"For a More Comfortable Driving Experience 🚙"

Erik & Aya
3 days ago
8 min read

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Here’s what you should prepare and know before driving in Malaysia.

August 2025

Table of Contents:

① Essential Car Accessories

・Set [A]

1. Touch ’n Go Card

2. Smart Tag

・Set [B]

3. Waze App

4. Phone Holder

・Others (Optional but useful)

・Summary

・Touch ’n Go Card Basics (Usage & Top-up)

② Car Accessory Buying Guide

③ Highway Toll Gate Guide

① Essential Car Accessories – For a Comfortable Drive 🚙

Set [A]:

１．Touch’n Go Card

２．Smart Tag

These are required to pass through toll booths.

＜Smart Tag & Touch’n go＞

The Smart Tag is on the left, and the Touch’n Go is on the right. The Smart Tag costs around RM200 online.

The Touch’n Go card is inserted into the Smart Tag like this. Press the orange button to check the remaining balance.

The Smart Tag device is rechargeable and can be charged using a USB Type-C cable when the battery runs out.

Set[A]:

1. Touch’n Go Card

You can pass through toll booths using just the Touch’n Go card.

When you reach the toll, open your window and tap the card on the sensor outside. Once you hear a "beep," the gate will open and you can proceed.Sometimes there's a slight delay, so be sure to wait 2–3 seconds after tapping.Unlike in Japan, the sensors here are less sensitive, so give it a moment.Also, Touch’n Go cards have an expiration date. Once it expires, you’ll need to buy a new one.

There are different lanes at toll booths: Touch’n Go, RFID, Smart Tag, and truck lanes. Make sure to queue in the Touch’n Go lane. During traffic jams, the Touch’n Go lane can get very crowded.

2 Smart Tag

Use the Touch’n Go card together with a Smart Tag (available online for around RM200).

Insert the card into the Smart Tag device and place it near the windshield. When approaching the toll booth, you don’t need to open the window. Just drive through slowly—once the sensor detects the card, you’ll hear a “beep” and the gate will open. This method allows faster toll access.

If you are using this device, make sure to enter the Smart Tag lane.

The toll lane you use differs depending on whether you use only the Touch’n Go card or both the Touch’n Go card and Smart Tag.

Some newer cars come with a built-in Smart Tag. If not built-in, you can purchase one online.

If you don’t have a Smart Tag, use method 1 (Touch’n Go card only) to pass through tolls for now. For long-term stays and frequent driving, having a Smart Tag is more convenient.

Set[B]:

３．Waze app

４．Phone holder

The above items are necessary when driving, but if your car has a built-in navigation system, this set may not be needed.

＜Waze App＞

The roads are especially complicated in central areas, so it’s easy to get lost without navigation. The route ahead is shown in blue.

Heavy traffic is shown in red, and light congestion is shown in orange. During rush hours in the morning and evening, almost all roads turn red.

＜Phone holder＞

You can set it up like this. If your car has a built-in screen, you can probably use it for navigation as well. In that case, you may not need this phone holder.

Set[B]:

３．Waze app

４．Phone holder

The above items are commonly used for navigation on your phone. Google Maps is also fine.If you use your phone for navigation, a phone holder is necessary.

Some cars have a built-in display, so you can download the Waze app directly onto it.In that case, you don’t need to buy a phone holder.If you hold your phone by hand while using navigation and are caught by the police, you may be fined.

Others (optional)

Stick Touch (like a fly swatter; used to tap card readers)

With Set [A] item 1, the Touch’n Go card, the sensor at toll gates may sometimes be out of reach.Some people use a Stick Touch by attaching the card to it.You can buy it at MR.DIY.

In this type of car, the Stick Touch is placed above the rearview mirror. You can smoothly pull it out when needed.

They opened the door and tapped the Touch 'n Go machine outside. This person opened the door to tap it. Maybe because opening the window takes more time? Or perhaps it’s easier to reach the machine with the door open.

RFID sticker

A toll sticker attached to the front windshield.

It allows you to pass through toll gates faster without opening the window.

You can top up the RFID sticker using the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app. According to the government’s plan, toll payments will gradually shift to using RFID in the future. So, although Smart Tags are still in use, they will eventually be phased out.

However, since the RFID system is still new, there are many issues—such as gates not opening properly. Currently, very few toll lanes support RFID. It's unclear when the full transition will happen. For now, having it is optional, but it may become necessary in the future.

Summary

So, if you have 1, 2, 3, and 4, or at least 1, 3, and 4, you’ll be ready to drive in Malaysia.

Personally, I use all 1, 2, 3, and 4 when I drive.During traffic jams, toll lanes get crowded, and I prefer not to open the window.The air around toll booths is often quite polluted.

Touch’n Go Card – Basic Information

About purchasing the Touch’n Go (NFC) card: please refer here.

There are Touch ’n Go cards with and without NFC functionality. The ones with NFC are more convenient, so it’s worth getting one. A reliable way to obtain a Touch ’n Go card is introduced in the blog linked below.

• Paying for Parking

You’ll also need a Touch ’n Go card when using parking facilities in shopping malls and office buildings.

For on-street parking, however, you’ll need to pay via the Flexi Parking app or the Touch ’n Go app. If you sometimes park on the street — for example, in front of shop lots — you’ll need one of these apps.(Flexi Parking app logo: red “F”, blue “P”, yellow background)

• Touch ’n Go Top-Up

If you have a Touch ’n Go card with NFC functionality, you can top it up via the app as well as at stores. For cards without NFC, the app is not supported, so you must top up at a store.

Topping up the Touch ’n Go eWallet app can be a bit complicated, so I usually just top up regularly at stores. You can do this at places like petrol stations, train stations, convenience stores, and pharmacies. A fee of RM0.50 is charged per top-up. (As far as I know, pharmacies like Watsons and Caring, as well as the supermarket Lotus’s, do not charge a fee for top-ups. Petrol stations do charge.)

If your Touch ’n Go card has no remaining balance, you won’t be able to pass through the lane, which may cause delays or other inconveniences.

When you pass through a lane, the electronic display will show the toll fee at the top and your card balance at the bottom.

②Guide to Buying Car Accessories

MR.D.I.Y sells a wide variety of car accessories, including phone holders, stick-on touches, sunshades, and many other products.

＜ Mobile Phone Holder ＞

This is a phone holder. There are so many types that it’s hard to choose.

＜Stick Touch＞

Looks like a fly swatter. For some reason, it comes in a set of three 💦 I only need one though…

＜ Car Sunshade＞

Malaysia is hot all year round, and the sun can be very strong during the day, so if you park in an open-air parking lot without a roof, this sunshade is a must-have. I first used the cheap one on the left, priced at RM5.50, but the suction cups that attach it to the glass came off and it broke quickly… Now I’m using the second one from the right, priced at RM14.90. It’s also the type that attaches with suction cups, but it hasn’t broken, and since it’s made of thick, sturdy material, it seems to reflect the sunlight much more effectively.

③Guide to Highway Toll Gates

In the photo, you can see the lanes from right to left: the SmartTAG-only gate (yellow sign), the MyRFID-only gate (white sign), and the Touch ’n Go gate (blue sign). The arrangement of these gates varies depending on the toll plaza.

Which lane to enter depends first on which system you’re using. If you have multiple options, it’s also a good idea to choose your lane based on where you need to go after passing through the toll — for example, whether you’ll be turning right or left up ahead. Prioritize safety and choose a lane that allows you to merge smoothly without needing to make sudden moves.

In the center of the photo, you can see a Touch ’n Go gate (blue sign) with credit card logos displayed. This indicates a shared lane where you can pass using either Touch ’n Go or a Visa/Mastercard. In such cases, you can enter and exit the highway with a credit card, but not all highways currently accept credit card payments. Therefore, it’s best not to rely on this method as your main option. Instead, think of it as useful knowledge for emergencies — some highways do allow access using a credit card.

Each gate also has a height limit (e.g., 2 m), so trucks, buses, and other tall vehicles must use lanes without such restrictions. On the far left in the photo, you can see a gate marked SEMUA KELAS (“all classes”), meaning all types of vehicles, including large trucks and buses, can pass through. Because these lanes tend to have longer queues, regular passenger car drivers generally avoid them.

As a general trend, lanes used by large vehicles like trucks and buses are often manned booths. If an attendant is present (you might see the sign TUNAI, meaning “cash”), you can hand over cash to top up your Touch ’n Go card. However, be aware that the availability of manned booths can change.

In any case, toll plazas no longer issue paper toll tickets, so a Touch ’n Go card or other accepted payment method is essential for using the highway. Sometimes the signage at the toll plaza will indicate which lanes have attendants, but for foreigners, it may be difficult to make a quick decision on the spot.

If you enter the highway and then realize your Touch ’n Go card balance is insufficient, you can top up at a petrol station along the highway. It’s a good idea to check your balance before entering, and the display at the entry gate lets you confirm it one last time. It’s not uncommon to see drivers blocking a gate because their balance is too low, which causes congestion and results in honking from other drivers. It’s a stressful situation you’ll want to avoid.

Set your Touch ’n Go card into the SmartTAG device, place it on the holder near your windshield, and go through the SmartTAG-only lane. It’s convenient because you don’t need to open your window. Since the air quality around toll plazas isn’t great, I prefer to keep my windows closed as much as possible.

As you slowly pass under the toll reader, you’ll hear a “beep!”, the light will change from red to green, the gate will open, and the electronic display will show the toll fee at the top and your card balance at the bottom.