知识库事故与保险核对于 2026年10月15日约 7 分钟读完 EN

Compulsory motor insurance in Singapore

Singapore's minimum motor-insurance requirement, the offence for using a vehicle without cover, road-tax renewal requirements, insurance-certificate duties, and post-accident insurer checks.

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主要来源： https://onemotoring.lta.gov.sg/content/onemotoring/home/owning/ongoing-car-costs/insurance.html

Minimum insurance required

It is unlawful to use, or cause or permit another person to use, a motor vehicle in Singapore unless an insurance policy or security covering third-party risks is in force for that person's use of the vehicle (Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960, s. 3).

Section 3 has limited exceptions: it does not apply to specified government, Malaysian government or visiting-forces vehicles when used by an authorised person; a vehicle whose owner keeps a $125,000 deposit with the Accountant-General in the circumstances set out in the Act; or a vehicle being driven for police purposes by the listed officers. The section also does not extend to invalid carriages. These exceptions are specific; ordinary private vehicles remain subject to the insurance requirement (Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960, s. 3(6)–(7)).

The policy must be issued by an insurer lawfully carrying on motor-insurance business in Singapore and cover the specified person or class of persons for liability for death or bodily injury caused by or arising from use of the vehicle in Singapore and any territory specified in the Act's Schedule. LTA describes the minimum as third-party liability cover for deaths and bodily injury. The statutory minimum does not specify liability for damage to another vehicle or other property as required cover. Section 4(4) also says the policy is not required by the Act to cover liability for death or bodily injury to an insured person's employee arising in the course of employment, liability for death or bodily injury to a platform worker providing service for a platform operator insured by the policy, or contractual liability. A policy may provide broader cover; check its terms (Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960, s. 4(1), (4); OneMotoring, Insurance).

For passengers, section 5 makes ineffective any prior agreement or understanding that would exclude or restrict the driver’s liability for bodily injury that compulsory insurance must cover, or impose conditions on enforcing that liability. A passenger’s agreement to accept the risk of the driver’s negligence does not remove that liability. The rule also covers a person entering or getting off the vehicle (Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960, s. 5).

This describes the statutory minimum. Check the actual policy wording for any broader cover, limits, or conditions; the cited minimum does not describe every benefit a policy may provide.

Penalty for using a vehicle without insurance

A person who contravenes the compulsory-insurance requirement is liable on conviction to a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to 3 months, or both. A conviction also carries a 12-month driving-licence disqualification, unless the court considers there are special reasons not to impose it; the court may order a longer period. Under the current section 3(3), that period starts on conviction, or on release from prison if imprisonment is imposed. Section 3(4) provides a narrow defence if an employee proves all three conditions: the vehicle did not belong to the employee and was not in the employee’s possession under a hiring or loan contract; the employee used it in the course of employment; and the employee neither knew nor had reason to believe compliant insurance was not in force (Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960, s. 3(2)–(4)).

The enacted but not-yet-commenced Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, s. 25, changes only when that disqualification period starts: it would run from the later of conviction or the date the person is released from prison and is no longer serving any sentence of imprisonment, if sentenced to imprisonment before or at the same hearing. The Act's commencement date is to be appointed by Gazette notification; until then, the current section 3(3) rule above applies (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, ss. 1, 25; MHA, Second Reading Wrap-Up Speech).

Insurance and road-tax renewal

Before renewing road tax, the vehicle must be insured for the whole road-tax period. For digital renewal, LTA says to buy insurance at least 1 working day before renewing. At a road-tax collection centre, bring the original or electronic insurance certificate, or a cover note (OneMotoring, Insurance).

Tell the insurer and seek advice if the vehicle's scheme or purpose changes, such as conversion from personal use to private hire, or if the vehicle is modified. LTA gives these as circumstances that can affect whether insurance remains sufficient (OneMotoring, Insurance).

After an accident: notify and check insurance

LTA advises drivers to inform their own insurer after an accident even if there is no visible damage to their vehicle. OneMotoring also provides a service to check whether another vehicle involved was insured at the time of the accident; each successful search costs $27.25. This check does not replace reporting the accident to your own insurer under the Motor Claims Framework (OneMotoring, Insurance). For the separate police-reporting criteria and MCF steps, see reporting a traffic accident.

Producing proof of insurance

When a police officer requires it, a person driving on a road must provide their name and address, the owner's name and address, and produce the insurance certificate, certificate of security, or other evidence prescribed under the Act. If the driver cannot produce it at that time, the Act provides a procedure to produce it in person at the police office or station specified by the driver within 5 days; when followed, the driver must not be convicted solely for the initial failure to produce the certificate (Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960, s. 16(1)–(3), (9)).

If an accident on a road causes personal injury and the driver does not produce the certificate when required, the driver must report to a police office or station as soon as possible and within 24 hours, and produce it. The Act also allows production within 5 days after the accident at the police office or station specified when the accident is reported, to avoid conviction solely for failing to produce the certificate (Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960, s. 16(4)–(6)).

The Motor Claims Framework has separate insurer-notification steps after an accident; see reporting-a-traffic-accident. This article's certificate-production summary does not replace those reporting steps (OneMotoring, Insurance).

Coverage debt

Insurer-specific premiums, policy terms, optional benefits, and exclusions depend on the policy and are not summarized here. Read the current policy and confirm coverage with the insurer.
This article does not catalog insurance requirements for every special vehicle class or vehicle-use scheme; verify special cases with LTA and the insurer.