How to Get a Driving Licence in Singapore: BTT to P Plates

Learning to drive a car in Singapore means getting a Class 3 licence (manual) or Class 3A (automatic only). The route to it is the same sequence of tests and paperwork for everyone: two theory tests, a learner’s licence, lessons and a practical test.

This guide walks through that sequence in order, explains what each step is for, and flags the decisions you need to make along the way — mainly whether to learn through a driving school or with a private instructor.

Step 0: Check You’re Eligible

You need to be at least 18 years old to take the tests for a car licence. You’ll also do a simple eyesight test when you register at a driving centre to book your first theory test.

Learners aged 65 and above need a Singapore-registered doctor to certify them fit to drive before they can apply for the learner’s licence (SPF). Foreigners on certain work passes and their dependants can also learn and test here; long-term visitors converting a foreign licence follow a different process.

Step 1: Pass the Basic Theory Test (BTT)

The Basic Theory Test is the first gate for every class of licence. It checks that you know the rules of the road — traffic signs, road markings, right of way, basic traffic law — before you’re allowed anywhere near a real road.

The test is a computer-based multiple-choice paper, booked at one of Singapore’s three driving centres:

Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC)
ComfortDelGro Driving Centre (CDC)
Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC)

The Traffic Police describe the test as 50 questions in 50 minutes (SPF); the pass mark is commonly cited as 45 correct, but we haven’t found it on an official page, so confirm it with your driving centre. The syllabus is the Traffic Police’s official handbook, Basic Theory of Driving. Each attempt carries a fee: the Traffic Police test fee is $7.20 for tests booked from 13 March 2026 and $8.00 from 13 March 2027 (SPF), and driving centres add their own charges.

We cover how to prepare, and how the BTT differs from the later theory test, in BTT vs FTT: What’s the Difference?. You can also practise with our free driving theory test questions.

Step 2: Apply for a Provisional Driving Licence (PDL)

Once you pass the BTT you can apply for a Provisional Driving Licence — the learner’s permit. It’s issued digitally through the Singapore Police Force e-Services with Singpass, costs $25, and is valid for two years, after which it can be renewed (SPF).

The PDL matters because taking practical driving lessons without a valid one is an offence. Instructors can verify it online, so get it sorted before your first lesson.

Step 3: Learn to Drive — School or Private?

This is the biggest decision in the process, and it affects cost, pace and how you book your tests.

Learning at a driving centre. You enrol at BBDC, CDC or SSDC and follow its structured curriculum: lessons on the centre’s internal circuit, simulator sessions, then road lessons. The centre schedules your lessons and tests, and you practise on the same circuit you’ll be tested on. The trade-off is usually a higher overall cost and, at busy times, waiting for lesson and test slots.

Learning with a private instructor. You learn with a licensed private driving instructor in their car, on public roads. This is often cheaper per lesson and more flexible on timing. You still register with one of the driving centres to sit your tests, and you’ll usually pay for some practice sessions on the centre’s circuit before the test, since you won’t otherwise have driven it.

Whichever route you pick, a learner drives only with a qualified instructor and displays L plates. Learners are also kept off expressways. Rules around compulsory modules for private learners can change, so check with the driving centre you register at.

Manual or auto? A Class 3 licence lets you drive both manual and automatic cars. Class 3A covers automatics only. Almost every new car sold in Singapore is automatic, so many learners now choose 3A for its shorter learning curve. You can upgrade later with another practical test.

Step 4: Pass the Final Theory Test (FTT)

Car learners must also pass the Final Theory Test before they can sit the practical test. It goes deeper than the BTT: defensive driving, handling hazards and emergencies, expressway driving, and the reasoning behind the rules rather than just the rules themselves.

It’s another computer-based multiple-choice test at a driving centre, based on the Final Theory of Driving handbook. Many learners take it once they’re a few lessons in, when the material makes more sense from behind the wheel.

One timing rule to note: after passing the FTT, you need to pass the practical test within two years. If you don’t, you have to sit the FTT again before booking another practical test.

Step 5: Pass the Practical Driving Test (TP Test)

The practical test is conducted by a driving examiner appointed by the Traffic Police, at the driving centre where you’re registered. The Traffic Police practical test fee rose from $33 to $40 for tests booked from 13 March 2026, and goes to $45 in 2027 and $50 in 2028 (SPF). The test generally has two parts:

Circuit — set manoeuvres on the centre’s internal course, such as the S-course, crank course, parking and a slope.
Road — a drive on public roads around the centre, testing observation, positioning, speed control and your judgement in traffic.

The examiner records demerit points for faults as you drive. You fail if your total passes the limit, or if you make a single immediate-failure error, such as mounting a kerb or running a red light. At the end you get a checklist of every fault, which is useful even when you pass.

For how to prepare, see our driving test tips.

Step 6: Get Your Licence and Start Probation

Once you pass, you apply for your Qualified Driving Licence online. New licence holders are then on probation for one year, and must display a P plate on the car while driving during that period.

Probation matters for two reasons:

A lower demerit point limit. Under the Driver Improvement Points System, a probationary driver’s licence is revoked at a much lower points total than an experienced driver’s would be suspended. The threshold drops from 13 to 12 points from 1 January 2027 (SPF).
Revocation means starting over. If your licence is revoked during probation, you go back through the tests to get it back.

How Long Does It All Take?

There’s no fixed timeline. It depends on test slot availability, how often you can take lessons and how many attempts each test takes. Some learners finish in a few months; others take a year or more. Booking theory tests early, while you’re arranging lessons, takes some of the waiting out of the process.

After the Licence: The Car Itself

Getting the licence is the cheap part. The car comes with a COE, registration taxes, a regulated loan and running costs. If you’re planning ahead, these are worth reading next:

How Much Car Can I Afford?
The True Cost of Car Ownership
New vs Used Car

The free Steer SG app has BTT, FTT and RTT practice with mock exams in four languages (on Android now, iPhone update coming soon), plus live COE prices for when you’re ready to think about a car. It’s an unofficial practice app, not affiliated with the SPF or the LTA.

This article is for general information only. Steer SG is not affiliated with the Traffic Police, the Singapore Police Force, LTA or any driving centre. Fees, test formats and licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the Traffic Police and your driving centre.

Related reading: BTT vs FTT · Driving Test Tips · Demerit Points System