Perodua QV-E racks up 1,700 bookings in Malaysia, and that was before the price cut

KUALA LUMPUR: The Perodua QV-E is doing better than the registration numbers suggest. According to the New Straits Times, a Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) research report on MBM Resources Bhd revealed that Perodua's first EV has already collected 1,700 orders.

Here's the interesting bit. That figure was cited in HLIB's first quarter FY26 results review dated late May 2026, which means those 1,700 bookings came in before Perodua slashed the QV-E's price on June 15.

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The EV now starts from RM63,499 with the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) leasing plan at RM215 a month, or RM87,499 if you want to own the car and battery outright. Both prices include a RM6,500 rebate that runs until 30 September 2026.

In other words, 1,700 Malaysians put their names down at the original RM80,000 pricing with the pricier RM275 monthly battery lease.

If demand was already at that level, the price revision should only push bookings higher from here.

The QV-E numbers came up because MBM Resources holds a 22.6 per cent stake in Perodua and runs the country's largest Perodua dealership network.

HLIB says the group is set to benefit from sustained demand for Perodua vehicles, backed by an order backlog of around 43,000 units and continued strong new bookings.

Government support is doing some heavy lifting too. The RM4,000 matching grant for scrapping vehicles over 20 years old when buying a Perodua or Proton is expected to lift demand further, and tax exemptions for private hire and taxi operators purchasing national cars from 2026 should add another boost.

HLIB also noted that the recently launched Perodua Traz, the brand's new B-segment SUV, has seen encouraging demand, while recent EV policy developments should benefit locally assembled EV makers like Perodua.

If you've been on the fence about the QV-E, the maths has changed quite a bit since June. The RM6,500 rebate only lasts until end-September, and with 1,700 bookings already in the system before the price even dropped, waiting lists could start stretching.

A quick refresher on what you're getting. The QV-E is a sportback crossover powered by a front-mounted electric motor with 204 PS and 285 Nm, good for a 0-100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds.

Energy comes from a 52.5 kWh LFP battery supplied by CATL, giving a WLTP-rated range of up to 370 km. DC fast charging is capped at 60 kW, which takes the battery from 30 to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes, while a full charge on a 6.6 kW AC home charger takes about eight hours.

It's also the most feature-loaded Perodua yet. You get a 10.25-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a powered driver's seat, ambient lighting and the full Perodua Smart Drive Assist suite, including adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist.

Buy it outright and the battery carries an 8-year, 160,000 km warranty, while BaaS customers get unlimited mileage battery coverage since Perodua owns the pack.

Perodua is currently building over 500 units a month, with plans to ramp up to 3,000 units monthly by late 2026. For Malaysian buyers eyeing an affordable locally built EV in Malaysia 2026, the QV-E just became a lot harder to ignore.

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