Car Shipping Cost Index Malaysia.
A transparent reference for vehicle shipping costs from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah & Sarawak (and back). Not an official quote — these are benchmarks so you understand what drives the price before requesting an exact one. Benchmarks start at RM 1,200 for a motorcycle and rise with vehicle class, route and method. Marine Insurance is billed separately (per Insured Value).
- RM 1,200
- Lowest benchmark · motorcycle
- 6 ports
- Sabah & Sarawak from Port Klang
- 2023
- In operation since
- 4.9★
- 94 Google reviews
- All-risk
- Marine Insurance, per Insured Value
4.9 / 5 from 94 verified Google reviews — written by real vehicle owners who have shipped their cars, motorcycles and vans across the South China Sea with Rentaka since 2023. Read the reviews on Google →
RoRo price ranges ex Port Klang.
Benchmark ranges across confirmed ports. For classes or ports we haven't published, check directly with our officer — we don't post guesstimate prices.
| Vehicle type | Example models | Benchmark range (one-way) |
|---|---|---|
| Motorcycle | Underbone · cruiser · superbike | RM 1,200 – RM 1,565 |
| Sedan / Hatchback | Vios · City · Saga · Persona | RM 2,000 – RM 2,555 |
| SUV / MPV | CR-V · X70 · Vellfire · Alphard | RM 2,100 – RM 2,675 |
| Pickup 4×4 | Hilux · Triton · Ranger · Navara | Check rate |
| Van | Hiace · Urvan · Alphard | Check rate |
| Lorry 1-Ton | Hino · Fuso · Isuzu commercial | Check rate |
// Benchmark = range across confirmed ports, one-way. Exact price depends on port, sailing date & actual dimensions. See full tariff & compass →
Why it's a range, not a single price
Every row above is a range because no single vehicle class has one flat price across the whole of Borneo. Three things pull that range apart:
- Loading terminal at Port Klang. Port Klang has two terminals — Northport and Westport — and the tariff for the same lane isn't necessarily identical at both. The "from" figure we publish always takes the lower of the two.
- Destination port & routing. Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Bintulu each carry their own tariff. Kuching can also be reached directly or routed via Bintulu, and that via-Bintulu routing is priced as a separate rate.
- Direction of travel. Return-leg rates back to Port Klang are held as a different table from the outbound leg. That's why the top of a range often comes from the return journey rather than from a larger vehicle.
It's also why you'll see "Check with our officer" on some rows. When a vehicle class or port doesn't yet have a confirmed rate in our tables, we leave the cell empty and ask you to enquire. We don't fill it with an estimate — an estimate that turns out wrong damages your budget and your planning far more than one extra question up front.
6 factors that drive price.
Route & distance
Sea distance from Port Klang to the destination port. Kuching (~4–7 days) is closer than Kota Kinabalu (~7–9 days) or secondary ports like Tawau.
Vehicle class & size
Motorcycles are cheapest; sedan, SUV/MPV, pickup, van, lorry scale up by deck space (lane-metre) and weight. Lorries & heavy machinery are quoted bespoke.
Method (RoRo vs container)
RoRo (drive-on) is most cost-efficient for driveable vehicles. Locked container costs more but gives full protection for premium cars.
Direction (outbound vs return)
Return-leg tariffs (Sabah/Sarawak → Port Klang) differ slightly from outbound, depending on vessel load balance.
Season & demand
Vessel slots are tighter during festive & balik-kampung seasons. Booking early avoids last-minute premiums.
Insurance & add-ons
Marine Insurance is billed separately (per Insured Value). Home pickup +RM 250. Customs clearance & documentation included.
From benchmark to your number.
A benchmark is a starting point, not a total. Read the table as the sea leg of your move, then add the legs it deliberately leaves out — that way nothing in the final quote catches you off guard.
- Start from your vehicle class, not your model. Rates are set by class — motorcycle, sedan/hatchback, SUV/MPV — because what a vessel actually sells is deck space. A well-specced hatchback and a base one occupy the same lane-metres, so they price the same.
- Read every figure as one-way and port-to-port. The range covers Port Klang to a destination port. Getting the car to Port Klang, and getting it from the arrival port to a home address, are separate lines on your quote.
- Add the road legs you actually need. Collection from a Peninsular state to Port Klang is priced by state — our published car-carrier collection runs RM 600–RM 800 — while home pickup in the Klang Valley is a flat add-on and door-to-door delivery in Sabah or Sarawak is quoted by destination zone.
- Add the Marine Insurance premium. It is never inside the shipping rate. The premium follows your vehicle's Insured Value, referencing your existing motor policy, so two sedans that look identical on the road can carry different premiums.
- Check the direction of travel. Return-leg rates back to Port Klang sit in their own table, and movements between Sabah and Sarawak are different again from either.
What the index deliberately will not give you is a figure for a class or port we have not confirmed. The pickup, van and lorry rows, and the secondary ports — Sandakan, Tawau and Sibu — show an enquiry rather than a number, and lorries and heavy machinery are always quoted bespoke. That is a design decision, not an oversight.
Why two quotes for the same car differ.
Two operators quoting the same vehicle to the same port can hand you very different figures without either of them being wrong. Almost always the gap is scope, not margin. Normalise both quotes on these points before you decide.
- Port-to-port, or door-to-door? A door-to-door figure already carries collection and final delivery inside it. Placed beside a port-to-port rate it looks expensive; placed beside a port-to-port rate plus the two road legs, it often isn't.
- Is Marine Insurance inside or outside? Ours is outside, and we say so. A quote that folds the premium in reads higher for the same service — and one that leaves cover out altogether reads lower, right up until something happens at sea.
- Which terminal, and which routing? Northport and Westport — both terminals under the Port Klang Authority — don't necessarily carry the same tariff for the same lane, and Kuching can be sailed direct or routed via Bintulu at a separate rate. Two honest quotes can differ on that alone.
- Which direction? Outbound and return are different tables. A return-leg quote held up against an outbound benchmark will look mispriced when it is simply the other leg of the journey.
- What is the payment structure? With us, a deposit locks the vessel slot and the balance is settled after the car lands at the destination port, before final delivery — no instalment surcharge. A quote demanding the full amount upfront is a different commercial proposition even at an identical price.
- Does it name a sailing date? A rate without a confirmed slot is still an estimate. Ours arrives with the next available sailing attached.
Work through that list and most "cheaper" quotes resolve into one of two things: a narrower scope, or a number that hasn't been confirmed yet. Both are fine to buy — as long as you know which one you're buying. See the full tariff and what's included for the line-by-line version.
Transparent, no hidden fees.
Every Rentaka quote is built from vehicle class + destination port + method (RoRo/container), with port handling and Royal Malaysian Customs documentation already included. Rates are port-to-port and exclude Marine Insurance. The premium is calculated from your vehicle's Insured Value — referencing your existing vehicle insurance policy — and confirmed together with your quote. No surprise charges at the end. For classes or routes whose rate we haven't published openly (e.g. Lorry, Van, Heavy Machinery, or secondary ports), our officer gives you an exact price promptly — not a vague estimate.
Risks & Delays: What You Should Know.
One cost that appears in no tariff table is time. Delays usually trace back to the monsoon and rough seas, a vessel schedule that shifts, port congestion, and incomplete documents holding up customs clearance. What you can control: book early ahead of festive peaks, prepare your bank release letter before the loading date, and declare accessories or modifications when you request a quote.
We publish transit estimates, not guaranteed arrival dates. Every benchmark above is port-to-port and excludes Marine Insurance — that premium is what covers your vehicle's value in transit; without it, the risk is the owner's.
Common cost questions.
How much does it cost to ship a car to Sabah & Sarawak?
RoRo benchmark: motorcycle from RM 1,200, sedan RM 2,000–2,540, SUV/MPV RM 2,100–2,640 — Marine Insurance is billed separately (per Insured Value). For Lorry, Van, Heavy Machinery or secondary ports (Sandakan/Tawau/Sibu), check with our officer for an exact rate.
What is included in the price?
Every RoRo tariff includes port handling and customs documentation. Rates are port-to-port and exclude Marine Insurance. The premium is calculated from your vehicle's Insured Value — referencing your existing vehicle insurance policy — and confirmed together with your quote. Home pickup +RM 250. No hidden fees.
Why does the price differ by port?
Sea distance and sailing frequency. Kuching (~4–7 days) is usually cheaper than Kota Kinabalu (~7–9 days) or secondary ports like Sandakan and Tawau.
RoRo or container — which is cheaper?
RoRo (drive-on) is about 20–30% cheaper for driveable vehicles. A locked container costs more but gives full protection for premium cars or when shipping belongings alongside.
Are return-leg rates (Sabah/Sarawak → Klang) the same?
Slightly different. Confirmed examples: KK → Port Klang sedan RM 2,540 / SUV RM 2,640; Kuching → Port Klang sedan RM 1,995 / SUV RM 2,065; motorcycle RM 1,285.
When is this index updated?
Reviewed each season/year — last updated May 2026. For an exact rate by sailing date, get a 60-second quote or WhatsApp our officer.
