The Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday reiterated that all electric vehicles (EVs) are automatically exempted from the Metro Manila traffic coding scheme, commonly known as the number coding program, for an eight-year period.
The DOE issued the statement to clarify an advisory from the Philippine National Police–Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) dated Oct. 7, 2025, which suggested EV owners needed to secure DOE certification to qualify for the exemption.
The DOE said that no such certification is required because the exemption is mandated under Republic Act No. 11697, or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA).
Section 25(a)(2) of the said law grants an eight-year exemption from the mandatory unified vehicular volume reduction program implemented by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and other relevant agencies, it said.
The exemption is based on the recognized EV models listed on the EV Industry Portal at www.evindustry.ph.
To support the implementation of these non-fiscal incentives, the DOE issued Department Circular No. DC2023-05-0012, as amended by DC2025-09-0015, which are the Electric Vehicle Recognition Guidelines.
The circular establishes the process for recognizing and classifying EVs, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and light electric vehicles (LEVs).
The DOE affirmed its commitment to collaborating with partner agencies like the Land Transportation Office (LTO), MMDA, PNP–HPG and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to promote the country’s transition toward sustainable and low emission mobility.
