SINGAPORE — Singapore is giving electric-vehicle and plug-in hybrid owners a say in what could become a new visual identifier on the country’s roads, with three differentiated licence-plate designs now shortlisted for an online vote.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) announced on September 24 that registered owners of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will be able to vote for their preferred design from September 25 to October 9, 2026.
The three options include one of the green designs proposed earlier this year and two newly developed blue designs.
The move follows months of consultation with EV owners, motor dealers and sign-craft workshops, after some stakeholders raised concerns about the appearance of the original green proposals.
Three Designs Now on the Table
Earlier proposals featured three different shades of green. Following feedback, LTA and SCDF explored additional designs while maintaining technical requirements for visibility and recognition.
The two new blue designs were developed to remain visible in both daylight and low-light conditions, while allowing vehicle registration numbers to remain clearly readable.
According to the agencies, the designs must also be recognizable to first responders and the public and compatible with traffic and enforcement cameras.
Some alternatives were ruled out because design elements such as coloured side bands could require smaller registration numbers and would not work well with double-row licence plates.
Why Singapore Wants Different Plates for EVs
The proposed plates are not simply a styling change.
Singapore has been examining differentiated licence plates because EV and PHEV fires can require different emergency-response procedures from conventional internal-combustion-engine vehicle fires.
The SCDF has previously highlighted risks associated with high-voltage batteries, including the possibility of intense heat and battery-related hazards. A distinct visual identifier could allow emergency responders to recognize an EV or PHEV more quickly during an incident.
The issue has become more relevant as EV ownership grows.
According to LTA figures reported by The Straits Times, EVs accounted for about 45% of new car registrations in Singapore in 2025, while the country had more than 50,000 registered EVs at the end of that year.
Singapore has also announced that from 2030, new registrations of petrol-only cars will no longer be allowed, with new cars expected to be hybrids or fully electric vehicles.
EV Owners Get the Final Say
The upcoming poll will be hosted through the OneMotoring website, with voters directed to a FormSG form where they can authenticate using Singpass.
However, the vote is limited to registered EV and PHEV owners because the differentiated plates would directly affect them.
Each registered owner can submit one vote in an individual capacity or one as a company, depending on how the vehicles are registered.
The authorities said owners’ preferences will be considered as part of the final design-selection process.
That means the winning public preference will contribute to the decision, but the final plate design will also have to satisfy the operational requirements of LTA and SCDF.
From Green Plates to a Wider Design Debate
The latest development represents a change from the original proposal unveiled in March.
At that time, LTA and SCDF presented three green licence-plate designs and sought feedback from EV owners and industry stakeholders. The agencies later continued studying alternatives after receiving concerns about the aesthetics of the green plates.
A September 10 parliamentary reply from Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow confirmed that authorities were studying additional design options following the earlier stakeholder engagement.
The new blue designs are therefore part of an ongoing process rather than an already finalized change.
For Singapore’s EV owners, the next step is straightforward: choose which of the three proposed designs should move forward.
And with the poll opening September 25, the debate over what Singapore’s next-generation vehicle plates should look like is about to move from government consultation to a vote by the people who will actually display them.
WWC ONE MEDIA G,A
