If you know the car rental options, then SOCAR has always been a great option in Malaysia for flexible car rentals whenever you need it. Unfortunately, that has come to an end as SOCAR Malaysia announced their cessation of operations in Malaysia by 31st August 2026.
SOCAR Malaysia Ceases Operations
According to the email Newsletter that went out and the notification pushed out via the SOCAR app, which says “SOCAR service ending on 31 August 2026. Use your remaining wallet balance or contact us for refund assistance. Thank you for every trip, memory and kilometer along the way.”. It appears to be uncertain as to why the sudden closure has happened but as a resident SOCAR user, if we were to guess, their decline in offering good experiences plays a huge factor.
For starters, the widely available SOCAR all across Klang Valley has been reducing and the cars that were easily accessible around us, has reduced. That’s not all, the maintenance of the cars have not been particularly been good either as we have had experiences renting cars with expired road tax, poor maintenance, roach infestation and the list goes on. With many parking lots opting in for LPR systems, it was one of the many factors that affected their ability to deploy more cars to be widely be available.
In a recent news, South Korea’s SK made the headlines for a buy out private equity state in the Malaysian mobility unit via $6 million debt swap.
With the end of SOCAR Malaysia, this leaves the Malaysian users who depend on it, with a lack of options to resort to. While GoCar seems to be around, their struggles to go big as SOCAR did has created other issues for them. However, here in Malaysia, Trevo, which operates under the same parent company as SOCAR Mobility Malaysia, this peer-to-peer rental service will remain in operation. So, for those who intend to lease or rent a car in the long run, Trevo might be your best bet.
Well, as a SOCAR user, it’s time to bid farewell. And as for users who have an existing balance in your account or pending withdrawals, make sure to reach out to Customer Service to get your refunds.
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