Electric vehicles (EVs) are cheaper to maintain compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. That’s the belief most have and it is certainly the case when we compare the maintenance costs of the Proton eMas 7 and X70.
Both are C-segment SUVs that overlap in terms of pricing, with the eMas 7 ranging from RM105,800 to RM119,800 (OTR without insurance), while the X70 retails between RM99,800 and RM126,800. As such, buyers will have to decide if they are willing to adjust their lifestyle if they go the EV route to save a buck, or stick with the familiar visits to a petrol station.
So, just how much do you save on maintenance with the eMas 7. Well, based on official data from Proton, the eMas 7 will cost you just RM1,575.48 over five years. By comparison, it is RM3,612.58 or 229% more with the X70, which has a grand total of RM5,188.06 over the same period.
Internal combustion engine (ICE) cars require more consumables compared to EVs, and based on the X70’s maintenance schedule, we see plenty of that over five years. Beyond the standard five-year warranty, the X70 also requires timing and drive belt changes at the 110,000-km/66-month mark that adds another RM236.52 to the bill before labour.
As for the eMas 7, Proton only lists four items in its maintenance schedule, which include reduction gear oil, electric motor coolant, brake fluid and cabin filter changes. The Proton EV’s service interval is also longer than the X70, as summarised here:
- First service: eMas 7 (5,000 km/3 months); X70 (1,000 km/1 month)
- Second service: eMas 7 (25,000 km/12 months); X70 (10,000 km/6 months)
- Subsequent service after the second: eMas 7 (every 20,000 km/12 months); X70 (every 10,000 km/6 months)
Of course, there is more to ownership cost than the occasional visit to the service centre. Tyres are wear and items to keep in mind, and in this regard, the eMas 7 is pretty comparable to the X70. The former has wheel sizes ranging from 18 to 19 inches, while the X70 starts at 17 inches and goes up to 19 inches. The eMas 7 also uses regular tyres rather than specialised EV-specific tyres that are more expensive, so prices of tyres are pretty much the same with the X70.
Additionally, the eMas 7 has a kerb weight of between 1,662 and 1,765 kg, which is not that much more than the X70 that is from 1,585 to 1,610 kg (the biggest margin is 180 kg). With regenerative braking, it is very likely the eMas 7’s brake pads will last longer compared to the X70.
With the current incentives for EVs, you won’t need to pay for road tax with the eMas 7, at least until the end of this year. Next year will see the implementation of a new kilowatt (kW)-based road tax structure for EVs, and with 160 kW, you’ll need to pay RM180 in 2026. The X70 with its 1.5 litre (1,477 cc) turbocharged inline-three petrol engine and “jip” classification has an annual road tax of RM90.
On the matter of battery replacement, Proton says it will provide a full replacement if the state of health falls below 70% within 160,000 km or eight years – BYD and Chery also offer this. The battery is the most expensive component of an EV, so there’s some peace of mind if you make the switch.
In summary, the eMas 7 is cheaper to maintain over 100,000 km/60 months compared to the X70. This isn’t surprising but the switch to an EV requires an adjustment to your lifestyle as there are some things that require your attention.
Fully charged, the top-spec eMas 7 Premium offers as much as 410 km of range following the WLTP standard (345 km for the Prime). Should you happen to be away from home (assuming you have a wallbox) and need to charge up, you’ll have to find a nearby charging station, which may not be conveniently located, and spend time to top up the battery. Both variants of the eMas 7 (Prime, 49.52 kWh; Premium, 60.22 kWh) support DC fast charging that gets the battery from a 30-80% state of charge (SoC) in 20 minutes.
However, this is only possible with public DC fast chargers, and most homes only have an AC wallbox. With AC charging, the eMas 7 can only handle 11 kW, with a 10-80% SoC taking 4.9 hours (Prime) or 6.1 hours (Premium). Petrol stations are more abundant and it will take less time to fuel up an X70, which has a 60-litre fuel tank and a claimed fuel consumption of 7.3 litres per 100 km (theoretically over 800 km with a full tank).
Making the switch to an EV and enjoying the significantly lower maintenance cost is a positive thing as the numbers indicate, but are you willing to make the changes to have an EV in your life? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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Countries like in Europe that supposedly are more mature when it comes to EV is experiencing decline in EV sales so there must be something that is causing them to go for hybrid instead. What is it that we are not told?
Its the price. I’ve checked. In countries where there are fair pricing for all cars i.e not heavily taxed, EV’s in Europe are far more pricier than the ICE equivalent. In Malaysia that’s not the case because we know imported cars here are taxed 300%. So to them, its not worth paying more for a car with lesser range than the petrol equivalent.
For example in UK, the Tesla Model 3 Performance there is priced similar to a BMW M340i.. in Malaysia, the same Tesla Model 3 Performance, is cheaper than even a basic BMW 320i.
Car price drop 50% after a year. Low maintenance cost for what
Well the sales are actually slowing down instead of ‘declining’ because it’s still growing but at a slower rate than the initial boom. There’s always a saturation point because not all people are switching to EVs when their ICE cars are still working. After 5 or 10 years when those ICE cars are in the tail end of their lifespan is when we can see the true picture of EV sales.
Plus, battery detoriate and perfomance dropped faster in cold climate country.
Could you please compare costs per 10000km of home charging an ev vs charging stations vs petrol for similar cars.
..wait unitil the Electricity tariff is increased coz energy price are increasing yearly. we are still heavily subsidised by our govt but it might not go on forever. Europe energy are sky rocket higher year on year. while US , with trump , EV is consider not getting any more incentive via charging infrastructure …etc
Same goes to Petrol soon, subsidy will be revoked. What do you mean? You can have free renewable energy at home by installing solar. Not gonna be the same case as petroleum. You cant grow petrol in your compound.
The cost of installing solar panels and storage batteries alone can buy you thousands litres of petrol.
Simple maths.
Extra RM3600 over 5 years. Only RM720 per year.
EV owners need to convert from single phase to 3 phases, install the charging, how much?
ICE no need to plan, just use, petrol station is all over the whole Malaysia!
The choice is up to you!
There is no ‘need’ to convert to 3 phase if you don’t ‘need’ to charge above 7kw. A overnight charge of 7kw rate is more than sufficient for the next day drive to work, unless you live in KL and work in Melaka.
EV user here since 2022. My home is single-phase. I charge at 7kW at home. No need to convert to 3-phase. Please don’t spread misinformation just to justify your point.
You can charge up to 7.4kW on single phase supply. Capacity is 49.5 kWh/60.2kWh battery on the eMas.
EVEN if you are on 0% on the bigger battery it only takes slightly more than eight hour to go to 100%. Otherwise a 50% top up at home takes 4 hours.
But let’s not let facts get in the way of your prejudice
Do PHEV and HEV also
Lol 5k for x70. The real cost is much higher a lot of hidden costs for proton world class aftersales
EV Maintenance for 10 years: RM33,000
Periodic Maintenance RM3000 for 10 years
Battery: RM30,000
Where did you get this number? Wanna BS, at least quote sources la.
Hidden truth
Highly unlikely the battery is RM30k when the Prius Battery itself already costing RM8k for distance of 2km?
They only dare to list until 5 years, try asking how much is 10 years including the battery replacement.
After battery gone kaput, would people bought used EV cars?
There’s a lot of other hidden costs like wear and tear parts such as tires, absorbers, air conditional servicing, battery etc
But the resale value of EV is a disaster as compared to ICE, so the savings of maintenance for e-Mas is a joke, it’s a total loss as compared to ICE
My mom’s 1998 iswara is still running well. Can an EV last 25 years? How much will the EV battery replacement cost after warranty ends?
Please compare also insurance and the car 2nd value after 5year.
Cheaper? LOL! Wait until PMX starts hiking electric prices.
https://paultan.org/2024/12/27/electricity-base-tariff-to-go-up-by-14-from-july-2025/
Wait till RM2.05 is no more
One seriously love the service at 25000, 65000 & 105000km where the labour cost is RM36 just to change a cabin filter and maybe plugging in a computer to check-up.
However we still wonder why Hyundai is so much more expensive for their EV maintenance that every 30000km the price of service ranging from RM1k to RM3k.
Stress and anxiety driving EV – Priceless.