page_title: Driving in Singapore
section_title: Domestic car market
hierarchical_section_title: Driving in Singapore / Car market / Domestic car market
caption_attribution_description: English: 2006 Subaru R2 Facelift, photographed in Singapore. Vehicle registration enquiry resultsJurisdictionSingaporeRegistrationSGM8029PChassis codeRC1089648Engine codeEN07223324Year of manufacture2006
context_page_description: In Singapore, cars and other vehicles drive on the left side of the road—due to its historical rule by the United Kingdom. As a result, most vehicles are right-hand drive. However, exemptions have been made to allow foreign vehicles and construction machineries to utilise the road space of Singapore. As such, vehicles with left-hand drive configurations are required to either be driven with a sign indicating "LEFT-HAND-DRIVE" or towed.
  The per-capita car ownership rate in Singapore is approximately 12 cars per 100 people.
context_section_description: Car brands are typically sold by only one dealer although there are rare exceptions where two dealers sell the same brand. Several dealers have more than one location. Some dealers sell more than one brand, unlike the situation in some western European countries in the past where some manufacturers prohibited dealers from selling competing brands. Negotiation during car purchases is customary but limited due to the lack of competing dealers.
  The limited size of the Singapore market results in some brands not offering the full model line in Singapore. Unlike in Australia, where the US Honda Accord and the Japanese Honda Accord (re-badged as the Acura TSX in the United States) are sold, only the Japanese Honda Accord is sold in Singapore. Some brands, such as Saab and Volvo (except the Volvo S60R) are only offered with automatic transmission even though manual transmission cars are sold in the car's home market.
  Although car prices are high, servicing costs are reasonable compared to in the United States and Western Europe in terms of labour charges.
  Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pick-up trucks are not as common in Singapore as in the United States and Canada. So, pick-up trucks in Singapore are relatively expensive compared to other Southeast Asian countries, and some dealerships do not import pick-up trucks like the Volkswagen Amarok and Thai-built Ford Ranger at all.
  Japanese car manufacturers have the largest market share. Some Japanese cars are imported from countries other than Japan. For example, the Toyota Vios is imported from Thailand, whereas the JDM version is called Toyota Belta. Initially, the ninth generation Toyota Corolla sold in Singapore was a Japanese model, while the facelift version is a wider and longer Corolla Altis from Thailand.
  Kei cars (like the Mitsubishi i, Subaru R2, and Suzuki Carry) are common in Singapore, but not as popular as in Japanese domestic market as most Japanese car manufacturers seldom release Kei cars in Singapore. Besides this, there are some grey imports of Kei cars like Daihatsu Copen.
  European car manufacturers are well represented. On the more expensive segment of the market, European cars sold in Singapore include Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Bmw, and others. Skoda, Fiat, Renault, Peugeot and Citroen are among the less expensive European cars sold in Singapore.
  American cars have a low market share. Chrysler, Tesla, and Jeep vehicles are sold in Singapore, such as the Chrysler 300C, Tesla Model X, Dodge Caliber, and Jeep Wrangler. Chevrolet markets only Korean-made Daewoo cars, but not its American-made models. Ford markets some cars from its European line, not its American product line. Even Subaru, a Japanese carmaker, did not do well with cars made by a US-based subsidiary, Subaru of Indiana Automotive, which exported the US-made Tribeca to Singapore.
  Non-Japanese Asian car brands sold in Singapore include Perodua, Proton, Ssangyong, Hafei Motor, Chery, Geely, Kia, Hyundai, Chana, and Holden Special Vehicles.
  Used cars that are more than three years old cannot be imported into Singapore.
caption: Subaru R2
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