Road Traffic Act
(CHAPTER 276, Sections 34 and 140)
Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Registration and Licensing) Rules
R 5
G.N. No. S 262/1972

REVISED EDITION 2004
(31st December 2004)
[15th September 1972]
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Citation
1.  These Rules may be cited as the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Registration and Licensing) Rules.
Definitions
2.—(1)  In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires —
“business service passenger vehicle” means a motor car registered in the name of —
(a)a statutory board, company, firm, society, association or club and is used for the owner’s business; or
(b)an individual and is used for the purpose of any trade, business, profession or vocation,
but does not include a private hire car or a motor car used —
(i)for the carriage of goods other than samples;
(ii)for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward; or
(iii)for instructional purposes for reward unless prior approval of the Registrar has been obtained;
“car-sharing co-operative” means a co-operative society (not being a business connected with the manufacturer, sale or dealership of motor vehicles) which is registered under the Co-operative Societies Act (Cap. 62) and which has as its object the purchase of vehicles for the shared use of its members and affiliates for their business, social or domestic purposes;
“category (f) certificate of entitlement” means a certificate of entitlement issued under rule 3(1)(f) of the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) Rules (R 31);
“conventional car” means a motor car that is mechanically propelled by means of internal combustion engines;
“cylinder capacity” means —
(a)the area of the piston crown of the cylinder of the engine multiplied by the stroke multiplied by the number of cylinders of the engine; or
(b)the volume swept by the piston in the cylinder multiplied by the number of cylinders of the engine,
and the product so derived is expressed in cubic centimetres;
“electric car” means a motor car that is mechanically propelled by means of electric traction motors;
“goods-cum-passengers vehicle” means —
(a)a station wagon constructed for the carriage of 7 passengers or more, excluding the driver, and registered by the owner for the use by him or a member of his family or any person by his authority without consideration for social or domestic purposes or for the owner’s business and excluding the use for instructional purposes for reward;
(b)a panel van; or
(c)a twin-cabin goods vehicle;
“heavy goods vehicle” means —
(a)a goods vehicle, construction equipment, engineering plant, trivan, motor cycle with a side-car attached to it, recovery vehicle, vehicle used as a mobile canteen or mobile bank, goods-cum-passengers vehicle or a vehicle used for a specific purpose such as a horse float, the maximum laden weight of which exceeds 3.0 metric tons and which is registered using a certificate of entitlement issued before 1st April 1998; or
(b)a goods vehicle, construction equipment, engineering plant, trivan, recovery vehicle, vehicle used as a mobile canteen or mobile bank, goods-cum-passengers vehicle or a vehicle used for a specific purpose such as a horse float, the maximum laden weight of which exceeds 3.5 metric tons and which is registered using a certificate of entitlement issued on or after 1st April 1998;
“heavy oil or diesel oil” includes any liquid other than petroleum which is or may be used as fuel in the engine of a motor vehicle;
“hybrid car” means a motor car that is mechanically propelled by means of a combination of internal combustion engines and electric traction motors;
“light goods vehicle” means —
(a)a goods vehicle, construction equipment, engineering plant, trivan, motor cycle with a side-car attached to it, recovery vehicle, vehicle used as a mobile canteen or mobile bank, goods-cum-passengers vehicle or a vehicle used for a specific purpose such as a horse float, the maximum laden weight of which does not exceed 3.0 metric tons and which is registered using a certificate of entitlement issued before 1st April 1998; or
(b)a goods vehicle, construction equipment, engineering plant, trivan, motor cycle with a side-car attached to it, recovery vehicle, vehicle used as a mobile canteen or mobile bank, goods-cum-passengers vehicle or a vehicle used for a specific purpose such as a horse float, the maximum laden weight of which does not exceed 3.5 metric tons and which is registered using a certificate of entitlement issued on or after 1st April 1998;
“off-peak car” means a motor car referred to in rule 32;
“panel van” means a light goods vehicle having a body derived from a motor car with its sides panelled up and with a design similar to a station wagon (saloon model) or a jeep;
“private hire car” means a motor car which does not ply for hire on any road but is hired under a contract, expressed or implied, for the use of the motor car as a whole;
“private motor car” means a motor car registered in the name of —
(a)a private individual and used by him or a member of his family or any person by his authority without consideration for social or domestic purposes or for his business;
(b)a charitable organisation, whose income is exempt from tax under the Income Tax Act (Cap. 134) and which is a full member of the National Council of Social Service established under the National Council of Social Service Act (Cap. 195A) and used solely for the owner’s business; or
(c)a car-sharing co-operative,
excluding the carriage of goods other than samples and excluding the use for instructional purposes for reward;
“power rating” means the maximum aggregate power output, expressed in kilowatts (kW), of the electric traction motors;
“PU-registered vehicle” means a motor vehicle which is registered under rule 3B;
“registered owner” means a person registered under the Act as owner of a motor vehicle;
“small bus” means a bus having a maximum seating capacity of 10 persons (including the driver) or less;
“station wagon” means a vehicle with folding seats and side doors and either a tailboard or doors opening at the rear, constructed or adapted for the carriage of goods as well as passengers;
“station wagon (passengers only)” means a station wagon registered by the owner for the use by him or a member of his family or any person by his authority without consideration for social or domestic purposes or for the owner’s business, excluding the carriage of goods other than samples and excluding the use for instructional purposes for reward;
“twin-cabin goods vehicle” means a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight not exceeding 5.0 metric tons constructed with an additional cabin or enclosed space for passengers or goods adjacent to or as an extension of the cabin for the driver and front seat passenger.
(2)  For the purposes of these Rules, the age of a vehicle shall be reckoned —
(a)in the case of a vehicle which has not been registered outside Singapore before its first registration in Singapore, from the date of its first registration in Singapore;
(b)in the case of a vehicle which —
(i)is first registered outside Singapore; and
(ii)before the expiry of one month from the date of its first registration outside Singapore is first registered in Singapore,
from the date of its first registration in Singapore;
(c)in the case of a vehicle which —
(i)is first registered outside Singapore; and
(ii)after the expiry of one month from the date of its first registration outside Singapore is first registered in Singapore,
from the last day of the month of its first registration outside Singapore;
(d)in the case of a vehicle which —
(i)is first registered outside Singapore and is subsequently de-registered within a period of 3 working days thereafter (or such longer period as the Registrar may allow in any particular case);
(ii)is registered under these Rules on or after 1st June 2000 pursuant to an application made within 3 months (or such longer period as the Registrar may allow in any particular case) after that de-registration outside Singapore; and
(iii)has never been used anywhere before the date of its first registration in Singapore,
from the date of its first registration in Singapore;
(e)where it is not possible to ascertain the date on which the vehicle was first registered in or outside Singapore, from the first day of its year of manufacture; and
(f)where it is not possible to ascertain the date on which the vehicle was first registered in or outside Singapore and the year of its manufacture, from such date as the Registrar may, in his discretion, determine.