Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Registration and Licensing) Rules

Road Traffic Act

(CHAPTER 276, Sections 34 and 140)

R 5

G.N. No. S 262/1972

REVISED EDITION 2014

(22nd August 2014)

[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)	the Government or a statutory board, company, firm, society, club or an association 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 —

(c)

a private hire car;

(d)

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; or

(e)

a civil defence operations car or police operations car;

[S 249/2019 wef 01/04/2019]

“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);

“chauffeured private hire car” means a private hire car hired, or made available for hire, for use primarily in the circumstances in paragraph (b) of the definition of “private hire car” but which may also be used in the circumstances in paragraph (a) of that definition;

[S 550/2017 wef 01/10/2017]

“civil defence operations car” means a motor car owned by the Government for the use of the Singapore Civil Defence Force for the purposes of civil defence;

[S 249/2019 wef 01/04/2019]

“classic vehicle” means a motor car, motor cycle or scooter that is at least 35 years old when it is registered or re-registered as a classic vehicle under rule 69, and includes any vehicle which, before 1st August 2012 is registered as a classic car in the register of motor vehicles maintained by the Registrar under rule 12;

“CNG system” means an assembly of components and connecting parts which are fitted on —

(a)	a CNG vehicle;
(b)	a diesel-CNG vehicle; or
(c)	a petrol-CNG vehicle,

to enable the vehicle to use natural gas as its source of power;

“CNG vehicle” means a vehicle which uses natural gas exclusively as its source of power;

“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;

“de-registered”, in relation to a vehicle, means that the registration of the vehicle has been cancelled;

“diesel-CNG vehicle” means a vehicle which uses either or both natural gas and diesel as its source of power;

“diesel-electric car” means a motor car which uses either or both diesel and electricity as its source of power;

“diesel-electric vehicle” means a vehicle, other than a motor car, which uses either or both diesel and electricity as its source of power;

“electric car” means a motor car that is mechanically propelled by means of electric traction motors;

“electric motor cycle” or “electric scooter” means a motor cycle or scooter, respectively, that is mechanically propelled by means of electric traction motors;

“electric vehicle” means a vehicle, other than a car, that is mechanically propelled by means of electric traction motors;

“Euro IV standard” means —

(a)	in relation to a diesel driven motor car, a standard for exhaust emission which complies with the standard specified in row B of the table referred to in paragraph 13 of the Annex to Directive 98/69/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union;
(b)	in relation to a diesel driven motor vehicle (other than a motor car) with gross vehicle weight not exceeding 3.5 tons, a standard for exhaust emission which complies with the standard specified in row B of the table referred to in paragraph 13 of the Annex to Directive 98/69/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union; or
(c)	in relation to a diesel driven motor vehicle (other than a motor car) with gross vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 tons, a standard for exhaust emission which complies with the standard specified in row B1 of Table 1 or row B1 of Table 2 contained in the Annex to Directive 1999/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union;

“Euro V standard”, in relation to any vehicle, means a standard for exhaust emission which complies with the standard specified in Table 1 of Annex I of Regulation (EC) No. 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union;

“foreign vehicle” means any motor vehicle which is not registered under the Act, but which is registered under the provisions of any law of any country (other than Singapore) relating to motor vehicles;

“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;

“JPN 2009 standard”, in relation to any vehicle, means a standard for exhaust emission which complies with the standard specified in Article 41 of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Announcement No. 619 dated 15th July 2002 (Announcement That Prescribes Details of Safety Regulations for Road Vehicles), as amended by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Announcement No. 68 dated 25th January 2013;

“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;

“maximum power output” means —

(a)	in the case of a conventional vehicle or an electric vehicle, the maximum power output, expressed in kilowatts (kW), of the vehicle’s internal combustion engines or electric traction motors, as the case may be;
(b)	in the case of a diesel‑CNG vehicle or a petrol‑CNG vehicle, the higher of the maximum power output, expressed in kilowatts (kW), of the vehicle using either of its sources of power; or
(c)	in the case of a diesel‑electric vehicle or a petrol‑electric vehicle, the peak aggregate power output, expressed in kilowatts (kW), of the vehicle using both of its sources of power simultaneously;

“mobile engineering plant” has the same meaning as in rule 2 of the Road Traffic (Regulation of Speed) Rules (R 13);

“motor car” has the same meaning as in section 4(1)(e) of the Act;

“motor tractor” has the same meaning as in rule 2 of the Road Traffic (Regulation of Speed) Rules;

“new vehicle”, for the purposes of rules 3B, 7, 8, 8A, 9, 9A, 9AA, 9B, 9C and 10 and Part II of the First Schedule, means —

(a)

a motor vehicle or trailer which —

(i)	is first registered in a country or place outside Singapore and is subsequently de-registered within a period of 3 working days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays), or such longer period as the Registrar may allow in any particular case, after that first registration;
(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 de-registration in that country or place; and
(iii)	has never been used anywhere before the date of its first registration in Singapore; or

(b)

any motor vehicle which has not been registered elsewhere before its first registration in Singapore;

[S 263/2021 wef 01/01/2013]

[S 263/2021 wef 01/01/2018]

“normal vintage vehicle” means a motor car, motor cycle or scooter in respect of which —

(a)

the Registrar is satisfied was manufactured before 1940; and

(b)

the levy under section 10A(2) of the Act is paid and which —

(i)	before 1st August 2012 is registered as a vintage vehicle in the register of motor vehicles maintained by the Registrar under rule 12;
(ii)	is registered as a normal vintage vehicle under rule 70; or
(iii)	is re-registered as a normal vintage vehicle under rule 71, 72 or 74;

“off-peak car” means a motor car which is registered under rule 32, or re-registered under rule 33 or 33E (as the case may be), as an off-peak car and which may not be driven on any road during the days and times specified in the Fifth Schedule unless there is in force a supplementary licence issued under Part IX for that vehicle;

“original vehicle” has the same meaning as in the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) Rules;

“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;

“petrol-CNG vehicle” means a vehicle which uses either natural gas or petrol as its source of power;

“petrol-electric car” means a motor car which uses either or both petrol and electricity as its source of power;

“petrol-electric vehicle” means a vehicle, other than a car, which uses either or both petrol and electricity as its source of power;

“police operations car” means a motor car owned by the Government for the use of the Singapore Police Force for the purposes of maintaining law and order;

[S 249/2019 wef 01/04/2019]

“private hire car” means a motor car that does not ply for hire on any road, and —

(a)	is hired or made available for hire, under a contract (express or implied) for use as a whole by the hirer or any other individual authorised by the hirer in the contract to drive the car personally; or
(b)	is hired or made available for hire, under a contract (express or implied) for use as a whole with a driver for the purpose of conveying the hirer, and one or more passengers (if any), in that car; [S 550/2017 wef 01/10/2017]

“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;

“public bus services contract” has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Bus Services Industry Act 2015 (Act 30 of 2015);

[S 327/2017 wef 25/06/2017]

“PU-registered vehicle” means a motor vehicle which is registered under rule 3B;

“register of vehicles” means the register maintained under rule 12;

“registered owner” means a person registered under the Act as owner of a motor vehicle;

“restricted vintage vehicle” means a motor car, motor cycle or scooter in respect of which —

(a)	the Registrar is satisfied was manufactured before 1940;
(b)	the levy under section 10A(2) of the Act is not paid; and
(c)	before 1st August 2012 is registered as a vintage vehicle in the register of motor vehicles maintained by the Registrar under rule 12;

“revised use vintage vehicle” means a motor car, motor cycle or scooter in respect of which —

(a)	the Registrar is satisfied was manufactured before 1940;
(b)	the levy under section 10A(2) of the Act is paid; and
(c)	is registered as a revised use vintage vehicle under rule 70 or re-registered as a revised use vintage vehicle under rule 73;

“secondhand vehicle”, for the purposes of rules 3D, 7, 8, 8A, 9A, 9AA, 9C, 10 and 33G and Part II of the First Schedule, means a vehicle which has been registered or used in a country or place outside Singapore before the date of its first registration in Singapore unless the vehicle —

(a)	was de-registered within a period of 3 working days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays), or such longer period as the Registrar may allow in any particular case, after its first registration in that country or place;
(b)	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
(c)	has never been used anywhere before the date of its first registration in Singapore; [S 263/2021 wef 01/01/2013] [S 263/2021 wef 01/01/2018]

“self-drive private hire car” means a private hire car hired, or made available for hire, in the circumstances in paragraph (a) of the definition of “private hire car”;

[S 550/2017 wef 01/10/2017]

“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;

“tuition car” means a motor car that is used in the course of its owner’s business 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.

(3) In these Rules, a reference to registration as a private hire car is a reference to both registration as a chauffeured private hire car and registration as a self-drive private hire car.

[S 550/2017 wef 01/10/2017]

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