How to Renew Road Tax Singapore (2024) Guide: All You Need to Know and Troubleshooting Tips

Got a road tax payment coming up? This guide has all the answers about road tax in Singapore and provides solutions to common problems you might run into.

Hey there, fellow car owners! Besides the taxes and fees you pay when you first get your car, other ongoing costs are associated with owning a car in Singapore. One of these is road tax.

Today, we will explore all things road tax-related - what it is, how to renew it, how to resolve common problems, and tips on paying in instalments using a credit card. So, buckle up and join me as we navigate the ins and outs of road tax in Singapore.

Table of contents:

• What Is Road Tax and How It Is Calculated
• How to Check Your Road Tax
• What You Need to Do Before Renewing Your Road Tax
  • Have valid car insurance for the period of the road tax
  • Pass vehicle inspection (if it is due)
  • Clear outstanding fines
  • Inspect your vehicle number plate seals (off-peak car schemes)
• How to Renew Your Road Tax
  • Online Road Tax Renewal Methods
  • In-Person Road Tax Renewal Method
  • GIRO
• What Happens if You Don’t Renew Your Road Tax in Time
• Common Reasons Why You Can’t Renew Your Road Tax Online
  • Reason 1: Your car does not have insurance coverage for the entire period.
  • Reason 2: You have outstanding fines. 
  • Reason 3: You have not done your vehicle inspection.
  • Reason 4: Road tax renewal prerequisites are not updated with LTA.
• Pay Road Tax in Installments Using Credit Card
• Will Road Tax Be Refunded When You Sell Your Car
• Older Cars Pay More Road Tax
• SingSaver Helps Drivers Save Money

What Is Road Tax and How It Is Calculated

Road tax is a recurring fee you pay as a car owner. All registered cars in Singapore have to pay an annual road tax. 

Car owners can choose to pay their road tax on a 6-monthly or 12-monthly basis. The exception is Weekend Cars/Off-Peak Cars/Revised Off-Peak Cars. Cars under the off-peak car schemes can only renew their road tax on a 12-monthly basis.

Your road tax depends on your vehicle’s engine capacity or power rating. Bigger cars with higher engine capacity consume more fuel and thus produce more emissions. They are taxed at a higher rate compared to smaller cars.  

How to Check Your Road Tax

LTA has specific formulas to calculate the road tax each vehicle pays based on its engine capacity and power rating. If you want to learn about the math behind it, you can check out the formulas here. 

But if you'd rather not deal with complicated math, LTA has a road tax calculator to help you. You don’t have to sign in to OneMotoring. Enter your vehicle's details – like the registration number or engine details - to get started.

In under a minute, you'll find out: 

1. When your current road tax expires.
2. Whether your insurance covers the period you want to renew your road tax.
3. How much road tax you need to pay.
4. Late fees if you're late renewing your road tax.

What You Need to Do Before Renewing Your Road Tax

Before you can renew your road tax, you need to fulfill these requirements. 

1. Have valid car insurance for the period of the road tax

Your car must have car insurance for the entire period you intend to renew your road tax. The insurance has to cover third-party liability for deaths and bodily injury.

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2. Pass vehicle inspection (if it is due)

You don't always need to get your car inspected every time you renew your road tax. But if it's time for your car inspection, you will receive an inspection notice about three months before your road tax expires. In this case, you must complete the vehicle inspection before renewing your road tax. 

If you misplace your inspection notice, you can still get your vehicle inspected at LTA-Authorised Inspection Centres without it.  

3. Clear outstanding fines

Ensure you clear all outstanding fines or warrants from LTA, HDB, URA, and Traffic Police.

4. Inspect your vehicle number plate seals (off-peak car schemes)

For Weekend Cars/Off-Peak Cars/Revised Off-Peak Cars - Inspect your vehicle number plate seals at an LTA-Authorised Inspection Centre.

Cars under the off-peak car schemes can only renew their road tax on a 12-monthly basis. 

How to Renew Your Road Tax 

You can renew your road tax in different ways: online, in person, or by setting up an automatic GIRO payment. 

If you want to do it online, make sure you fulfill all renewal requirements at least 3 working days in advance. 

For in-person renewals, satisfy all renewal requirements and bring the original prerequisite documents. e.g., print-out of your motor insurance certificate and vehicle inspection certificate. 

Online Road Tax Renewal Methods

For online renewal methods, you must meet all your renewal prerequisites at least 3 working days in advance. These online road tax renewal services are available all day except between midnight and 1.00am.

In-Person Road Tax Renewal Method

You can pay for your road tax at Road Tax Collection Centres. Before you go, check their road tax collection hours and payment modes accepted.

Bring the original prerequisite documents. e.g., print-out of your motor insurance certificate and vehicle inspection certificate. 

GIRO

Paying for road tax using GIRO ensures automatic, timely payments, avoiding the risk of late fees. You can find instructions on how to set up GIRO payments here.

What Happens if You Don’t Renew Your Road Tax in Time

If you don't renew your road tax on time, you'll have to pay an extra late fee. Being late means paying more money than if you renewed it on schedule.

After your road tax expires, your vehicle can no longer be used. It is an offence in Singapore to keep or use a vehicle whose road tax has expired. The penalty includes a fine of up to $2,000.

Source: One Motoring 

Common Reasons Why You Can’t Renew Your Road Tax Online

Reason 1: Your car does not have insurance coverage for the entire period

This is common with pre-owned cars (i.e., second-hand cars) during their first or second road tax renewal after purchasing the vehicle.

Pre-owned cars come with road tax already paid for by the previous owner. As the new owner, you take up car insurance with a coverage period of 12 months. 

When the old road tax ends, you pay for a new road tax for six months or a year.

If you pay for six months, everything lines up nicely with your insurance. But if you pay for a year or when you renew for the second six months, your insurance might end before your new road tax. This is commonly known as "misalignment of road tax and insurance expiry."

The fix is simple. Talk to your insurance company and ask them to extend your insurance to match the last day of your new road tax. Ensure you complete the insurance extension at least 3 working days before renewing your road tax online.

Do this just once, and from then on, the expiry of your road tax and insurance should align. 

Reason 2: You have outstanding fines

You may have overlooked outstanding fines on your vehicle from these agencies - LTA, HDB, URA, and Traffic Police. Check whether you have any unpaid fines on their websites and pay them right away. 

Reason 3: You have not done your vehicle inspection

You may have missed the inspection notice. Go to OneMotoring and check under e-letters to see if there is a notice. 

You can also check your vehicle’s periodic inspection due date on OneMotoring. Go to Digital Services > Enquire When Vehicle is Due for Inspection (Requires Login) and log in with your Singpass when prompted. 

Reason 4: Road tax renewal prerequisites are not updated with LTA

LTA recommends fulfilling all road tax renewal requirements at least 3 working days before renewing your road tax online. The lead time is for parties involved, such as insurers and inspection centers, to update the LTA.

If you just renewed your car insurance or finished your vehicle inspection today and want to renew your road tax online on the same day, it might not work. The updates might not have reached LTA yet.

If your road tax expires today and you’ve just completed all the renewal requirements, go to one of the Road Tax Collection Centres and pay your road tax over the counter. Bring the original prerequisite documents. e.g., print-out of your motor insurance certificate and vehicle inspection certificate. The officer will verify on the spot and renew your road tax. This way, you can avoid late payment fees. 

However, if none of these reasons apply to your situation, please contact LTA customer service hotline at 1800 2255 5822 for assistance. 

Pay Road Tax in Installments Using Credit Card

LTA only allows you to pay road tax on a 6-monthly or 12-monthly basis. 

You can, however, pay your road tax in smaller installments if you use credit cards that automatically split your bills into 3 or 6-month instalments with 0% interest for transactions that meet the credit card’s minimum transaction threshold. 

Will Road Tax Be Refunded When You Sell Your Car?

When you sell your car, the road tax you already paid follows the vehicle and goes to the new owner. While LTA does not refund the road tax paid to the previous owner, you can add the unused road tax to your car’s selling price to get that money back.

Remember, even if you're selling your car, if the road tax expires before you can sell it or deregister your vehicle, you still need to renew it.

Older Cars Pay More Road Tax

LTA imposes a road tax surcharge for vehicles over 10 years old. A road tax surcharge is an additional amount you pay on top of your vehicle’s original road tax.

The surcharge is to acknowledge the higher pollution contributions by older cars.

SingSaver Helps Drivers Save Money

When you drive in Singapore, there's more to pay for than just road tax. SingSaver is always searching for ways to help you save money. Read our articles to learn how to spend less on car insurance, parking, electronic road pricing (ERP), and petrol. 

Want to pay less for car insurance? We compare prices from different insurance companies to find you the best deal. Our quotes are guaranteed to be the lowest. Plus, you get the chance to earn attractive rewards! Get a quote from SingSaver now.