Vehicle inspection
Vehicle inspection is the periodic safety and emissions check Singapore-registered cars must pass before LTA renews road tax.
What it means
Singapore cars do not need annual inspection from new. The cycle starts at year three and runs every two years until year ten, then becomes annual after that. Inspection is administered by accredited centres (VICOM, JIC, and STA all operate publicly available inspection stations). The inspection covers brakes, suspension, steering, tyres, lights, exhaust emissions, undercarriage condition, mirrors and windows, horn and seatbelts, and a road test where applicable. A car that fails inspection cannot have its road tax renewed until the failed items are rectified and the car re-inspected. For older cars, the annual inspection becomes a structured occasion to deal with accumulated minor issues that might otherwise drift. For owners who keep cars beyond the original 10-year COE through renewal, the annual inspection is the most important predictable maintenance event of the year.
Why it matters in Singapore
Inspection failures are usually fixable on the spot or with a same-day workshop visit, but they create unnecessary stress and re-inspection cost when they do happen. Pre-inspection servicing (especially brakes, lights, tyres, and any pending warning lights) eliminates almost all failures and keeps road tax renewal smooth.
How Revol Carz handles this
Revol Carz Garage runs pre-inspection servicing on European cars, particularly those past PARF age running on renewed COE, so inspection day is uneventful.