Driving in Singapore – What you need to know

How to get your driving licence in Singapore

Got a valid overseas driving licence? You can drive in Singapore for up to 12 months before you need to convert your licence. If you become a Permanent Resident (PR), however, you will need to convert your licence immediately. If your licence is not in English, you must have an International Driving Permit in addition to your licence.

To convert to a Singapore licence, you need to pass the Basic Theory Test (BTT); this involves learning local traffic rules. (Head to sgdriving.net for details.) Your application must be made in person at a driving test centre.

• Singapore Safety Driving Centre: 3 Ang Mio Kio Street 62
• Bukit Batok Driving Centre: 815 Bukit Batok West Ave 5
• ComfortDelGro Driving Centre: 215 Ubi Ave 4

The processing fee for converting your licence is $50 and the test fee is $6.50 (per attempt). Make sure you buy the basic theory book at a driving centre, bookshop or petrol station.

Editor’s tip: You do have to learn the information in the basic theory book, and there will be some trick questions in the test, so don’t be complacent. The failure rate is high! There are 50 questions on the test, and you have 50 minutes to answer them. To pass, you have to get at least 45 questions correct.

Other need-to-know tips for driving in Singapore

# In-vehicle Units, On-board Units, the ERP and the Parking.sg app

You need to buy a CashCard from a petrol station or convenience store and use it to pay for Electronic Road Pricing (ERP). ERP is charged on expressways and in the central zones – rates vary according to location and time.

All cars in Singapore used to come with a grey box mounted above the dashboard, known as the In-vehicle Unit (“IU”), which held the card. However, the Land Transport Authority has slowly been phasing these out since 2024 and replacing them with the On-board Unit (“OBU”) as part of the transition to the new ERP 2.0 system.

The CashCard can also be used for parking, though the Parking.sg app is a newer, easier way to pay for parking using your smartphone.

# Off-Peak Car Scheme

A red number plate means the driver is part of the Off Peak Car Scheme (OPCS), an initiative to encourage car owners to drive outside peak times. In return, they save on car registration and road taxes. (Off-peak drivers can drive all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays and on Mondays to Fridays 7pm to 7am). A $20 e-Day Licence is required for driving an off-peak car at any other time. This system has been in place since 2010, but there has been a significant decline in the numbers of off-peak cars on the road in the past couple of years.

# Dangerous driving

If you’re found with more than the legal limit of 35mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, or 80 milligrams per 100ml of blood (.08 as it’s commonly known), there are hefty fines, the possibility of a jail term, and lengthy disqualifications of driving licences. See the Road Traffic Act for more information.

# Singapore’s 10 main roads

• AYE – Ayer Rajah Expressway
• BKE – Bukit Timah Expressway
• CTE – Central Expressway
• ECP – East Coast Parkway
• KJE – Kranji Expressway
• KPE – Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway
• MCE – Marina Coastal Expressway
• PIE – Pan Island Expressway
• SLE – Seletar Expressway
• TPE – Tampines Expressway

The next expressway

Construction is underway on the NSC (North-South Corridor), which will become Singapore’s 11th expressway when it opens in a few years’ time (est. 2027). The road will link the city centre and the island’s east coast with Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Toa Payoh.

Singapore also has five “semi-expressways”, which are scaled down versions of the 10 main roads. They are Bukit Timah Road, Jurong Island Highway, Nicoll Highway, West Coast Highway and the Outer Ring Road System.

What about owning your own car?

If you’re looking at how to get your driving licence in Singapore, then the chances are you might also want to buy a car. A word of warning: this could be one of the more confusing and frustrating things you do! You first need to get to grips with a wide range of acronyms that are used.

OMV – Open Market Value

This is roughly the base value of the car at the time of import. Singapore Customs places an OMV on each vehicle, and this determines many of the additional taxes.

ARF – Additional Registration Fee

On top of the $220 basic Registration Fee (RF), you also have to pay an ARF, which is 100 percent of the OMV and upward (the higher the OMV, the higher the ARF), plus a 20 percent excise duty. In addition, you need to pay a seven-percent Goods and Services Tax (GST), and road tax. Road tax is reduced if you purchase a hybrid or electric car, or a car that runs on natural gas.

COE – Certificate of Entitlement

To own a car, you need a document known as a COE, which is valid for ten years. The government uses the COE system to control the number of cars on the road, and only releases a limited number each year. You can bid for your own COE – tenders are called for twice each month – or you can leave it up to your dealer. The cost of a COE rises or falls according to demand; it can range from a dollar to $100,000 or more.

Although the cost of buying a car in Singapore will initially seem much higher than at home, bear in mind that when you sell, export or scrap your car, you will recoup the unused portion of the COE. If you sell your car after two years, for example, your COE will still be valid for eight years, and you will recoup 80 percent of its cost. You will also recoup between 50 and 75 percent of the ARF. Financing options can be surprisingly affordable, with typical interest rates between 2.25 percent and 2.75 percent per annum. Loans can be repaid over ten years with a low deposit, if any, required up front. All vehicles in Singapore must carry at least third-party insurance.

Editor’s tip: The current COE (as of February 2025) for a Category A vehicle is a whopping $92,850!

Tips from readers: Is it worth having a car here?

“We have both bought and leased cars over the years, and also had times without a car. We bought a car that had six years on the lease, and drove it until it expired – that was timely as it was during COVID when we were predominantly working from home. More recently, we leased a car for the convenience of being able to give it back if we found we’re not using it enough to justify the spend. It’s worth having a car if you have pets or children, and there are multiple travel points each day. We’ve recently given up our car (again), due to moving apartments, and being closer to the MRT and shopping.” – Nerida

“If you have small children and see yourself doing multiple trips in one go, yes. If not, no. It has not been a need for our family.” – Geeta

“My work primarily involves dealing with major clients and handling financial projects. Therefore, I’m unlikely to consider buying a car in Singapore, as commuting allows me to use travel time more efficiently for work.” – Brenda

“My personal and humble opinion is no, don’t do it. Public transport is so good, you just don’t need it. Rent an electric car if you really need to get behind the wheel. Take a taxi for longer distances. Use luxury coaches into Malaysia and ferries to Indonesia. Who wants to drop $100k just on car tax alone, even before you buy the vehicle. Save your money, save the planet! (But one caveat: you’ll need get used to the ‘pumping’ driving style of some taxi drivers: caveat!)” – Brian

“Unless you have kids, in our opinion there is no need to own a car. The public transport system is great, there’re several share rides options, and in recent years car sharing is becoming common as well.” – Celeste

“Expat packages can include car expenses. Personally, though, I wouldn’t buy a car here. The public transport system is one of the best in the world, and taxis and ride-share drivers are cheap.” – Richard

“I had an Audi Q5 but sold it during COVID when my commute stopped. I bought it second-hand and even after eight years I still got half the original cost back, which made it less than a thousand dollars a month to run, including fuel and insurance. That’s easily less than I used to spend on taxis. So, do your research, as it can be more affordable than most people think.” – Charlotte

“We chose a car for convenience, and in the end buying one was cheaper long term than renting one. At the same time, taxis are relatively cheap here and the transport system (both MRT and buses) is great so it’s easy to choose what works for you depending on your personal circumstances.” – Talia

For more helpful tips, head to our Living in Singapore section.