Jakarta reviews odd-even rule as Leapmotor warns over EV exemption

Top image: Photo: Serenity, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jakarta’s provincial government is reviewing its odd-even (ganjil genap) traffic restriction, and the question of whether battery electric cars should keep their exemption from it is now firmly on the table. Carmakers are watching closely: for many Jakarta buyers, being able to drive on any day regardless of number plate is one of the most tangible everyday perks of owning an EV.

What is being reviewed

The odd-even scheme, which limits private cars on major corridors to alternate days based on the last digit of their plate, has been in place for roughly a decade. At the end of September the Jakarta Transportation Agency (Dinas Perhubungan) held a focus group discussion on the policy. According to Suara.com and Liputan6, the review is looking at emissions, economic and environmental effects, and how vehicles are classified by fuel or power source.

Agency head Budi Awaludin stressed that the discussion was only about gathering public input and that further study is needed before anything changes. No decision has been announced on the EV exemption. In early October, Jakarta DPRD member Muhammad Taufik Zoelkifli (PKS) also said the policy, which dates from 2016, should be evaluated with more attention to its economic impact, Kumparan reported.

The review is a shift in tone from May, when the agency’s then head, Syafrin Liputo, said the province would keep the odd-even exemption for battery EVs, alongside its exemptions from regional vehicle tax (PKB) and title-transfer duty (BBNKB), according to the National Police news portal. That followed a national interior ministry regulation (Permendagri 11/2026) which stopped treating EVs as automatically exempt from those regional taxes, leaving each province to decide. Our guide to EV taxes and incentives in 2026 explains how those levies work.

Leapmotor: removal would hit demand

Speaking at a media event near Bogor on 20 October, Leapmotor Indonesia brand head Samuel Christian Wowor said the exemption is one of the triggers that persuade consumers to switch to an electric car, so removing it would inevitably affect the market. He also argued that people who bought EVs on the basis of the current rules should be considered in any change (Suara.com).

“For our part, we will of course simply follow whatever government regulations are in force.”
— Samuel Christian Wowor, Leapmotor Indonesia, to Suara.com (translated from Indonesian)

Local content push could also affect prices

At the same event, Wowor said Leapmotor aims to lift the local content (TKDN) of its locally assembled cars from 40% to 60% by 2027, in line with the government’s requirement. The company is still studying which parts to localise, with the battery among the options, and said the investment needed could end up reflected in vehicle prices, Suara.com reported. The B10 and C10 are currently listed at Rp 499 million and Rp 618 million on the road in Jakarta, and are assembled by PT National Assemblers. BYD has set out a similar 60% target for its Subang plant.

What it means for buyers

• Nothing has changed yet. Battery EVs remain exempt from Jakarta’s odd-even rule while the study continues.
• Do not rely on the perk for the long term. If daily access to odd-even corridors is a major reason for buying an EV, factor in that the exemption is under review and could be narrowed.
• Watch local-content timelines. Brands moving from 40% to 60% TKDN by 2027 have warned that localisation costs could push prices up, although none has announced an increase.

Update, 23 October: Industry Minister Muhammad Sarmuji has proposed extending odd-even exemptions and other perks to hybrids, PHEVs and REEVs. Read our follow-up.

Sources: Suara.com (30 Sept); Liputan6 (30 Sept); Kumparan (21 Oct); Suara.com (21 Oct, odd-even); Suara.com (21 Oct, TKDN); Tribratanews Polri (5 May).