The long closure of the land border between Singapore and Malaysia has perhaps made it easy for us to forget some of the things we have to do before we go. Or, maybe some things on the to-do list just got forgotten in the excitement of finally crossing the border again.
The gas tanks of vehicles registered in Singapore are required to be three-quarters full before they can visit our neighbour to the north. As of Sunday (Apr 3), 55 vehicles were stopped at the border for failing to comply with this ‘three-quarter tank rule’, CNA reported, since land travel was allowed again on Apr 1.
The vehicles had to turn around again and gas up.
Still and all, 55 out of the thousands of cars is not a lot, which means the vast majority are mindful of the three-quarter tank rule, which falls under the Customs Act 1960.
Non-compliance with the rule may result in a fine of as much as S$500.
Therefore, it’s better to gas up in Singapore and avoid paying that amount, even if the fuel in Malaysia is considerably less expensive.
Videos of people bouncing on their cars in Johor Bahru just to get as much gas into tanks as possible went viral over the weekend, in an apparent bid to take advantage of the lower fuel prices.
But Singaporeans planning on availing of Malaysia’s RON95 petrol should forget about it.
A photo of a vehicle with a Singaporean number plate filling up with gas from a pump with a yellow nozzle, which means that the car is getting RON95 petrol, went viral, catching the eye of even former Prime Minister Najib Razak.
This particular fuel is subsidised by the Malaysian government. It’s currently priced at RM2.05 per litre, which is roughly around SGD0.66. On Mar 28, the price of octane-95 gas in Singapore was SGD2.898 per litre.
Therefore, Singaporeans who have availed of RON95 petrol in Malaysia are saving a good amount of money.
But, foreign-registered vehicles are disallowed from buying RON95 in Malaysia. Because of its high subsidy, RON95 fuel has only been designated for Malaysian motorists for over ten years.
Drivers of Singapore-registered cars may buy RON97 or RON100 fuel, which are priced in Malaysia at RM3.91 and RM4.60 per litre respectively, or SGD1.26 and SGD1.48. These prices are still significantly cheaper than what they’d pay in Singapore.
On Apr 3, Malaysia’s Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry said it would halt the selling of RON95 petrol to foreigners after the photo of the car with the SG plate had gone viral.
Moreover, Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi launched an investigation and pledged that additional monitoring would be implemented to prevent the sale of subsidised fuel to foreigners in the future. /TISG