LTA, SCDF to get feedback from car owners, dealers, workshops on proposed EV green licence plates

SINGAPORE – The authorities will engage various parties from end-March to gather feedback on a separate licence plate for electric vehicles (EVs), with the proposed designs involving different shades of green.

Besides authorised motor dealers, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will consult selected workshops that make signs, as well as EV owners, in the month-long exercise.

This will be done through focus group discussions and online surveys, said the two organisations in a joint statement on March 23.

The three proposed designs are meant to be easily recognisable by first responders during fires, and via traffic and enforcement cameras. But they are subject to change, depending on the feedback received, with the final design also taking into account the operational requirements of government agencies.

More details will be shared in the second half of 2026, and adequate time will be given to EV owners to replace their existing plates.

For now, there are no plans for electric motorcycles and hybrid-electric vehicles to be outfitted with these plates, said LTA and SCDF. This is as such vehicles use smaller batteries and pose lower risks if an accident were to happen.

But this may change in the future, depending on the situation.

Selected EVs will also be exempt from this measure. These are limited to those registered under certain schemes that use coloured plates, including orange plates for vehicles transporting hazardous material, or RU-prefix licence plates, which are for vehicles under the Restricted Usage Scheme and used within restricted off-road compounds.

The proposed green plates come after Law Minister Edwin Tong said on Feb 27 that the authorities will continue to study if EVs need a different car licence plate to help first responders identify if specific techniques are required during a fire.

The idea was first mooted by National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat in August 2024. Mr Chee, who was Transport Minister then, said in a written parliamentary reply that this would reduce the risks associated with rescue operations involving such vehicles.

Compared with blazes involving internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, EV fires are harder to extinguish because of the high-voltage batteries used.

Unlike in an ICE vehicle fire, EVs that are ablaze can burn more intensely and for longer periods, with the possibility that the flames might reignite even after being extinguished.

They also pose an electrocution hazard if water is present, such as during firefighting operations.

This means first responders must use specific techniques and equipment to handle such fires safely. Meanwhile, motorists are advised to stay at least 15m away from a burning EV and call 995 for assistance.

Based on SCDF’s annual statistics in 2025, there were four EV fires in 2025, up from one in 2024. Of the four fires, two involved high-voltage batteries. One was caused by an electrical component in the vehicle’s dashboard, and the fourth was related to the rear compactor of an EV waste collection truck.

Although the number of EV fires is relatively low, the increase in the number of incidents comes amid a rise in EV adoption.

In 2025, EVs made up about 45 per cent of all new cars sold, a record high. Of the 52,678 new cars registered during the year, 23,684 were EVs, according to LTA figures, with their market share increasing year on year.

And from 2030, new registrations of petrol-only cars will no longer be allowed, with all new cars sold then having to either be hybrid or EV models.