Reasons for Significant Difference in LTA Fees when Transferring Vehicle Registration Number to Used Car Compared to New Car

11 Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for Transport what are the reasons for the significant difference in LTA fees when transferring a vehicle registration number to a used car compared to a new car.

Mr S Iswaran: LTA provides system-generated vehicle registration numbers (VRN) at no cost to vehicle owners. Most vehicle owners (66%) accept these numbers.

In response to requests, LTA decided in 2003 to allow existing owners to retain an existing VRN on used vehicles. The fee to transfer a VRN to a used car is pegged to the minimum bid amount of $1,000 for a new vehicle registration number and a replacement fee of $300. This ensures parity between retaining and bidding for a VRN which are both discretionary services.

We acknowledge the difference in fees for existing car owners to retain their VRN on used cars as compared to new cars. We are considering a review of the fees.