Owning a car in Singapore comes with a stack of recurring costs, and road tax is one of the ones people understand least. It is not a one-off. Road tax in Singapore is a licence fee you pay to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to keep your vehicle legally on the road, and it has to be renewed on a fixed cycle for as long as you own the car. Miss it and you are driving an unlicensed vehicle, which is an offence. This guide explains what road tax is, how LTA works out the amount, what you need in place before you can renew, how electric vehicles are treated, and how to check and pay in a few minutes online. For the exact dollar figures, always go to LTA or One Motoring, because the rates and formulas are reviewed from time to time and any number quoted here would go stale.
What Road Tax Actually Pays For
Road tax is a compulsory annual charge tied to your vehicle, separate from your COE, your insurance and your inspection. Think of it as the fee that keeps your vehicle registered and licensed to use public roads. Every registered car, motorcycle and commercial vehicle has to have valid road tax, and the renewal is your responsibility as the owner, not something that happens automatically in the background.
Because it is a licence to use the roads, the consequences of letting it lapse are real. Driving with expired road tax can attract penalties, and a late renewal usually costs more than renewing on time. LTA also links road tax to other obligations, so you generally cannot renew unless your insurance and inspection are in order. The practical takeaway is simple: treat road tax as a diary event, note the expiry, and renew a little early rather than late.
How LTA Works Out Your Road Tax
For most petrol and diesel cars, road tax in Singapore is assessed mainly on engine capacity, measured in cubic centimetres (cc). The larger the engine, the higher the road tax, and the increase is not linear, so a big engine can cost a lot more than a modest one. This is deliberate: it nudges buyers toward smaller, more efficient vehicles.
A few other factors can change the final figure:
- Engine capacity (cc) is the primary basis for conventional cars, and the rate rises in bands as capacity increases.
- Vehicle age matters. Cars above a certain age attract a road tax surcharge, so an older car can cost noticeably more to license each year.
- Fuel or power type changes the method entirely for electric and some hybrid vehicles, where a power rating is used instead of engine capacity.
- Vehicle class differs for motorcycles, taxis and commercial vehicles, which each have their own schedules.
Because the exact bands, multipliers and any surcharge percentages are set by LTA and revised periodically, do not rely on a figure from a forum post or an old receipt. Use the official road tax calculator on One Motoring with your vehicle details to get the current amount.
Renewal Cycles and What You Need First
Road tax is renewed on a rolling cycle, and you can usually choose to pay for either six months or twelve months at a time. Paying annually is generally the more convenient option, while six-monthly can help with cash flow if you would rather spread the cost. Either way, you renew before the current period expires.
Renewal is not automatic and it is gated by two other requirements:
- Valid motor insurance that covers you for the full road tax period you are paying for. No valid insurance, no renewal.
- A valid vehicle inspection if your car is due for one. Cars that have reached the age where periodic inspection is required must pass at an authorised centre before road tax can be renewed. If you are not sure when your car needs inspecting, see our guide to car inspection and VICOM in Singapore.
If either of these is missing or expired, the system will not let you complete the renewal, so sort out insurance and inspection first, then renew road tax.
Older Cars and the Surcharge
One point that surprises owners of used cars is the age surcharge. Once a car passes a certain age, LTA applies a percentage surcharge on top of the base road tax, and that surcharge steps up further as the car gets older. It is one of the quiet running costs of keeping a car for the full COE period or buying an older second-hand vehicle: the road tax you pay in the later years can be meaningfully higher than in the early years.
This is worth factoring into any buy-versus-keep decision. If you are weighing an older car with a cheaper sticker price, remember that its road tax, along with insurance and maintenance, may be climbing just as the purchase price is falling. Check the current surcharge structure on One Motoring so you are budgeting with real numbers rather than the base rate alone.
How Electric and Hybrid Cars Are Taxed
Electric vehicles do not have an engine capacity in cc, so road tax for EVs is assessed on the vehicle’s power rating instead, typically in kilowatts (kW). Higher-powered EVs sit in higher road tax bands, mirroring the logic used for engine size in petrol cars. Because EVs do not pay fuel duty at the pump, the framework has also included an additional usage-based component so that electric cars contribute toward road costs in a comparable way to petrol vehicles.
The details of the EV road tax framework, including the power bands and any additional flat components, have been adjusted as the EV population has grown, so treat this as a general picture rather than a fixed schedule. If you are shopping for or already own an electric car, confirm the current EV road tax on One Motoring and read our overview of electric cars in Singapore to see how road tax fits alongside the other ownership costs.
How Road Tax Is Assessed by Vehicle Type
The table below summarises the basis of assessment. It shows the method, not the amount, because the amounts change.
| Vehicle type | How road tax is assessed | Key factors |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol/diesel car | Based on engine capacity (cc) in rising bands | Larger engine means higher tax; age surcharge applies |
| Electric car | Based on power rating (kW) plus a usage-based component | Higher power means higher tax; offsets absence of fuel duty |
| Hybrid car | Assessed on engine capacity or power rating depending on type | Follows the relevant petrol or electric method |
| Motorcycle | Own schedule based on engine capacity | Generally much lower than for cars |
| Older vehicles | Base rate plus an age surcharge | Surcharge rises with vehicle age |
Checking and Paying Online
Renewing road tax is one of the easier motoring admin tasks. You can check your road tax status and expiry date on the LTA or One Motoring digital services using your vehicle number and a Singpass login. The same portal will tell you if anything is blocking renewal, such as an outstanding inspection or a lapsed insurance record.
To renew, make sure your insurance is active for the period, clear any required inspection, then pay online by the usual electronic methods. Payment is near-instant, and your record updates without you needing a physical disc on the windscreen, since the paper road tax label was phased out. Set a reminder a couple of weeks before expiry so you are never caught renewing late and paying a penalty. For the precise current rates, surcharges and EV bands, always defer to LTA and One Motoring rather than any figure you saw elsewhere.
Explore more
Before you renew, make sure your car is inspection-ready with our guide to car inspection and VICOM in Singapore. If you are weighing an EV, see how road tax compares alongside charging and running costs in electric cars in Singapore.