EV vs petrol
Are electric cars cheaper than petrol in Singapore?
Yes — on both counts, and the purchase side is the surprise. The median electric car costs $195,805 to put on the road against $227,771 for petrol: electric is $31,966 cheaper to buy, before you have driven a metre. Charging then costs 10–54% less than fuel.
What each kind of car costs on the road
| Powertrain | Models | Cheapest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | 119 | $147,938 | $195,805 |
| Petrol-Hybrid | 104 | $153,912 | $217,241 |
| Petrol | 33 | $167,909 | $227,771 |
| Plug-in Hybrid | 12 | $173,881 | $228,486 |
The cheapest way onto the road is the Dongfeng Box at $147,938. These are figures per model, not weighted by sales — LTA publishes which models were registered, never how many.
Why: the tax swing reaches $65,000
Electric cars are not cheaper because they are cheaper to build — they are cheaper because of how they are taxed. Every electric model receives between $7,500 and $30,000 off, combining the Vehicular Emissions Scheme rebate with the EV Early Adoption Incentive, and $30,000 is the usual figure. A high-emission petrol car, meanwhile, pays a VES surcharge of up to $35,000. Two cars of similar import value can therefore sit $65,000 apart on the showroom floor purely on tax treatment. How the whole tax stack works →
And then it is cheaper to run
At the median public AC rate of $0.69/kWh, charging costs between $10.04 and $19.69 per 100 km depending on the car, against about $21.91 for a 6.5 L/100 km petrol car at $3.37/L. The car you pick matters far more than the charger: an efficient hatchback saves 54%, a heavy seven-seater only 10%. Charging cost for every model →
What it costs to own, over one COE cycle
Purchase cost from LTA plus charging at real Singapore rates, over ten years — the life of a COE. Compared against the median petrol car on the road today at $227,771.
Counts purchase and energy only. Insurance, road tax, servicing, tyres and resale value are not included — LTA publishes no data for them, and guessing at a depreciation curve would make the whole figure untrustworthy. Distance starts at 16,200 km — the average a Singapore car actually covered in 2025, from LTA's mileage survey, not a round guess. Petrol comparison uses 6.5 L/100 km at $3.37/L as of 2026-09-05.
What this comparison leaves out
Honesty matters more than a tidy answer here. This page covers purchase and energy only. It does not model insurance, road tax, servicing or resale value, because LTA publishes none of them and estimating a depreciation curve would swamp everything above it in guesswork. Two real caveats also cut against EVs: most Singaporeans live in flats without private chargers, so the convenience of home charging is often unavailable, and the incentives driving the purchase gap are policy that can change.
Why cars cost so much here · Compare models field by field · Charging prices
Purchase figures: LTA Car Cost Update, August 2026 (268 models). Charging rates: median advertised price across 2811 public locations. Not affiliated with or endorsed by LTA.
