JPJ and Puspakom vehicle inspection
Your vehicle needs to be inspected and you are not sure why or by whom.
A JPJ or Puspakom vehicle inspection checks a vehicle’s condition and records after a road accident, separately from any personal injury claim arising from the same crash. JPJ, the Road Transport Department, holds registration and licensing records. Puspakom is the company licensed to physically inspect vehicles for roadworthiness and damage.
Why a vehicle sometimes needs inspecting
A damaged vehicle may need a Puspakom inspection before it can be repaired, re-registered or sold on. The inspection looks at structural damage, roadworthiness and any modifications, feeding into how repair costs or a total loss are assessed.
This step exists for the vehicle itself, not for your body. It runs on its own track even when the same accident caused both kinds of loss.
Where JPJ fits into this picture
JPJ’s role is different from Puspakom’s. Its records confirm who owned a vehicle and who was licensed to drive it at the time of the accident.
If ownership or licensing is ever disputed, a JPJ record is usually the first place to check. JPJ does not carry out the physical inspection itself.
How this connects to the vehicle damage claim
Compulsory motor insurance in Malaysia is built around covering third-party death and injury; cover for your own vehicle is a separate, optional part of a comprehensive policy.[1] The inspection report typically supports that separate vehicle damage claim.
Claiming for your own vehicle damage explains how that process works once an inspection has taken place.
Who actually arranges it
The vehicle owner, or the insurer handling the damage claim, usually arranges the inspection rather than the injured claimant personally. If you were a passenger or pedestrian with no vehicle of your own involved, this step may not concern you directly at all.
Appointments are generally booked in advance rather than done on the spot.
Why this stays separate from your injury claim
An injury claim depends on medical evidence and the facts of how the accident happened, not on the state of any vehicle. Keeping the two apart in your own mind helps avoid confusion when dealing with two insurers at once.
Progress on one does not need to wait for progress on the other.
What to do if you are waiting on an inspection
Keep photographs of the damage taken as soon as possible after the accident, before any repair work begins. These photos can matter later, even once a formal inspection report exists.
If your accident also caused an injury, the claim process shows where that separate track currently sits.
Common questions
What does Puspakom actually check?
Puspakom, the company licensed to run mandatory vehicle inspections in Malaysia, checks roadworthiness, structural damage and modifications. After an accident, this can support an insurer's assessment of repair costs or whether a vehicle is beyond economical repair.
What does JPJ have to do with my claim?
JPJ, the Road Transport Department, holds vehicle registration and ownership records rather than inspecting the vehicle itself. Its records can matter if ownership or who was licensed to drive is ever in question.
Who arranges the inspection, me or the insurer?
It is usually the vehicle owner, or the insurer handling the vehicle damage claim, who arranges it. If your accident also caused an injury, you do not need to organise this yourself for that separate claim.
Does a vehicle inspection affect my injury claim?
Not directly. Vehicle inspection deals with the car or bike; your injury claim depends on medical evidence and the accident circumstances instead. The two run alongside each other rather than depending on one another.
Sources
- Road Transport Act 1987, s.91 (Ministry of Transport) (accessed 2026-09-22)