Road tax on electric cars
An electric car pays road tax on the power of its motor, plus a flat component that stands in for petrol duty. Rules read on 24 October 2026.
Road tax for 12 months
$1,560
$780 for 6 months
| Road tax | $860 |
| Age surcharge (0%) | $0 |
| Additional flat component (electric) | $700 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · COE results read on 24 October 2026 (latest: 2nd exercise of October 2026)
An electric car pays road tax on its maximum motor power rather than on engine capacity, using power bands multiplied by 0.782, plus an additional flat component of $350 every six months, $700 a year. A 110 kW car, the most powerful electric car still in COE Category A, pays $1,560.20 a year in total; a 150 kW car pays $1,794.80, and a 300 kW car $4,179.90. For comparison, a 1,598 cc petrol car pays $741.73. The flat component exists because electric cars pay no duty on petrol at the pump, and it accounts for most of the road tax of a small electric car. Hybrids are taxed on whichever is higher, engine or motor, and electric cars over ten years old pay the same age surcharge as other cars. Type the motor power from the specification sheet into the calculator to get the six monthly and yearly amounts.
Yearly road tax by motor power
| Motor power | Road tax | Flat component | Total per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kW | $508.30 | $700.00 | $1,208.30 |
| 90 kW | $742.90 | $700.00 | $1,442.90 |
| 110 kW | $860.20 | $700.00 | $1,560.20 |
| 150 kW | $1,094.80 | $700.00 | $1,794.80 |
| 200 kW | $1,388.05 | $700.00 | $2,088.05 |
| 300 kW | $3,479.90 | $700.00 | $4,179.90 |
| 400 kW | $5,043.90 | $700.00 | $5,743.90 |
The two figures add up at every renewal: renew for six months and you pay half of each. Beyond ten years the age surcharge applies to the road tax part, as for petrol cars, up to 50% after fourteen years.
The power bands
| Maximum power | Six monthly road tax |
|---|---|
| Up to 7.5 kW | $200.00 × 0.782 |
| 7.5 to 30 kW | [$200.00 + $2.00 × (kW − 7.5)] × 0.782 |
| 30 to 230 kW | [$250.00 + $3.75 × (kW − 30)] × 0.782 |
| Above 230 kW | [$1,525.00 + $10.00 × (kW − 230)] × 0.782 |
The bands are steep at the top. Each kW between 30 and 230 kW adds $2.93 every six months; above 230 kW each kW adds $7.82. That is why a high performance electric car can pay several thousand dollars of road tax a year, while a compact one pays about the same as a petrol car of similar size.
ARF of an electric car in 2026 and 2027
ARF to pay, band A, registered in 2026
$18,000
| ARF before rebates | $48,000 |
| VES 2026 | −$22,500 |
| EEAI 2026 (electric) | −$7,500 |
| VES 2027 | −$20,000 |
Why the flat component exists
Every vehicle pays for road use. Petrol cars do it through fuel excise duty each time they fill up; LTA puts the bill for a typical petrol car at about $1,000 a year on 92 or 95 octane. Electric cars buy no petrol, so the additional flat component of $700 a year collects a comparable usage tax through road tax instead. Comparing an electric and a petrol car on road tax alone therefore flatters the petrol car: add its fuel duty, which is built into the pump price, and the two end up close.
Hybrids and plug in hybrids
A petrol electric hybrid is taxed twice on paper: once on its engine capacity and once on its motor power, and it pays the higher of the two. In practice most hybrids are taxed on their engine, because their motors are small. A plug in hybrid with a powerful motor can end up taxed on power. Hybrids do not pay the additional flat component, which applies to fully electric cars only.
Ten years of road tax
Over the ten years of a COE, a 110 kW electric car pays $15,602 of road tax including the flat component, and a 150 kW car $17,948. A 1,598 cc petrol car pays $7,417 in road tax over the same period, before the fuel duty included in what it spends on petrol. For buyers choosing between the two, the difference in ARF, through the VES rebate and the EEAI, usually weighs more than the difference in road tax.
Electric motorcycles
Electric motorcycles and scooters follow the same logic with their own scale: road tax on the power rating of the motor, in lighter bands, plus an additional flat component of $100 every six months. The motorcycle page has the details and a calculator.
Power, category and price
Motor power drives three things for an electric car: its COE category (Category A up to 110 kW, Category B above), its road tax, and indirectly its OMV. Several models are sold in Singapore in a version limited to 110 kW to stay in Category A. The Category A checker applies the limit, and the VES page covers the rebate and the EEAI that lower the ARF of electric cars registered in 2026.
Charging costs replace petrol and are not part of road tax. Add them, with insurance and parking, to the running costs in the cost of owning calculator to compare an electric car with a petrol one over the years you plan to keep it. The road tax renewal page explains how and when to pay.