A social behaviour research firm, Centre for Governance and Political Studies (Cent-GPS) has suggested that a majority of drivers using fancy licence plates and illegally tinted windows are from the high-income ‘Top 20’ (T20) group.
In a study was conducted in Kuala Lumpur in May this year to determine the type of cars most likely to break road transport department (JPJ) rules on licence plates and tinted windows.
“We estimate that 58.5% of the cars came from the T20 income group, 25.6% belonged to the M40 income group while only 15.9% came from the B40 lower-income group,” the report reads.
In May 2022, Cent-GPS conducted an observation on vehicles in Kuala Lumpur. We wanted to identify what type of cars are the most likely to break standard JPJ rules on window tinting and standardised car plate numbers
— Centre for Governance and Political Studies (@CentGPS) June 7, 2022
In total, we observed 1256 unlawful vehicles pic.twitter.com/fJDs6ZC0Es
The study assumed every car observed was bought through a bank loan, with a 5-year repayment plan and no downpayment, thus enabling researchers to estimate whether an owner belonged to which income category by identifying the price tag of the cars.
The study found that a majority of the 1,256 vehicles entering Kuala Lumpur during the morning rush hour had illegal license plates.
The results showed that 56% of those with fancy number plates were new cars worth over RM160,000, while cars in the RM120,001-RM160,000 and RM80,000-RM120,000 price brackets represented 13% each, and cars worth RM50,000 or less only represented 8%.
Cent-GPS added that the car’s manufacturer and country of origin also played a role in determining the distribution of illegal license plates.
“Asian cars (Toyota, Honda and Hyundai) made up 51%, Continental cars (Mercedes, Audi, BMW, etc.) made up 33.4% and Malaysian cars (many of them Proton X70s) made up 15.6%.”
“However, it is important to note that we did not observe motorcycles. Thus, it cannot be conclusively agreed that the T20 are more likely to break the JPJ rules for number plates.”
The law for tinted windows in Malaysia is also very clear. There must be a 50% Visible Light Transmission (VTL) for front row windows. There is no limit for rear and rear side windows
— Centre for Governance and Political Studies (@CentGPS) June 7, 2022
52.8% of cars with illegal driver side tinting are worth over MYR 160,000 pic.twitter.com/0LAYGvNn0K
Meanwhile, Cent-GPS also found that many vehicle owners had ignored the JPJ rules that required front row windows to have a 50% visible light transmission (VTL).
“When we looked specifically at the price of the vehicles with illegal tint, a massive 52.8% are cars worth over RM160,000.”
“But, our team didn’t have the equipment to measure tint levels and only recorded cars with fully black tinted windows on the driver’s side,” it said.
With this, Cent-GPS also asked why our society treats the “seemingly rich” with more privileges, allowing them to think that they can get away with clear violations of the law.
 has suggested that a majority of drivers using fancy licence plates and illegally tinted windows are from the high-income ‘Top 20’ (T20) group.){kind=link}