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View all search resultsHybrid cars could sway buyers if the incentives add up
According to the Association of Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers (Gaikindo), wholesale hybrid car distribution rose 42.66 percent year-on-year to 65,968 units in January-September 2026, accounting for 9.72 percent of total car sales.
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Visitors crowd the 2025 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in BSD City, Tangerang, Banten, in this undated photo. The event drew a total of 485,569 visitors over its 11-day run from July 24 to Aug. 3. (Courtesy of/GIIAS 2025)
Y
uli Safitri, a mother of two from Bekasi, West Java, who drives her children to school every weekday, said she is considering buying a hybrid car if the government offered incentives similar to those available for battery electric vehicles (EVs).
“If the government were to offer similar incentives for hybrid cars, I would be more interested in a hybrid,” she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
The comment comes as the government plans to offer incentives for hybrid car sales this year, with Industry Minister Muhammad Sarmuji saying the scheme’s size and mechanism remain under discussion.
The prospect of incentives has drawn mixed reactions from consumers, who cite potential benefits such as lower running costs and exemption from Jakarta’s odd-even traffic restrictions, alongside concerns about charging infrastructure and vehicle prices.
Yuli currently has two internal combustion engine (ICE) cars in her household, one for herself and the other for her husband to commute to work. She is considering replacing one of them with an EV because of lower charging costs, cheaper annual vehicle taxes and exemption from Jakarta’s odd-even traffic restrictions.
However, concerns about charging infrastructure, particularly outside Jakarta, have made hybrid cars more appealing to her.
“Hybrid car prices are still manageable, I think, but tax relief is definitely important. At the very least, it should be roughly comparable to what EVs receive. It would also help if hybrids were given more flexibility under the odd-even traffic restrictions, because otherwise I have to take detours and deal with traffic congestion,” she added.
