Last Minute Road Tax Renewal | What to Do

Last Minute Road Tax Renewal: What to Do?

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Is your road tax due for renewal? You scramble to get all the documents in order and the checks all sorted to avoid the late payment penalty fee by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). Does this sound familiar?

As a vehicle owner in Singapore, you are required to renew your road tax every 6 or 12 months – depending on the duration of your current policy. Typically, if your car is below 9 years of age, the amount due should remain the same. Whereas for motorcycles of 395cc, you will be expected to pay about $63 every year. In other words, a regular 1.5L car may cost you $62.56, road tax for a 200cc bike in Singapore is $686. You can check the price of your road tax renewal online to be better prepared.

You should renew your road tax before it expires, as a late renewal fee will be imposed according to how late you submit your renewal request, besides engine capacity. You will also be issued a fine of up to $2000, as it is an offense to keep or use a vehicle with an expired road tax.

Let’s revisit the prerequisites for Road Tax renewal:

a. Vehicle inspection: 

For personal-owned cars and motorcycles, this happens on the 3rd year of registration, and every 2 years thereafter. 

b. Auto insurance: 

You’ll need to ensure that your vehicle has a valid car insurance for the full period of the new road tax.

c. Outstanding fines: 

You should clear your outstanding fines from the LTA, Housing and Development Board (HDB), Urban Redevelopment Agency (URA), and Traffic Police (TP), as this may obstruct your road tax renewal process.

d. Number plate inspection: 

If your vehicle falls under the Weekend Car / Off-Peak Car / Revised Off-Peak Car schemes, you need to get the number plate of your vehicle inspected at an LTA-authorised inspection centre as well. This does not apply to motorcycle owners in Singapore.

4 Steps to Take If Your Road Tax is About to Expire

1. Send your vehicle for inspection at an LTA-Authorised Inspection Centre (AIC).
2. Once you pass your vehicle inspection, get a quick car insurance or motorcycle insurance quote online.
3. You will receive a Certification of Insurance once your policy has been approved.
4. Then you can proceed to renew your road tax. There are a few ways to renew your road tax; you can do it online, or via AXS services, GIRO, or you can submit your documents and payment directly to any Authorised Road Tax Collection Centre near you.

However, remember that you’ll need time to sort out your car inspection and get your insurance renewed. And depending on your insurance company, it could take a few days to transmit the details of your new car insurance policy to LTA.

What to Do If You're Rushing to Renew Your Road Tax?

So, what can you do if you’re really short of time and need to renew your road tax immediately?

Here are 3 scenarios you may find yourself in, and what you can do:

Scenario 1: Your road tax is expiring the day after you renew your insurance (Sat, Sun, PH excluded). You could still renew your road tax online, as long as it’s submitted before 12pm.

Scenario 2: Your road tax is expiring on the same day that you are renewing your insurance (Sat, Sun, PH excluded) - be it for your car or motorcycle. Online renewal will no longer be an option but you can head to any authorised Authorised Road Tax Collection Centre during operation hours.

Scenario 3: Your road tax has already expired. You can no longer use your vehicle and late renewal fees is applicable. However, you can immediately get a new insurance policy reinstated and renew your road tax online. The sooner you submit your renewal request, the lower your penalty fees will be.

Avoid Late Fees & Fines Due to an Expired Road Tax

To avoid these scenarios, we recommend setting reminders at least a month before your road tax and car or motorcycle insurance is due to expire. In fact, you should receive a letter from the LTA, informing you that your road tax is due, 3 months before the expiry date. You can also check online to know exactly when your road tax is due to expire, just by entering your vehicle registration number.

Another important thing to note is that your vehicle insurance must cover third-party liabilities and physical injuries as per LTA requirement. So, a basic third-party only plan will be enough to renew your road tax. However, comprehensive car or motorcycle insurance will not only meet the road tax renewal requirements, it’ll also give you better coverage.

We can assist you with your car and motorcycle insurance renewal, to ensure that you get it done on time. This way, you’ll only need to remember to get your vehicle inspected when notified.