NEV Owner Guide

Singapore EV Ownership Costs 2026: ARF Rebates, Road Tax and Charging

Published 2026-10-06 · Updated 2026-10-06

Singapore EV Ownership Costs in 2026

Owning any car in Singapore is mostly about upfront taxes and the COE, not fuel. Electric cars change some of those numbers: they get ARF rebates that petrol cars no longer get, they pay road tax on motor power rather than engine size, and they pay an extra flat charge in place of fuel duty.

The rebates are shrinking, though. 2026 is the last year of the EV Early Adoption Incentive, and the timing of your registration now makes a real difference. This guide sets out the official rules and works through an example.

Figures checked on 6 October 2026 against LTA's OneMotoring tax structure page. All amounts are in Singapore dollars. COE premiums change every bidding exercise, so they're left out of the examples.

The upfront taxes on any new car

Every new car pays (OneMotoring):

  • Registration Fee (RF): $350
  • Excise duty: 20% of the Open Market Value (OMV)
  • Certificate of Entitlement (COE): the prevailing quota premium
  • Additional Registration Fee (ARF): tiered on OMV

For cars registered with COEs from the second bidding exercise of February 2023 onwards, the ARF tiers are:

OMV band ARF rate
First $20,000 100%
Next $20,000 ($20,001–$40,000) 140%
Next $20,000 ($40,001–$60,000) 190%
Next $20,000 ($60,001–$80,000) 250%
Above $80,000 320%

The EV rebates: EEAI and VES

Two rebates reduce the ARF on a fully electric car.

EV Early Adoption Incentive (EEAI). An EV registered in 2026 gets 45% off the ARF, capped at $7,500, down from $15,000 in 2024–2025. The EEAI ends after 31 December 2026 (OneMotoring; LTA).

Vehicular Emissions Scheme (VES). The VES runs from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 with new bands, and only EVs get rebates. Hybrids no longer do (LTA). For Band A:

Registered in VES Band A rebate EEAI cap Combined maximum
2026 −$22,500 $7,500 up to $30,000
2027 −$20,000 none up to $20,000

LTA gives the same combined figures: savings of up to $30,000 off the ARF in 2026 and $20,000 in 2027 (LTA). For electric cars, VES applies an emission factor of 0.4 g CO2 per Wh of electricity consumed to rate CO2 emissions (OneMotoring). Check the band of the exact model you're buying.

The $0 ARF floor. Rebates can bring an EV's ARF down to zero. There's no minimum ARF for fully electric cars registered from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 (OneMotoring).

Worked example: an EV with a $40,000 OMV

Item Registered in 2026 Registered in 2027
ARF before rebates ($20,000 × 100% + $20,000 × 140%) $48,000 $48,000
VES Band A rebate −$22,500 −$20,000
EEAI (45% of ARF = $21,600, capped) −$7,500 —
ARF payable $18,000 $28,000
Excise duty (20% of OMV) $8,000 $8,000
Registration fee $350 $350
Total before COE $26,350 $36,350

Our calculations, assuming Band A. Add the COE premium and the car's price.

The same car costs $10,000 more in taxes if it's registered in January 2027 instead of December 2026. If you're near the boundary, ask the dealer which registration date they can guarantee.

The PARF rebate is smaller for new COEs

When you deregister a car within 10 years, you get part of the ARF back as a PARF rebate. For cars with COEs obtained from the second bidding exercise of February 2026 onwards, the rebate is 30% of the ARF paid for a car up to 5 years old, falling by 5 points a year to 5% in year 10. It's capped at $30,000 (OneMotoring).

Because the rebate is a share of the ARF you actually paid, a heavily rebated EV also gets a smaller PARF refund. In the example above, 30% of $18,000 is $5,400.

EV road tax and the Additional Flat Component

EV road tax is based on the motor's maximum power rating (PR) in kW, combined across all motors. On top of it you pay an Additional Flat Component (AFC) of $350 every 6 months (OneMotoring).

Power rating 6-monthly road tax 6-monthly AFC
≤ 7.5 kW $200 × 0.782 $350
7.5–30 kW [$200 + $2 × (PR − 7.5)] × 0.782 $350
30–230 kW [$250 + $3.75 × (PR − 30)] × 0.782 $350
> 230 kW [$1,525 + $10 × (PR − 230)] × 0.782 $350

Worked examples (our calculations):

  • 100 kW: [$250 + $3.75 × 70] × 0.782 = $400.78, plus $350 AFC = $750.78 per 6 months, about $1,502 a year
  • 150 kW: [$250 + $3.75 × 120] × 0.782 = $547.40, plus $350 AFC = $897.40 per 6 months, about $1,795 a year

Why the AFC? LTA explains that petrol cars pay a usage tax through fuel excise duty every time they fill up, and the AFC does the same job for EVs. For comparison, LTA says a typical petrol car user pays about $1,000 a year in fuel excise duty (OneMotoring).

Powerful EVs pay much more. A twin-motor car rated over 230 kW moves into the steepest band, so check the combined power rating before you buy.

Charging costs

The household electricity tariff for October to December 2026 is 28.59 cents per kWh, down 10.4% from 31.91 cents (The Straits Times). SP Group quotes bills before GST, which is currently 9% (IRAS). Adding GST gives about 31.16 cents per kWh (our calculation).

At 16 kWh per 100 km, an efficient small EV costs about $4.99 per 100 km on the household tariff. Over an example 12,000 km a year, that's about $598. Public charging prices vary by operator and we couldn't find an official average, so enter the price you actually pay.

For a side-by-side with other countries, see EV vs petrol cost per 100 km. If you'll rely on fast charging, our guide to LFP vs NMC batteries and charging to 100% explains how much to charge day to day.

Checklist before you buy

  • Confirm the model's VES band and whether it qualifies for Band A
  • Check the registration date the dealer can commit to (2026 vs 2027)
  • Find the car's combined power rating and work out road tax with the table above
  • Budget $700 a year for the AFC on top of road tax
  • Remember the PARF rebate is based on the ARF you actually paid
  • Work out where you'll charge and at what price

Work out your running costs

Put the 31.16 c/kWh tariff, your public charging price and your expected distance into the EV charging cost calculator. It splits home and public charging and shows the monthly total.

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