It appears that the trend of renting luxury cars for special occasions have taken to another level, with many Malaysians willing to pay as much as RM19,600 a week to drive a BMW during this Hari Raya celebrations.
According to a report by Kosmo!, some customers don’t mind paying nearly RM20,000 a week for the Bimmer (undisclosed model), RM14,000 for a Toyota Vellfire and as much as RM10,000 weekly for a Mercedes-Benz. Other vehicles such as the Honda City, Toyota Vios and the Perodua Myvi are also popular choices, with the rental fee ranging from RM1,000 to RM2,000 a week.
President of Koperasi Pengusaha Kereta Sewa Malaysia (Kopkes), Mohd Afendi Aman said the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations this year could potentially rake in an estimated RM5 million based on the average rental charges. Let’s take a look at the breakdown.
For luxury MPVs, the average rental per day costs between RM1,000 to RM2,000, whereas luxury sedans cost between RM1,100 to RM5,500 daily. Below that are the regular MPV and sedan categories, which go for RM350 to RM900 and RM200 to RM500 a day, respectively. Budget vehicles, on the other hand, cost between RM100 to RM190 a day.
Afendi said there’s about 137 members registered and operating under Kopkes. “The RM5 million is just a rough estimation of what the 137 Kopkes members could potentially make. What about the hundreds of car rental companies that are not members of Kopkes?” he explained.
“The trend of renting cars is already the norm among Malaysians, and it’s not difficult to find a car rental company,” he said, adding that there could be over 1,000 car rental organisations across Malaysia. With those taken into account, the cumulative rental yield could go beyond RM10 million during this Raya period.
But why spend tens of thousands to rent a car? Well, according to Mohd Syarizul Mat Sali, operator of Altimat Car Rental, there are many reasons, but it’s undeniable that some of his customers would rent cars just for the sake of bergaya, or to appear stylish during the balik kampung exodus.
“Most of them already have cars, but they insist on renting a car that is more expensive than what they actually own. Some said they resort to renting because their cars broke down, citing the family’s safety as the basis for the splurge,” said Syarizul.
A customer who wishes to be known as Safuan said “setahun hanya sekali, apa salahnya kalau saya hendak berbelanja lebih dengan sewa kereta yang lebih mahal untuk bergaya pada Hari Raya Aidilfitri?” That translates to “it only happens once a year, what’s wrong if I wish to spend more to rent an expensive car to appear stylish during Hari Raya Aidilfitri?”
Safuan, a civil servant based in Kuala Lumpur, is renting a Honda Civic for the second consecutive year for the balik kampung trip to Kedah. “In KL, I don’t have a car because I’m single and there’s no need for me to own one. A motorcycle is what I use to commute to work and back. In fact, I’m still young at 24 years of age,” he said.
Safuan paid RM2,450 to rent the Civic for a week, adding that the decision to rent – even though he knows it’s cheaper to take the bus – was because he won’t be bound by paying monthly car instalments.
So, dear readers, what do you think of this? Are you in favour of renting cars, or do you disagree? Share your thoughts (and experiences, if any) in the comments section below!
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Biar papa asal bergaya
So malu. They have to show they have made it in the bandar. So shameful. This is what you call low self esteem. They have to lie to people that they have made it big after leaving the kampung and moving to bandar.
Now even worse. No more dedak, life no more goyang kaki. Now got to work hard like all other people. New Government mah.
Previously, ask any banks, after Raya, most number of tarik baliks. Before Raya, sales of luuxury cars super high.
At least now, they rent.
Dei thamby, people rent nice cars to make long tiresome trips comfortable.
remember at Raya time all the vvip best parking spots reserved for nice cars only…if u dont own a Bimmer or Toyota Vellfire, Mercedes-Benz, Honda City, Toyota Vios or Perodua Myvi. then u need to pusing detour around kampung. park far away in secluded spot tepi sawah padi where nobody can see
ni mesti salah seorng yg sewa berlagak bajet2 dh jd kaya.. hahaha.. ais kacang btol laaah
Nie mesti salah iklan tv4.. Gaya, Mutu, Keunggulan.. hahaha..
Dei Thamby..rental for whole family..not show off.. poodddahhh
With a BMW?
marketing mlm or jual produk then post at Instagram.
Dei Thambi Selvam, new government run by old umno lah poodah. Mahathir, daim, mahyudin.
Banks also complicit in giving loans to people who cannot afford loan. If they purposely terminate, then they smart. Save on depreciation. Car sharing or renting better than long term ownership. pooodah. dont understand want to teach others..
Ha ha ha ha. Cannot stop laughing. Maybe john can tell us why is this so
ha ha ha ha, malu nak pandu kereta Axia balik kampung….ha ha ha ha
sorry john has no job now as of May 9th. Now he is driving 1988 Proton Saga 1.5 Istimewa. He bought for RM600.
So many years they were constantly told they r poor, but now with New MY gov, suddenly they were told “jangan bimbang, kita sudah masuk, korang akan jadi kaya”. So now they splurge becoz they belip in Bapak.
Malaysia is undeniably high-income nation.
Biar papa asal bergaya
Karenah budak hipster muda
Sampai raya beli kereta
Lepas raya sambung bayar…
We should be proud of the car we drive….oh wai!
john: Mak Abah, saya sudah berjaya…saya sekarang pandu Lexus RX350L
Abah: Amboi nak, adakah itu biskut Lexus?
John: Oh wai!….tiada bah…itu kereta mewah!!!
u think pipu who rent car above RM5k/week is pipu who salary below RM5k?
Civic cost RM2.5k per week. He need to save at least RM210 per month for a year in order to use the civic for raya. For me, its cost effective as you dont have to pay the maintenance, insurance and also the car instalment itself!
So, between RM1.3k per month, vs RM210 per month, I prefer the second one. Balance RM1k per month I can use for house down payment, or use it half to splurge myself with fine dining foods or even go holiday! I dont want become like some of my friend, driving a Jazz, and he couldn’t even afford to buy starbucks for himself. Sedih! ikat perut just to pay jazz every month.
Totally agree with you.
people are so gullible.
so easily rattled by an article by Kosmo! ??
they wrote in such a way to emphasize the luxury cars and all of you just focus on that.
do you ever think that maybe RM20K per week Bimmer is just one case?
and that maybe most opt for the regular cars/MPV that makes more sense money-wise?
it is all about face
More a less the same as renting GF for CNY
Lolz! True dat sis lily.
I need gf this raya coz my wife balik kg looo
U dun balik kampung with wife? Macam xkena dgn cerita ni….
I’m currently renting a Tiguan for 3 weeks in Ireland. It’s less than €250 (RM1,200+-) for the 3 weeks. :)
Hope the Dsg’s all good :)
I used to have a tenant who cannot afford to pay rent and still got the cheek to ask me for grace period to move out after Raya. All because want to open house to show off to relatives that they stay in a double storey landed. what a shame!
After Raya, the number of applications wanting Akpk counselling significantly spike. When our desires and excesses take over, not unlike our former First lady. Here wishing Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Dan Batin to all PT readers.
Wtf.. These hipster really spoiled too the root
Biar nampak mewah dan jangan dipandang rendah, mentality jaga muka pada hari raya la! Kih…kih…kih…akhirnya sendiri tanggung susah.
Betui… nampak mewah pegang Birkin pada hari raya. akhirnya sendiri tanggung susah.
Betul tu. Birkin untuk dijual kat Pavilion, buat niaga sikit sempena Raya.
Maybe they only have small cars at home or a few sports car, but they have a big family. So rather than balik kampung in 2 cars, they rent large MPV or SUV to carry the entire family in 1 vehicle.
Yeah, i know some familis that pakat to rent 1 Helfaiya to ride balik kampung. An 8 seater can probably fit 2 small familis together to travel back.
The thing is they don’t need Vellfire for that. An Alza will do.
You try suffer 12 hours jam in the last row of an Alza then come lecture us on using this instead.
Betul la tu.. Biar Pape Asal Bergaye (ikut loghat Perak)
WTR. Branded handbeg tuk raya, Channel & herpes only. Low price & tiptop condisyen. PM ye.
semo nak sho-off! tak peduli papa kedana asalkan saya raya bergaya.
More money than sense.For me it’s embarrassing to show off something that’s not yours or worse in this case something you actually cannot afford.Really?Just to “bergaya”?To whom?
This is why Malaysia has the highest loans in the world. And we have the most barang on sale through hire purchase and bayar ansuran
bergaya for the makcik bawang aka potential mother in law
Toxic culture and mentality… sad to say it’s more prominent amongst Asians
I think some are with valid reason. For my case:
I have a reliable and economic 7 year old honda city. You know how highway driving is not a pleasure with a and b segment cars. It will be nice to drive in a d segment for a long trip. But i only need it 1 or 2 times a year and only 5 to 7 days. Raya and maybe some close family function. For the rest of the year, my city is more than enough to go to work, send my kid to school and go shopping around the place i live. So instead of paying extra and lose on higher maintenance and value depreciation, i’ll rent an Accord for long trip. FYI, i have the capacity to even get a BMW. Just that i’m a cheapskate.hehe
You know what.. Accord have the bad ride comfort.. Go for Camry… Trust me as the ex owner of Accord 9th Gen
Many have the capability to get a BMW. The question is can you maintain it.
Meanwhile Mat Sabu only has a Perodua Viva.
Professor Jomo wears a Casio, rides LRT.
Insaflah rakyat.
Meanwhile Bapak still uses Cayenne… oh wai
How shallow can that be if only for showing off ….
All want face and pretend that they are rich. Otherwise unnty, uncle and cousin all will look down u. In fact, all your cousin all had their car rented. hahaha.
Bro in law is in this business. Usually rent out a low end alphard at around RM500 per day. People rent out of various reasons but usually are the ones hey have to travel in a large group (weddings and raya) and an alpha helps with the logistics. Prices usually goes up during festive season.
Money laundering in progress … desperate times …
Paul, wHy is this even news? Its absolutely nothing wrong to rent a car even for gaya. Its their money so let them be.
The lamest kind of mentality. Pathetic, almost sad tho.
In many developed countries they have car leasing as a practical option. They don’t bother much about car ownership unlike us here. Until when will we have to pay for high car monthly installments, maintenance and depreciated value at the end of the loan tenure? With our high rate of road accidents, poor road conditions etc our cars won’t last long and maintaining them are getting more expensive every day. Car leasing is the way of the future and not car ownership!
Wasting, all their effort this month is wasted
miskin x apa..gaya mesti ada…
Better than “sambung bayar”
It is up to the individual. I rent sometimes, just so that I don’t put those holiday travel miles on my own car, plus, getting a more comfortable ride for that long road trip helps.
JPJ should issue special prefix to rental cars like what Sg is doing…lol
Biar lah. Duit dia. Yang korang susah kenapa?
Tak susah pun, apa yg susah? We bash here everyday
This trend is normal in UK, US & other developed countries. People who live in the cities seldom own any car due to efficient public transport & just rent their dream vehicle for special occasions or holidays. Over there you would get a spanking new ride with very low mileage for rental, not like here where we usually get beaten down crap. The rental rates there are much cheaper too because of stiff competitions.
Wake up Malaysia, let’s change our mentality if we want to be a developed nation.
Why buy a depreciated asset with 9 years of commitment? Just rent it, peace of mind.. LOL.
*shakes head*
Sigh..can’t believe this is actually a thing. I thought it was just a negative stereotype.
But RM1-2k a week for a Myvi .___.;;;
Even though I may be fortunate enough not having to rent a car to balik kampong during Raya all these years but I can understand why a lot of people do it. In addition to the excuses already given to you in your article (not owning a car or having an unreliable car to go long distance being the best), they do it with one other valid reason, perhaps the very top reason…visiting. These people don’t just drive back to their kampongs, park their cars at their parents and only use them again when they go back to KL. They use them a lot while they’re there, towing along their immediate families to visit their Pak Longs, Mak Ngahs, Pak Andaks, Mak Chus, extended family members on their side, on wifey’s side, friends etc. etc. It’s true some may want to bergaya sambil beraya but others just want to be practical but they’re all doing it for that one common reason… visiting.
Typical Malay mantra: ” Biar papa asal bergaya”. Good! Before the raid, we can also rent handbags.
Org bodoh yg tk mampu keret mcm kau tak tahu kira. Sewa leih jimat bodoh
Sewa kereta kalau ia merupakan satu keperluan memang sangat smart. Tapi kalau sewa kereta mahal giler semata-mata reputasi dan menunjuk adalah suatu yang sangat tidak smart.
No need to spend so much for rent car. People will find out the car not belong to the individual.
Renting a car is normal may be rm150-200 per day.Unless you can afford it renting a car for 1k – 5k per day too much.This is over charge kpdnkk should look in to this.
Gila punya kerja
Bodoh sombong
Kan kata Rakyat Malaysia kaya, rela beli kereta mahal mcm Merc, BM, Toyota & Perodua
LEL bunch of losers wearing huge hat but with a small head
This is how middle class people become poorer and poor people stay poor.
GGWP
The real world today… many people live in hypocrisy
Im renting Honda City for balik kampung and its worth every penny. I own viva for town use. Since kampung quite far away, why not spend some for comfort and safety. Also it is more worth renting than paying monthly for car loan and maintenance.
it actually make sense for some who wanted to comfort their parents at kampung.
My muslim colleague who is the eldest son (he has two more siblings who is working in Batu Pahat estate) rented a Toyota Camry for Balik Kampung.
I ask him why wanna spent such a silly money to show off? he said his elderly mom & dad always put very high hope on him, while he spent most of his salary given back to them, he don’t want to let his parent down by knowing that he is not doing so well in town.
My colleague is riding motorbike & LRT to work everyday.
Honestly I don’t see a problem with that. Everyone had their own reason to splash the cash on it.
It’s much better than those who spend lavishly on luxurious dining for their weddings and then complaint/expect friends and relatives to give them angpow with market rate.
Hello, please look at yourself before commenting.
Well..still cheaper than owning it and letting it depreciate over time..at least you are only paying it when u need it.
For so long, the kiasu people of Singapore has practiced driving rental cars when visiting elderly kampung relatives. My stepmom always told me of her nieces driving different nice cars every Raya holidays. I told her that they were only showing off, and told her to spot their chuckle whenever she asked how they have so much money when cars are expensive there.
It seems that in Malaysia also follow suit. Now Everyone Can Show Off
not just car rental, time of balik raya, one must also wear nice watch, rayban, show-off their new HP, bring along oso ipad, and other gadgets…..to impress the kampung folks…Mostly bought from swiping credit cards.
Afetr raya, finance koyak…..
Just like certain people during kawin, must rent luxury cars to pickup bride, & parents & parents-in-law in convoys, must wear fabulous outfits that seemingly need to change out every few minutes, with bottomless hard beverages during dinner, which the guests are expected to pay a not-so-small sum of money.
nk berlagak je!! konon2nya itu kereta dia.. nk org kg respek fkir dia dh berjaya n kaya
CAR OWNERSHIP SHD BE DISCOURAGE. UBER , GRAB IS A CAR SHARING CONCEPT. iTS BETTER TO rnt a car for short eriod trather than pay for depreciation long term.
They are smart and this is just another concept of car car sharing. Malays are smart.
personally i think this is a smart move, coz they know how to save money. Why buy an luxury car or mpv when you are only using it for long trip and raya. Means they can afford but they stay low by saving. Haha.
one word… gila… but i have another expletive in cantonese… in two words!
Kit fan yat chee? Oh wait thats 4 words…
For those crapping on the renters renting cars claiming to “show off”, dei? Balik raya once a year usually. Everytime you come with diff car you think kg pupil stupid is it to fall for that sht?
New malaysia kan? Don’t la be stupid
Sanggup bayar Rm20k seminggu. Komplen harga minyak sampai nak mampus. Siap merajuk g.
That much spending for just a week and for such a shallow reason? Well that s##t cray…
It reflects a lot on their lifestyle attitude. Do they even can think of being prudent during good times so that they can go thru hard times? ‘Tak kisah lah, asalkan dapat bergaya beberape hari kat kampung’ attitude. When times are hard they will stretch out their hands to the gomen. Then blame the gomen…..
Maybe they do not have the capabilities to pay for the luxury car monthly installment and by renting one for raya season they can went back to their hometown with comfort…not just that what about people who have lots of kids and they still wanted to go back to their hometown…they can just save their money monthly and uses it to rent a car that fits all their family member… I personally though our people should focus more on understanding people than just stating their opinion without knowing anything about an issue.