.gov.my/en/act-333/ (Road Transport Department Malaysia (JPJ))

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