RON92 petrol to be replaced by RON95

The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has decided to replace RON92 petrol with RON95 petrol by the middle of next year.

Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said that the decision was made based on feedback from car manufacturers that most cars in Malaysia would be able to use RON95.

“That is what we found based on their feedback, but they have yet to confirm that in writing,” he told the press after presenting the F&N Out-Do Yourself Awards here on Thursday.

He said that the retail price for RON95 petrol would be the same as RON92, which is currently set at RM1.80.

However, he said the matter had not yet been brought up to the Cabinet, and he hoped to do so in the first quarter of next year.

Shahrir said that issue now was that many petrol stations on the Klang Valley did not have RON92, as oil companies found it more convenient to just provide only RON97 petrol.

“There is no difference in the profit for the oil companies, whether it’s RON97 or RON92.

“But for consumers, there is a difference as the RON92 price is cheaper than RON97 by 10sen. Not having RON92 in many petrol stations means consumers have fewer choices,” he said.

RON or Research Octane Number refers to how resistant the fuel is to detonation or “knocking” - higher numbers are more suitable for high-performance engines.