Founder & Managing Director

Kevin Kho

Kevin Kho Ka Yong · Kuching, Sarawak

Who is Kevin Kho?

Kevin Kho Ka Yong is the founder and Managing Director of Tiger Motors Sdn Bhd, Kuching's No. 1 used car dealer in Sarawak. After being sold a used car with a hidden history in 2017, he started Tiger Motors in 2021 with RM50,000 so that no buyer would go through the same. He has since grown it to 500+ cars sold and RM19.3 million+ in sales, with wins at the SME100 Awards 2024.

Why he started Tiger Motors

Buying a used car in Malaysia is hard if you are not from the trade. Flood-damaged and total-loss cars are cleaned up and resold, hidden problems stay hidden, and buyers often find out only after they have paid. Kevin learned this first-hand: in 2017 he bought a used car for himself that turned out to have a history nobody told him about, and he felt cheated.

When the pandemic hit his Airbnb business in 2020, he decided to build the dealership he wished he had bought from. Tiger Motors opened in 2021 with one goal: make sure no customer goes through what he did. That is why every car has its history checked, is inspected on 128 points, is resprayed and comes with a written guarantee of no flood and no total-loss history.

“When you buy a car from us, I want it to lift you up, not hold you back. A reliable car gets you to work, your kids to school and your family further. That is what we mean by Driving Life Forward.”

Kevin Kho, founder of Tiger Motors

What he built the company on

Every car certified, never the cheapest
A car is one of the biggest purchases a family makes. When a used car is priced far below the market, there is usually a reason: hidden damage, a total-loss record or a flood history. Even when someone offers Kevin a trade-in that looks too cheap, the checks usually show why. So Tiger Motors does not compete on the lowest price. It sells cars it can stand behind, inspected on 128 points and backed by a 1-year warranty.
A full loan, even without savings
Many Sarawakians can afford a monthly instalment but not the downpayment. Tiger Capital covers it, up to 20% of the car price including insurance and road tax, so a buyer can drive away on a full loan. Its rate is capped at 6% a year, which in some cases is cheaper than the alternatives.
Instalments people can live with
Kevin's rule is that a sale should never push a customer into financial trouble. The team checks that the monthly commitment fits the buyer's income before a loan goes in, and explains how CCRIS and CTOS affect future borrowing.

Milestones

2017
Buys a used car for himself that turns out to have a hidden history, and learns how easy it is for buyers to be misled.
2020
The pandemic hits his Airbnb business. He decides to build a used car business that does things properly.
2021
Founds Tiger Motors in Kuching with RM50,000 of his own capital, working from a co-working space, with Liberty and Chubb as insurance partners from day one.
2023
Launches Tiger Financing Assistance (now Tiger Capital) for downpayments, and gets eAuto/JPJ access for faster ownership transfer.
2024
Launches Tiger Certified cars. Tiger Motors wins SME100 Fast Moving Companies, the SME100 CTOS Credit Excellence Award and the Consumers' Choice Award.
Today
500+ cars sold, RM19.3 million+ in sales and 350+ buyers financed through Tiger Capital, from a showroom in Batu Kawa.