Singapore is the king of luxury, but that comes with a huge price tag. One of the things that make the city-state very expensive is the cost of owning a car. While the country has an excellent public transport system, sometimes owning a car comes with its advantages. This article samples the cheapest cars in Singapore 2019 to help deliver your dream of self-driving.
Cost of cars in Singapore
Ever wondered why cars become suddenly expensive when they land in Singapore? For example, a Numbeo price ranking of Volkswagen Golf 1.4 by country shows that the car is worth USD 85,102.99 in Singapore. Interestingly, you will pay USD 50,000 for the same car if you bought it in Iran. Just across the border in Malaysia, the car costs $35,889.46. In Germany, you only need $22,038.49 to get the car and $22,000 in the US.
The first reason why cars are expensive in the city-state is its land size. As of 2017, the total land area of Singapore was 724.2 square kilometers. Within this tiny land area, there were 2.6 million aged between 20 and 64 years, all of whom are potential and existing car owners. As such, the country had to look for means through which it could control the number of cars on road. Therefore, the increase in price of cars is a natural consequence of the rationing efforts.
First, Singaporeans have to register to obtain the certificate of entitlement (COE), a document that confers the rights to own a car. The cost of the COE is part of the upfront costs of owning a car. Notably, potential car owners have to bid for the COEs available within the set quota. For instance, the quota for the month of November 2019 was 3,452 vehicles, but there were 4,808 bids. As such, over 1,300 people in the November round of bids will miss the opportunity to own a car.
The bidding charges for cars in all categories is $10,000 SGD. Coupled with the registration fees and other charges like bank transactions, excise duty, open market value, and vehicular emissions scheme among others, the upfront cost suddenly skyrockets. Additionally, there are ongoing charges like fuel, road tax, ERP, insurance, and parking that one needs to take care of.
Methodology
From the foregoing, owning a car in Singapore is quite expensive. As such, one needs to find cars whose buying price is already low, such that the price remains affordable after the addition of the upfront and ongoing car costs. As our methodology, our list of cheapest cars in Singapore 2019 focused on normal sized cars (mostly sedans) that people are likely to buy for daily commute. Additionally, the price of each car is inclusive of COE. Lastly, we focused on cars whose cost is below $90,000 SGD but without restriction on where the cars are built.
List of cheapest cars in Singapore 2019
- Perodua Bezza 1.3 Premium X (A)
The sedan is a revolutionary design that has come to represent the ideal family car. Plus, the design is quite familiar on Singaporean roads. For a long time, Perodua manufactured hatchbacks for the Malaysian market. Particularly, Malaysians loved the hatchback because of the functional design that was compact and sensible. However, the coming of the sedan, Bezza, looks like a new chapter in the existence of Perodua.
The Bezza is a modest car that comes with ample boot space. In addition, the car can seat five people comfortably even as it looks small from the outside. The compactness and the 21 kilometer per liter fuel consumption makes the car very practical. In terms of cost, the sedan goes for SGD 62,800. As such, one is unlikely to feel the pinch of owning a car after taking into consideration the upfront car cost and the ongoing car costs.
- Mitsubishi Attrage 1.2 CVT (A)
Similar to the Bezza, the Mitsubishi Attrage is compact and is fuel-efficient at 20.4 km/liter. Well, this is not a car for individuals whose objective is class. The Attrage was born out of the need to build downsized cars that are more fuel-efficient, which agrees 100% with the official policy of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore. With a price tag of just $62,999, the car offers serious competition to popular brands like Nissan Almera and Chevrolet Sonic. However, you will pay $2,000 more if you are into manual cars.
There are a few more positives about the Attrage that we cannot fail to highlight. First, the car has an excellent turn radius. In Singapore, this comes in handy, especially during rush hour when traffic is tight. Second, the Attrage is easygoing. This is important because owning a car should not be a liability more than it is to use public transport. What is the point of owning a car that drains your pockets dry every now and then?
- Honda Fit Trust Motoring Edition 1.3 G F-Package (A)
Designed like a hatchback, the Honda Fit is an improvement of the Jazz or PI. This car has some subtleties that should excite anyone interested in little things (which may not always be little) like a keyless ignition. Interestingly, the Fit gives you 16 kilometers for every liter of fuel, meaning that you pay less in terms of road tax. Additionally, the Fit has one of the best handling for cars of its nature. At $66,800, the car has extraordinary interior design and a certain feel of class.
Conclusion
In a place like Singapore, it pays to be wise when buying a car. Living in the most expensive place on earth is not easy when you continue to pile cost burdens every item you acquire. Clearly, there are cheaper cars available that can give you the same service as expensive SUVs. Moreover, authorities in Singapore acknowledge that almost all its citizens have the ability to buy their cars. Therefore, the privilege of self-driving comes at a steep price. As such, it pays to find ways of cutting the cost by going for cheaper cars.
