SINGAPORE-registered vehicles entering Malaysia are denied entry into the country if their fuel tanks are not at least three-quarters full.
As part of Singapore’s Customs Act 1960, the “three-quarter tank rule” requires all vehicles leaving the country via land checkpoints to have a minimum of 75% fuel in their tank, including those running on petrol, diesel, and compressed natural gas (CNG).
ALSO READ: Man caught refuelling his SG-registered car with RON95 at KL petrol station
The rule also applies to hybrid vehicles that use both petrol and CNG.
Failure to comply can result in a fine of up to S$500 (approx. RM1,655) or a court prosecution.
Drivers who failed to meet the requirement are instructed to perform a u-turn at the checkpoint.
“To avoid any inconvenience to your overseas trip, Singapore Customs would like to remind drivers to ensure that their fuel tank is at least three-quarters full when exiting the land checkpoints,” it said on its website.
According to a Facebook post by Danny Chua, he indicated that the Tuas Checkpoint has been strictly enforcing this rule, with many drivers forced to turn back due to insufficient fuel.
ALSO READ: M’sian man confronts couple for pumping RON95 petrol into their Singapore-registered car
“Now, (the) Tuas checkpoint is 100% checking on petrol level. A lot of people (are) being caught and (are) U-turning back,” his post read.
In a separate post, one netizen, Kabhi Morgan, highlighted that there are some still trying to bypass the system.
He recounted an incident in the Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers (MSBC) 马新过境者 Facebook group where he saw a Singaporean driver swapping out their vehicle’s registration plate with a fake Malaysian plate to fuel up with subsidised RON95 petrol in Johor.
“Dear Singaporean or foreign registered vehicles entering Malaysia. Please respect our Malaysian law. This guy in the pictures changed his vehicle plate number from a Singaporean plate to a Malaysian plate just to fill petrol,” he posted.
“After pumping, he replaced the plate number with the Singaporean plate. I saw that and questioned him, he panicked and drove the car out really fast.
“I made a police report based on his car registration number. You made a wrong move, bro. Rest in peace, bro,” he wrote.
