Today, the usefulness of a driving licence is more substantial than ever, even if you don’t have any intention of owning a car. You can take advantage of car-sharing services to run errands for the day, make some extra income by driving for one of the private ride-hailing services, or if you’re lucky, take advantage of your company’s fleet of vehicles when on official business.
Furthermore, as drivers can attest, learning to drive makes you more aware of the traffic regulations and the psychology of drivers, which makes you safer as a pedestrian or cyclist.
So, if you’re 18 and are medically fit to drive, here’s how much you will need to set aside to earn a driving licence – both by enrolling in a driving school and as a private candidate.
List Of Driving Schools In Singapore
There are three driving schools in Singapore, which offer training for a range of licences, including Class 3 and 3A (for manual and automatic transmission cars, respectively), motorcycles, lorries and buses.
Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC)
Address: 815 Bukit Batok West Avenue 5, Singapore 659085
ComfortDelGro Driving Centre (CDC)
Address: 205 Ubi Ave 4 Singapore 408805
Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC)
Address: 2 Woodlands Industrial Park E4 Singapore 757387
Location might be the biggest determinant for choosing a particular school since other factors such as opening hours, price and passing rates are just slightly different between the schools.
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Your Roadmap For Getting A Driving Licence In Singapore
Here are the broad steps you need to go through to earn your driving licence. Detailed breakdowns of what each of these steps entails and their associated costs are in subsequent sections.
Step 1: Enrolment
Step 2: Basic Theory Test and Final Theory Test
Step 3: Practical Driving Lessons
Step 4: Practical Driving Test
(Return to Step 3 if you did not pass Driving Test)
Step 1: Enrolment
If you choose to learn drive from a school, you’ll first need to pay to enroll, which allows you to book for theory and practical lessons, and gives you access to other resources. Enrolment is valid for a year, so you should ideally aim to complete all your lessons and earn your licence by then to avoid paying additional fees. If you need more time, you may need to pay additional fees for an extension.
| Enrolment Fee (1 Year Validity) |
Extension Fee | |
| Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC) |
$97.20 + $3 for online enrolment | $8.21 (1 month) |
| Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC) |
$186.52 * | $59.40 (6 months) |
| ComfortDelGro Driving Centre (CDC) | $178.20 * | $64.80 (6 months) |
* Inclusive of e-Learning theory lessons.
Private instructors do charge an “enrolment fee” for taking you on as a student, which can range between $80 to $90, depending on instructor.
You will also need to pay for a mandatory eyesight test ($1.84) and Digital Photograph ($6.48) when enrolling.
Step 2: Basic Theory Test And Final Theory Test
Now that you’ve enrolled with a school or private instructor, you will first need to pass the Basic Theory Test (BTT) before you can be issued with a Provisional Driving Licence (PDL) and begin taking practical driving lessons. Each PDL is valid for two years and costs $25.
You will also need to pass the Final Theory Test (FTT) before you can sit for the practical driving test. The FTT is valid for two years, and you will need to resit for the FTT again if you did not manage to pass your practical driving test within that period.
Test fees for taking either the BTT or FTT is $6.50 per attempt. These fees are paid to the Traffic Police and are the same whether you are a driving school or private candidate.
Private candidates are not required to go for any lessons, though you may want to buy BTT and FTT guidebooks to self-study.
Schools would require you to go for an evaluation test before you can sign up for the actual theory tests. Private candidates can choose to take these practice tests as well. For BBDC, 4 home-based theory lessons are mandatory before taking the test.
| School | Theory Lesson | Practice | Evaluation |
| BBDC | 4 X $17.28 (100 min/ session) | $3.24(45 min/ session) | $5.40 (45 min/ session) |
| SSDC | – | $5.40 | $6.50 per test |
| CDC | – | Included in enrolment fee | $6.50 per test |
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Step 3: Practical Driving Lessons
Before you even get into a real car, driving schools require you to do at least 3 simulator lessons first. Students who are learning under a private driving instructor are also required to do this step. CDC also requires students to undergo a mandatory Induction programme (50min) via Zoom. BBDC allows students to book the driving simulator for more practice at $14.04 for a 50min session.
| Simulator Lesson | Driving Simulator | |
| SSDC | $24.16 (20 min) | – |
| CDC | $26.78 (20 min) | – |
| BBDC | $23.27 (20 min) | $14.04 (50 min/session) |
The bulk of the cost of learning driving comes from the practical driving lessons, and this cost can vary significantly depending on whether you book peak or off-peak lessons. Each lesson is 100 minutes.
| Practical Driving Lesson Fees (Off-Peak) | Practical Driving Lesson Fees (Peak) | |
| SSDC | $72.36 | $81.00 |
| CDC | $69.12 | $77.76 |
| BBDC | $69.12 | $77.76 |
As you can see, you can save a lot by going for non-peak hour classes – almost $10 per lesson. However, if you’re a working adult with a fixed work schedule, you may not have a choice. For those who have some flexibility with their Work-From-Home schedule, now may be a good time to try and clear some driving lessons using off-peak timings.
Driving schools have a systematic syllabus they follow, so no matter how fast you learn or master the skills, there is a minimum number of lessons you must take before being to book your driving test. For CDC, the baseline number of sessions is 27 (inclusive of 2 automatic transmission vehicle lessons).
Private driving instructors are known to charge between $40 to $50 per hour. The number of lessons you need can vary widely between 20-30 1-hour lessons. This depends on how quickly you learn, as well as how well your instructor trains you in the various skills. Note that you will be required to book the circuit for practice in a driving school, and this will cost $58 on top of your normal lesson.
Step 4: Practical Driving Test
After completing your driving lessons, you can finally move on to the (daunting) practical driving test. The Traffic Police charges $33 (2h 13m) for each test, and this fee is the same for all candidates.
In addition to the test fee, schools charge you for the rental of a test vehicle and a warm-up session. Here are the costs.
| School | Cost of Car Rental And Warm-Up Session For Practical Driving Test |
| Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC) |
$216 + $38.88 = $254.88 |
| Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC) |
$237.60 + $43.20 = $280.80 |
| ComfortDeGro Driving Centre (CDC) | $292.68 |
Read Also: Authorised VS Independent Car Workshops: What You Need To Know When Servicing Your Car
Summary of Total Cost
As mentioned in the preceding sections, the actual cost you would incur is largely dependent on how many practical driving lessons you require and whether you take the bulk of your lessons during peak or off-peak periods. It would also depend on how many attempts you take for the practical test.
But here is a ballpark estimate of how much you can expect to spend on average in total to earn your licence.
| Item | School (Average) | Private (Average) |
| Enrolment Fee | $154.97 | $80 |
| Eyesight Test | $1.84 | $1.84 |
| Digital Photograph | $6.48 | $6.48 |
| Theory Lessons | 4 X $17.28 | $7 for books |
| Theory Evaluation | $5.40 | – |
| Theory Tests (BTT and FTT) | $13 | $13 |
| Simulator Lessons | 3 X $24.74 | – |
| Provisional Driving Licence | $25 | $25 |
| Practical Lessons | 25 x $78.84 | 25 x $55 |
| Circuit Lessons | Included | 3 x $58 |
| Car Rental And Practical Test Fee | $276.12 | $350 |
| Licence Fee | $50 | $50 |
| TOTAL | $2,647.15 | $2,082.32 |
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Congratulations, You Passed!
If you passed your practical driving test, congratulations! The final fee you need to pay is $50 for your driving licence, which is valid for life. If you intend to drive within your first year of passing, you are also required to display the orange-yellow “P Plate”, which you can buy or ask around for.
Drive safe, and enjoy your newfound freedom!
[Update] From 14 July 2022, holders of Malaysian driving licences who have passed their basic theory test in Singapore can submit their application to convert their foreign driving licences online via https://go.gov.sg/fpk5f0. According to the traffic police (TP), they can expect to receive a reply on the outcome of their application within 10 working days.
Read Also: Cost Of Owning A Car In Singapore Over 10 Years
This article was first published on 7 March 2017 and updated with the latest fees.
The post Driving School VS Private Instructor: How Much Does It Cost To Get A Driving Licence in Singapore? appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
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