Car-Sharing Options in Singapore – TribeCar, BlueSG & Drive Lah

With COE prices pushing car prices to uncomfortable heights, car-sharing platforms offer a more affordable way to meet your need for a car. Here’s how they work, how much they charge, and things to note when using their services. 

Car-sharing services are getting increasingly popular in Singapore, with operators reporting a rise in memberships of between 30% and 50% in late 2023. This development is driven by COE premiums, which have only risen higher over the years, hitting record highs in November and December last year.

Running the gamut from peer-to-peer sharing to hourly rentals, car-sharing platforms offer several options. This is perhaps not surprising, given the wide range of needs of different types of drivers. 

Let’s have a deeper look.

Table of Contents

• Car-sharing platforms in Singapore (2024)
• TribeCar and Car Club
  • What are the differences between TribeCar and Car Club
  • Insurance excess and coverage
• BlueSG
  • Insurance excess and coverage
• Car Lite
  • Insurance excess and coverage
• Drive Lah
  • Excess and insurance coverage
• Other things to note when choosing a car-sharing platform
  • Security deposit
  • Late fees and other charges
  • Location and accessibility 

Car-sharing platforms in Singapore (2024)

TribeCar and Car Club

TribeCar has one of the largest fleets of rental cars on offer, especially after its acquisition of Car Club, followed by WhizzCar in 2022.

Both platforms are operated under their own brands, but you’re essentially drawing from the same fleet of cars. 

You can choose from several rental schemes, ranging from hourly to daily (weekday or weekend) and weekly. There is a subscription plan and also a Season Pass, which can help you save more on your car rentals – more on this later.

Here’s the full rates table for TribeCar and Car Club:

What are the differences between TribeCar and Car Club

As you'd have noticed, TribeCar and Car Club share overlapping rates for two of their three-car categories. But there are important differences to note, as follows:

• Mileage charge – Bookings under Car Club come with a mileage charge, ranging from S$0.29/km to S$0.49/km. This is applied on top of the rental charges stated in the table. Thus, Car Club bookings will be markedly more expensive, especially for longer bookings. 
• Car categories – TribeCar doesn't offer premium or higher-end cars. Instead, you’ll need to book Car Club Prime to rent a fancy set of wheels. 
• Subscription Plan – Open to both TribeCar and Car Club members, you can opt for the Subscription Plan to get 2 hours of free rental for all cars, valid every weekday between Monday to Friday 5:00pm. The fee is S$106.32 every four weeks and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• Season Pass – Available to both TribeCar and Car Club users, Season Pass offers perks and discounts in exchange for a small fee. Priced at S$10.79 every 4 weeks (billed every 12 weeks), the Season Pass will provide perks and privileges such as:
  • Monthly Discount Vouchers: 3 x S$6 vouchers (min. $18 time charge, before GST)
  • Monthly Mileage Rebates: S$15 voucher! ($0.032/km rebate after hitting 500km in a month, min, S$20 time charge)
  • 15% off TribeShield motor excess insurance

Insurance excess and coverage

TribeCar and Car Club impose a S$3,000 excess each for both own and 3rd-party damage, which means you can pay up to S$6,000 in an accident. 

For young drivers (under 22 years old) and/or those with less than 2 years of driving experience, the excess goes up to S$5,000 for each claim category – or S$10,000 in total.

That’s a pretty hefty sum to bear in case you get into a fender bender, so you may want to consider getting the optional insurance coverage offered by the platform. 

• Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): This reduces your overall excess by 50%.
• TribeShield: A motor insurance policy that reimburses up to S$9,000 for excess payments. This reduces your excess to S$500 for each of the two claim categories (own damage, 3rd-party damage).

BlueSG

BlueSG operates a fleet of electric vehicles nationwide, which are dressed up in a cheerful white-and-blue livery you may have occasionally spotted on the roads. 

There are two car models for you to choose from – the Bolloré Bluecar and the Opel Corsa-E, which offers a larger occupant capacity and boot space than the former. 

The Bluecar costs S$0.36 per minute of use, while the Corsa-E costs S$0.52 per minute. There is a minimum charge of 15 minutes per session. 

Besides the per-minute rental fee, you’ll also have to subscribe to a membership package to book the cars. These come in two options – Basic at S$8 per month and Premium at S$18 per month, but you get 40 free minutes each month. 

Insurance excess and coverage

Renting a BlueSG car comes with insurance excess of S$3,000 for own damage and S$3,000 for damage to third parties. Both go up to S$5,000 if you’re a young and/or inexperienced driver, which means you are taking on a serious potential financial risk. 

This is especially true since BlueSG doesn't offer CDW or any similar way to lower your excess. 

However, BlueSG does provide up to S$1,000 coverage for medical expenses for the driver, as well as up to S$100,000 personal accident benefits for the driver and/or passengers. This coverage only applies to the BlueSG zone – i.e., Singapore, Sentosa and Jurong Island.

Note that damage or loss to personal belongings is not covered. 

Car Lite

Car Lite offers a refreshingly fuss-free approach to car sharing. You simply pay for the mileage you drove, no membership fees, no mileage charge, and no pesky topping-up of the fuel tank before returning your vehicle. 

Rentals start from S$1 for 15 minutes, with 24-hour and weekly booking options.

Here’s the full rate table:

Insurance excess and coverage

Car Lite rentals come with excess charges for own damage and third-party coverage, tiered according to the vehicle's engine capacity, as well as the driver’s age and driving experience. 

You can purchase CDW to offset your excess by 50% – this is available on a per-booking basis and is charged at 10% of the total rental charge. 

It’s worth perusing all other fees and charges before making a booking to avoid any surprises. 

Drive Lah

Drive Lah touts itself as a peer-to-peer car-sharing network where you can literally borrow your neighbour’s car to run your errands. This means you won’t have to worry about getting assigned a dirty or neglected car that isn’t quite working properly.

As for the charges, you can choose between hourly and daily bookings, but your pick of a vehicle will be limited to whatever you can find near you (unless you don’t mind making a long trip to pick up your car from the host). 

If you’d rather not deal with a faceless corporation, Drive Lah may be your ideal solution. 

Excess and insurance coverage

Every Drive Lah trip involving a car 12 years or younger is fully insured by the platform’s insurance partner, which precludes an accident from impacting either the owner of the car (the host) or the person renting it (the guest). 

As part of this arrangement, guests are assured up to S$1,000 in medical benefits and up to S$50,000 in personal accident benefits. 

However, guests are still subject to insurance excess of S$3,000 in case of accidental damage to the vehicle (plus an additional excess of S$1,000 for drivers aged 22 to 24). 

Note that for vehicles older than 12 years, only 3rd-party coverage is provided by Drive Lah. 

Other things to note when choosing a car-sharing platform

Security deposit

Many platforms require a security deposit before allowing you to rent a car. This is usually refundable but may be withheld in case of a dispute. 

Here’s how much security deposit each platform charges:

• TribeCar: S$100 (Singaporeans), S$500 (Foreigners)
• Car Club: S$100 (Singaporeans), S$500 (Foreigners)
• BlueSG: varies 
• Car Lite: S$100
• Drive Lah: none required, but pre-authorisation of S$250 may be required in some cases

Late fees and other charges

You will likely be charged a penalty or late fee if you fail to return your car by the stipulated time. This can range from a fixed fee to a late charge per block of time. 

It’s best to check with your chosen platform how much such fees would cost, as they could be higher than expected. 

And while you’re at it, check to see what other charges you can expect, such as cleaning fees or fees for common repairs such as windscreen damage or type replacements. 

Location and accessibility 

Ultimately, you’ll want to choose a platform that is the most convenient for you, with ready access to the make/size of the car that you need. This would mean choosing a platform with the largest fleet and access near you – even if it means paying a slightly higher price. 

After all, there’s no sense in enduring a long ride on public transport just to rent a cheaper car at a further location – the time and hassle involved is hardly worth it.