Road tax renewal: Everything you need to know

When is my road tax due?

When you renew your road tax, you are given the option to renew it for either six or 12 months. Naturally, your next renewal date will depend on the length you have formerly opted to renew your road tax previously.

You will get a letter informing you that your road tax (as well as vehicle inspection, if applicable) is due from the Land Transport Authority three months before your road tax expiry. So there is no need to keep track of the expiry date yourself.

If, however, you do need to figure out when exactly does your road tax expires, you can still do so here by simply entering your vehicle registration number.

Usually, this never becomes an issue. However, if you do purchase a new vehicle, you will want to take note of when the new car's road tax will expire, especially since the reminder letters could have already been sent to the previous owner's address.

As you will see below, you do not want to get caught driving a car without having paid the necessary road tax.

If you are driving a vehicle that is already more than 10-years old and absolutely want to minimise your chances of missing that renewal date, then one handy tip would be to opt to pay for a full year of road tax every single time.

Doing it this way will ensure that your road tax will be due for renewal with every vehicle inspection, and if you opt to have your vehicle inspected at a Vicom centre, you can simply have both the inspection and road tax done at the same location on the same day.

What will I need before I pay the tax due?

There are only three simple things you need to take note of before renewing your road tax.

Firstly, you need to ensure that you have insurance coverage for the entire period you are paying the road tax. The vehicle insurance must cover third-party liability for deaths and bodily injury.

Secondly, if your vehicle is due for inspection it must already have passed said inspection before you renew your road tax.

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And finally you will also need to have paid off any outstanding vehicle fines, be it from the LTA, HDB, URA or the Traffic Police.

If you know that you have outstanding fines on your vehicle, it might be worth locating a nearby AXS machine so you can use that machine to pay off both the fines and to renew your road tax!

Once these prerequisites are met there are four easy ways to renew your road tax:

The first option is to do so online via the OneMotoring page here.

Do note however that you will need either a valid credit or debit card (VISA or MasterCard only) or an Internet Banking account with Citibank, DBS/POSB, OCBC/Plus!, Standard Chartered Bank or UOB (eNETS Debit) to complete the transaction online.

Alternatively, you can also renew your road tax via an AXS machine.

AXS Stations will allow you to pay your road tax either via

• ATM cards by DBS, POSB, Citibank, HSBC, Maybank, OCBC, Standard Chartered Bank or UOB
• Or credit cards by DBS, POSB, Citibank or Diners Club International

AXS m-Station & e-Stations, however, will allow you to pay via

• eNETS Debit - Internet Banking
• DBS or POSB MasterCard Debit Card
• DBS Paylah!
• MasterPass

Those looking for a truly fuss-free option might want to opt to pay their road tax through an automated GIRO deduction.

Simply submit the GIRO application form here and send it to the LTA at 10 Sin Ming Drive, Singapore (575701). LTA will notify you once your application is approved by your bank.

From then on, you will receive a GIRO payment schedule from LTA about one month before your road tax expires.

So long as you continue to meet the prerequisites when your road tax is due, future road tax renewals will be made automatically via GIRO.

You will be given the option to choose if you'd prefer for the deduction from GIRO bank account to be made either five or ten days before your road tax expiry date.

For the truly traditional, payment via cheque at a road tax collection centre is also accepted. You will however need to bring along the original prerequisite documents. e.g. printout of your motor insurance certificate and vehicle inspection certificate.

How much will I have to pay?

If your car has not reached nine years of age, the amount due will remain the same.

However, if your vehicle is between nine and 13-years old, the road tax due might increase at the next renewal.

If you're uncertain of how much you need to set aside, you can always check the road tax due for your vehicle here.

What should I do if I miss the due date for road tax renewal?

If you are late for your road tax payment, you will be unable to drive your car after the expiry date. Do also note that should you get caught driving a car without road tax paid, you could face a fine of up to $2,000.

If you end up missing the renewal date, be prepared to pay the late payment penalties due. The late payment penalty will be dependent on how late the payment is as well as the engine capacity of your vehicle.

We have reproduced the late payment schedule for privately-owned petrol vehicles here: