Driving in Singapore Voyage Tips and guide

Driving is not a popular option for visitors to Singapore, as public transport covers virtually the entire island and it's generally cheaper to take taxis all day than to rent. You will usually be looking at upwards from $100 per day for the smallest vehicle from the major rental companies, although local ones can be cheaper and there are sometimes good weekend prices available. This does not include petrol at around $3/litre or electronic road pricing (ERP) fees, and rentals often charge extra or outright prohibit driving to Malaysia.

Foreign licences in English or from other ASEAN member countries are valid in Singapore for up to a year from your date of entry, after which you will have to convert your foreign licence to a Singapore version. Other foreign licences must be accompanied by an International Driving Permit (IDP) or an official English translation (usually available from your embassy) to be valid.

Singaporeans drive on the left and the legal driving age is 18. Roads in Singapore are in excellent condition and driving habits are generally good compared to other countries in the region, with most people following the traffic rules due to stringent enforcement, although road courtesy tends to be sorely lacking and occasionally haphazard driving may be encountered.

The speed limit is 90 km/h (56 mph) on major expressways (with the exception of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) being 80 km/h (50 mph)) and typically 50 km/h (31 mph) on most medium-sized roads. While signs are usually good, expressways are almost universally referred to only by acronym, so the Pan Island Expressway is "PIE", the East Coast Parkway is "ECP", etc.

Turning left at a red light is not permitted unless there is a sign specifically allowing it.

All passengers must wear seat belts and using a phone while driving is banned.

Drink-driving is not tolerated: the maximum blood alcohol content is 0.08%, with roadblocks set up at night to catch offenders, who are heavily fined and possibly jailed. Even if your blood alcohol level does not exceed the legal limit, you can still be charged with drink-driving if the police are convinced that your ability to control the vehicle has been compromised by the presence of alcohol (e.g. if you are involved in a collision).

The police conduct periodic roadblocks and speed cameras are omnipresent. Fines will be sent by mail to you or your rental agency, who will then pass on the cost with a surcharge. If stopped for a traffic offence, don't even think about trying to bribe your way out; police corruption is extremely rare in Singapore, and attempting to bribe a police officer will almost certain lead to your immediate arrest and a prison sentence.

Parking is tolerably easy to find but very rarely free, with rates varying depending on time, day of week, and location, from around $3/hour at private CBD carparks to $1/hour at public carparks, usually payable with the CashCard.

Electronic road payments (ERP) require a stored-value CashCard, which is usually arranged by the rental agency, but it's your responsibility to ensure it has enough value. ERP gantries are activated at different times, usually in the expected direction of most cars. As a rule of thumb, gantries found in roads leading to the CBD are activated during the morning rush hour while gantries found in roads exiting the CBD are activated during the evening rush hour. Passing through an active ERP gantry with insufficient value will mean that an alert is sent to your registered address. You must pay an administrative fee in addition to the difference between the remaining amount and the actual charge. You have a limited time to settle this, or the penalty becomes harsher.

If you plan on touring Malaysia by car, it makes much more sense to pick up your car across the border in Johor Bahru, where both rentals and petrol are half price, and you have the option of dropping your car off elsewhere in the country. This also avoids the unwelcome extra attention that Singapore number plates tend to get from thieves and greedy cops.

If you have your own car that is registered in Singapore, you must have a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) from the Malaysian government to drive it into Malaysia. Singaporean motor vehicle insurance usually covers you in Peninsular Malaysia and in southern Thailand up to 80 km (50 mi) from the Malaysian border, but Thai immigration will demand proof of insurance from a Thai provider to be allowed to drive in.

Driving a foreign-registered vehicle into Singapore is a major bureaucratic hassle, involving a road taxes, permits, toll transponders, and more. See the Land Transport Authority's Entering and Exiting Singapore guide for more details. All these requirements have to be arranged in advance, so you cannot just show up at the border with your car on a whim. Drivers of Malaysian cars will need to show proof that their Malaysian insurance policy covers them in Singapore, while drivers of Thai cars will need to show proof of insurance from a Singapore-based provider. If your foreign car is not registered in Malaysia or Thailand, you will need to satisfy the requirements for Thai cars and obtain additional permits on top of that.

Enforcement of traffic laws is primarily the responsibility of the traffic police, though any on-duty police officer has the authority to do so. Traffic police usually wear white uniforms that are distinctive from the dark blue uniforms usually worn by other police officers. Plainclothes police officers must show you their warrant cards when they pull you over to identify themselves as police officers.

Although Singapore is highly urbanised, it is still possible to encounter wild animals on the road in forested areas, particularly when driving at night. In the event of an animal collision, you are required by law to stop and contact the authorities immediately; failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $3,000 (or $5,000 for repeat offenders). If the animal might still be alive, call the NParks Animal Response Centre at ☏ +65-1800-476-1600 or the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) Wildlife Rescue Hotline at ☏ +65-9783-7782. If you are sure that the animal is dead, you will need to call the National Environmental Agency (NEA) to dispose of the carcass at ☏ +65-1800-2255-632.

It is illegal to drive a vehicle without at least third party insurance that covers both bodily injuries and property damage to the other party in Singapore. However, you are highly advised to take up comprehensive insurance, which covers damage to your own vehicle as well. In the event of an accident, you are required to report it to your insurance company within 24 hours. A police report is also required if there are any injuries or fatalities, if a foreign vehicle is involved, if there is any damage to government property, if pedestrians or cyclists are involved, or in the event of a hit-and-run accident.

Malaysian motor vehicle insurance is usually valid for short visits to Singapore, but non-Malaysian foreign-registered vehicles are required to be covered by a Singapore-based insurance company before they can be legally driven into Singapore.