Road tax renewal: amount, steps and late fees
What to pay, what must be in order before you pay, and what happens if the road tax lapses. Rules read on LTA’s road tax page on 24 October 2026.
To pay for 12 months of road tax
$682
renewed before expiry: no late fee
| Road tax | $682 |
| Age surcharge | $0 |
| Additional flat component (electric) | $0 |
| Late renewal fee | $0 |
Before paying: valid insurance for the whole period, inspection passed if due, fines cleared.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · COE results read on 24 October 2026 (latest: 2nd exercise of October 2026)
Renewing road tax for a four year old 1,496 cc petrol car costs $681.90 for twelve months or $340.95 for six; the calculator gives the amount for any engine, motor power or age, including the surcharge on cars over ten years. Three things must be in order at least 1 working day before you pay: insurance covering the whole road tax period, a vehicle inspection if one is due, and no outstanding fines with LTA, HDB, URA or the Traffic Police. You can then renew online on OneMotoring, at an AXS station, by GIRO or at an authorised road tax collection centre. Renewing late adds a fee that grows with the delay, from $10 to $270 for a car, and keeping or using a car without valid road tax is an offence punishable by a fine of up to $2,000.
Before you pay: three prerequisites
The renewal will be refused unless three checks pass. First, insurance: the policy must cover the whole period of road tax you are buying, including third party liability for death and bodily injury. Second, inspection: cars above a certain age must pass a periodic inspection, and LTA sends a notice about 3 months before the road tax expires when one is due; a lost notice does not stop you from getting the car inspected at an authorised centre. Third, fines: outstanding fines or warrants with LTA, HDB, URA or the Traffic Police can block the renewal.
All three must be in LTA’s records at least 1 working day before you pay, so leave a margin before the expiry date. Weekend and off peak cars also need their plate seals inspected, and they can only renew for twelve months at a time.
Four ways to renew
Online on OneMotoring, every day except between midnight and 1 am, by Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card or by eNETS Debit. At AXS stations and AXS online channels, with the same hours. By GIRO, which renews automatically every six months unless you choose yearly. Or at an authorised road tax collection centre with the original documents; since 1 February 2025 the inspection centres no longer accept cash, cheques or cashier’s orders for road tax. Since 15 February 2017 no disc is issued, so a receipt or the validity record on OneMotoring is the proof.
Road tax inside the full cost of owning
Cost of owning, per month
$2,128
| Depreciation per year | $18,850 |
| Road tax per year | $682 |
| Running costs per year | $6,000 |
| PARF + COE rebate at the end | $1,500 |
What changes the amount
The renewal amount is the road tax for the period, plus the age surcharge once the car is over ten years old, plus the flat component for an electric car. The same 1,496 cc car at twelve and a half years pays $886.47 for a year, of which $204.57 is surcharge. An electric car with a 100 kW motor, two years old, pays $1,501.55 for a year, of which $700.00 is the additional flat component. Renewing for six or twelve months costs the same per month, so the choice only changes how often you renew.
Late renewal fees
| Engine | Within 1 month | 1 to 2.5 months | More than 2.5 months | More than 3 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,000 cc | $10 | $60 | $80 | $230 |
| 1,001 to 1,600 cc | $20 | $70 | $90 | $240 |
| 1,601 to 2,000 cc | $30 | $80 | $100 | $250 |
| 2,001 to 3,000 cc | $40 | $90 | $110 | $260 |
| Above 3,000 cc | $50 | $100 | $120 | $270 |
The fee steps up at one month, two and a half months and three months after expiry, and it is charged on top of the road tax itself. The bigger risk is the offence itself: keeping or using a vehicle whose road tax has expired can lead to a fine of up to $2,000, and LTA may charge the owner in court. A car that sits unused in a car park still needs valid road tax as long as it is registered.
Selling, scrapping or exporting
A car cannot be transferred or deregistered while its road tax has lapsed, so an expired road tax must be renewed first. When the car is sold, the remaining road tax goes with it to the new owner, and it is fair to reflect the unused months in the price. When the car is deregistered, the unused road tax is refunded automatically to the last registered owner. The road tax calculator shows how the amount is built, and the EV road tax page covers electric cars, whose late fees LTA does not list separately.