FMT found many luxury car owners from the M40 and T20 income groups pumping RON95 at several petrol stations, after using the non-subsidised RON97 for years.

Petrol station owners also said the number of RON97 users had decreased by 30%.

The RON95 grade is heavily subsidised, with the government projecting a total subsidy of RM28 billion in 2022 compared with RM11 billion last year.

BMW owner Neo Woon, 47, admitted switching to RON95 after five years of using RON97.

“RON97 is too expensive now. I have no choice but to settle for a lower quality fuel simply because I can no longer afford RON97,” he told FMT.

Sharing a similar sentiment, Shahir Hamzah, 56, said he switched back to RON95 for his Mercedes-Benz last month.

“Switching to RON95 allows me to save up to RM500 a month. I can spend that money on groceries for my family.”

However, Shahir said he would go back to RON97 if the price stabilised again.

Another motorist, Mohd Huzzairi, said he was waiting to see how the prices would change in the next few weeks before deciding on whether to use RON95 for his vehicles.

“I am still sticking to RON97. Even though this grade is better for my vehicles, I have no choice but to switch to cheaper fuel if the price continues to go up.”

Another Mercedes-Benz owner, Christina, said she had switched to driving a Perodua to reduce expenses.