Best car sharing in Singapore: GetGo, BlueSG, Tribecar prices (2023)

Car sharing is basically the SG Bike and Obike of cars: You search for a nearby car, "unlock" it with a card or app, and drive it to your destination. From a quick glance at the rates, car sharing seems like a godsend, especially for people whose driver's licences do nothing but buy beer at 7-11.
Prices are advertised as just a couple of dollars per hour, but after doing some calculations and adding in hidden costs (subscription fees, registration fees, petrol, etc). Lo and behold! It comes up almost comparable to steep Grab and taxi fares-and for those, you don't even need to drive yourself. Sian, looks like I'm sticking to the MRT.
To be fair, it's worth it if you have a lot of barang or if you're transporting difficult cargo (kids included) and are going to multiple places within the time frame.
Here's a price comparison of the major car sharing operators in Singapore offering hourly car rental: Tribecar, Car Club, DriveLah, BlueSG, Whizz Car, and GetGo.
Different operators have slightly different pricing systems, so I will compare the initial cash outlay and prices as a first-time user opting for the no-commitment or lowest-commitment membership tier and the cheapest economy sedan car available.
Let's assume I want to book the car for 7pm to 11pm (four hours) on a Friday to drive about 60km. The weekend prices are going to be similar to Friday night's, and weekend surcharges apply to Friday night too.
Car sharing service | Total Price | Price breakdown |
Tribecar * | $30.60+++ | $5.40/h + $2/hr weekend surcharge + unknown petrol fee + $1 payment gateway fee |
Car Club by Tribecar * | $68.40 | $9/h + $2/hr weekend surcharge + $0.39/km mileage + $1 payment gateway fee |
DriveLah | $44.40 | $6 per hour + $0.39/km mileage |
BlueSG | $108.80 | $8 membership + $0.42/min |
GetGo | $51.40 | $7/hour + $0.39/km mileage |
* Note: Tribecar and Car Club come with a $100 security deposit, although this will eventually be returned to you.
At first glance, the cheapest looks to be Tribecar's Super Economy car. However, this is before you add in the cost of fuel. Drive Lah may be the most affordable at about $44+ for a four hour, 60km Friday night drive.
Having said that, cost isn't everything. Here are our recommendations if you have specific requirements in mind:
Tribecar | Rates and other key information |
Sign-up fee/deposit | $100 (Singaporean/PR) or $500 (Foreigners) security deposit, to be refunded upon account termination |
Insurance provided? | Yes. Own or third party damage excess per accident of $1,620 (with Collision Damage Waiver) to $5,400 |
Petrol included? | No. Ensure the reserve fuel indicator light isn’t lit up when returning the car. |
Car rental rates (Super Economy category) |
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Fleet size | 1,300+ |
Car sharing locations | 750+ |
Can I drive to Malaysia? | Yes. Selected Economy Sedan and Economy MPV cars can be driven up to West Malaysia with a 30% surcharge and pre-authorisation hold of $200. |
Are pets allowed? | No. |
Age requirement | 18 years old, P-plate drivers (less than two years of driving experience) allowed. |
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If you're just looking for the cheapest car rental rates out there, you've found them. Tribecar's "super off-peak" rates for their Super Economy category cars take the cake at just $0.54/hour. Having said that, they meant it when they said super off-peak — a weekday drive between midnight to 6am, anyone?
Yeah, we thought not. You're probably going to be more interested in Tribecar's "off-peak" (no "super") period from 6am to 6pm on weekdays. At $2.70/hour, this is still one of the cheapest hourly rates out there.
While Tribecar's rates look pretty cheap, they do come with weekend surcharges that range from $0.50 to $2 per hour (not inclusive of GST). So if you're driving over the weekend, you can very quickly rack up a huge bill.
Here's Tribecar's super economy prices for peak, off-peak, and super off-peak timings:
Mon to Fri | Sat and Sun | |
Midnight to 6am | $0.54/hour (super off-peak) | $5.40/hour (peak) |
6am to 6pm | $2.70/hour (off-peak) | $5.40/hour (peak) |
6pm to midnight | $5.40/hour (peak) | $5.40/hour (peak) |
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We're not gonna lie, paying on Tribecar is pretty annoying. First of all, you can't just link your credit card to your account. Instead, you need to load credits in denominations of $20, $50, $100, or $200 into your account e-wallet and use it pay for bookings.
For each wallet top-up, you'll be charged a "Payment Gateway Fee" of $1 for $20 and $50 top-ups, and $2 for $100 top-ups, and $3 for $200 top-ups. And after you get through all of that, you better use up everything you put in — loaded credits are non-refundable even after you terminate your account.
Booking on Tribecar isn't the most convenient if you need to make booking changes-because you can't. Instead, you have to make a new booking and cancel the existing one. That means incurring cancellation charges:
When your Tribecar booking is cancelled | Charge |
Less than 24 hours before booking time slot | 80% of rental charge |
Between 24 to 48 hours before booking time slot | 50% of rental charge |
More than 48 hours before booking time slot | $0.80 |
Tribecar is one of the most accessible car rental services in Singapore. Unlike many other car rental services in Singapore with an age limit of 22 or 23, Tribecar lets you rent a car from as young as 18 years old as long as you have passed your driving test. However, there are some drawbacks to renting a car at this age:
Similar to GetGo, Tribecar is a point A to A car sharing service. That means you'll need to return your Tribecar to its original parking spot once you're done, so no one-way trips.
Speaking of returning the car, let's look at Tribecar's fuel policy. Tribecar states that you "may return the vehicle at any fuel level (at your own cost) as long as the reserved fuel indicator does not light up".
Don't push this — if the next person who gets behind the wheel proves to Tribecar that the fuel reserve light is lit up, they'll charge you a penalty of $35 the first time, and $65 if it happens a second time.
Car Club By Tribecar | Rates and other information |
Sign-up fee/deposit | $100 (Singaporean/PR) or $500 (Foreigners) security deposit, to be refunded upon account termination. |
Insurance provided? | Yes. Own or third party damage excess per accident of $1,620 (with Collision Damage Waiver) to $5,400 |
Petrol included? | Yes. Top up with Car Club petrol card. |
Petrol mileage fee (per km) | $0.39/km (standard cars) or $0.52/km (premium cars) |
Time charge (per hour) | $3-9 (standard cars) or $10-12 (premium cars) |
Fleet size | 200+ |
Car sharing stations | 110+ |
Age requirement | 22 years old, with at least 2 years of driving experience. |
Car Club step-by-step guide:
Car Club is the oldest, most established car sharing operator in Singapore. They've been in the business since 1997. Tribecar acquired Car Club in March 2022, and started charging existing Car Club users an additional $100 deposit to "join" the Tribecar group — a move that wasn't well-received.
While Car Club's registration was pretty straightforward in the past, it's changed since Tribecar acquired it. There is no longer a Car Club website, nor a clear sign up button for Car Club on the Tribecar website. Instead, you'll have to sign up as a Tribecar member and select the Car Club plan. On the Tribecar website, green denotes Car Club vehicles while blue denotes Tribecar ones.
Car Club by Tribecar charges both by time and distance, in the form of an hourly charge and a $0.39/km mileage fee (for fuel), respectively. This is quite the standard pricing rubric that car sharing companies like GetGo, DriveLah, and Whizz Car have adopted. However, like Tribecar, Car Club charges an additional $0.50 to $2 per hour weekend surcharge (before GST), which can really add up.
Here are hourly rates for Car Club's standard car category, Car Club Select:
Weekdays | Weekends | |
12am – 8am | $3/hour (super off-peak) | $6/hour (off-peak) |
8am – 6pm | $6/hour (off-peak) | $9/hour (peak) |
6pm – 12am | $9/hour (peak) | $9/hour (peak) |
The rates above will get you a Toyota Altis, Mazda CX-5, or something similar. If you want a more premium ride, Car Club also rents out Lexus RX270 and Toyota Vellfire cars under their Car Club Prime range at $10-12 per hour.
How does Tribecar measure up to Car Club? Here are some comparison points:
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DriveLah | Rates and key information |
Sign-up fee/deposit | None. However, there is a $250 pre-authorisation (no charge) on new guests’ credit/debit card, released after 24 hours. |
Insurance provided? | Yes, excess of $3000. |
Petrol included? | Your choice. Opt in for fuel inclusion at $0.34 – $0.49/km, otherwise top up petrol to the fuel level you collected the car at. |
Car rental fee | Varies from $6 to $15 per hour, depending on the car model |
Fleet size | 500+ |
Can I drive to Malaysia? | Yes, depending on the car owner. |
Are pets allowed? | Yes, depending on the car owner. |
Age requirement | 22 years old |
Drive Lah is a car-sharing platform, not a car rental service. That means you aren't really renting a car from Drive Lah, but from a stranger who's listed their car on their website for sharing. Drive Lah functions as the middle man and earns some money from the whole process.
Since it's actually someone else's personal car that you'll be driving, you'll have to be pretty responsible in keeping the car clean. So, if you were planning to drive your university OG out for a messy late night prata and ECP trip, Drive Lah is not for you.
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Since these are all personal cars, you can expect cars to be cleaner and better serviced condition. If you enjoy cars, you'll be treated to newer makes such as the BMW 5 Series, Mercs GLB, Audi, Toyota Harrier, Nissan Qashqai, Volvo, and Mazda CX series.
Prices vary depending on the car you choose. A Honda or Mazda entry-level should cost you $6 per hour, while a continental Audi A3, Volvo XC40, and BMW 3 series will range around $12 to $15 per hour.
Compared to other car rental operators, Drive Lah's sign up process is pretty troublesome since it requires you to upload all your documents manually (vs syncing with SingPass).
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BlueSG | Rates and key information |
Membership fee | $8/month for Basic, $18/month for Premium |
Insurance provided? | Yes, excess of $3,000 ($5,000 excess if driver is below 22 years old and/or has less than 2 years of driving experience) |
Petrol included? | All BlueSG cars are electric, no need for petrol |
Price plan – Basic | $8 per month, rental $0.42 per min |
Price plan – Premium | $18 per month (min. 6 months), $0.42 per min, free 40 min/month |
Fleet size | 667 |
Charging points | 1,500 |
Can I drive to Malaysia? | No |
Are pets allowed? | No |
Age requirement | 20 to 69 years old + hold driving license for at least 1 year |
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By now, you've probably come across those cute BlueSG cars humming along on our roads. BlueSG has perhaps the most unique concept-they have a full fleet of electric cars (called Bluecars) for sharing.
This means that the cars are charged at their designated lots, so you don't have to worry about petrol. Plus, you're making a better choice from a sustainability standpoint compared to renting a car that uses fuel.
Worried about how long a fully charged Bluecar can go for? Don't worry, it's a far cry from the battery life of your phone. According to the BlueSG website, a Bluecar's average range is about 250km. That's enough for almost seven trips between Jurong Point in the West and Changi Airport in the East.
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You may think that use of electricity instead of petrol translates to savings, but that's not really the case.
The all-in rental fees used to be quite steep at $0.50/min a couple of years back, was then reduced to $0.33/min, $0.36/min, and back up to the current $0.42/min. That's $25.20 per hour!
If you intend to use BlueSG for a few months, you should consider the six-month Premium membership. You pay $10 more per month in membership fees to get 40 minutes free monthly that would have otherwise cost you $16.80. That means you save $6.80 per month, and $40.80 in the six-month period.
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At $0.42/min or $25.20 per hour, BlueSG doesn't look like an affordable option. Could it still be worth it if we consider other factors? Here's a summary of its pros and cons:
BlueSG pros | BlueSG cons |
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If price is your main concern, BlueSG isn't going to be your top pick. However, if you're environmentally conscious, want to try your hand at driving an electric vehicle, or like that you can drop the car off at any parking site, BlueSG is worth considering.
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GetGo | Prices and key information |
Membership/sign-up fees | None |
Insurance provided? | Yes, excess of $3,240 (or $5,400 for young/senior/new drivers) |
Petrol included? | Yes |
Car rental fee (per hour) | $3-7 (Economy), $3-9 (Standard), $6-12 (Premium), $15-21 (Luxury), $4-10 (Standard Electric) |
Mileage fee | $0.39/km, $0.29/km for electric vehicles |
Fleet size | 1,400 |
Car sharing stations | 1,400+ |
Can I drive to Malaysia? | No |
Are pets allowed? | Yes, just keep them in carriers at all times |
Age requirement | 19-24 years old with one year or driving experience OR 25 years and up |
GetGo strives to be fuss-free. That means no membership fee, sign-up fee or any deposits. Instead, costs comprise only a time charge and mileage charge. The mileage charge is $0.39/km for cars running on fuel, and $0.29/km for electric vehicles. Here are the time charges for GetGo's Economy car category:
Weekdays | Weekends & Public Holidays | |
12am – 5:59am | $5/hour (normal) | $5/hour (normal) |
6am – 8:59am | $3/hour (off-peak) | $5/hour (normal) |
9am – 5:59pm | $5/hour (normal) | $7/hour (peak) |
6pm – 11:59pm | $7/hour (peak) | $7/hour (peak) |
Additionally, GetGo will also cover the cost of fuel. Each car comes with an Esso fuel card that you can use to refuel the car. All you need to do if open your GetGo app and generate a PIN. Not only will GetGo cover the cost of the petrol, but they'll also reward you with a $2 to $6 promo code you can use on your next booking.
If you don't want to have to refuel at all, you can also rent their Standard Electric car for an hourly rate of $4 (off-peak), $7 (normal), or $10 (peak).
One thing that GetGo has that the other car rental services on this list don't is being pet-friendly. GetGo will allow pets in their cars as long as you keep them in carriers. The only other car rental service that (kinda) allows pets is Drive Lah — for their cars, it really depends on the car owner.
The one downside to GetGo rental is that you have to return the car to its original parking lot. That's not very convenient, but is true for almost all the car rental and sharing services on this list anyway (with the notable exception of BlueSG!).
You know how Car Club got acquired by Tribecar? We hope you remember that story, because pretty much the same thing has happened with WhizzCar.
WhizzCar was under the local car rental company Popular Rent A Car. In October 2022, Tribecar acquired Popular Rent A Car, also gaining its car-sharing service WhizzCar and the 400 cars in their fleet. Whizz Car members got their deposits and credits ported over, and have now joined the Tribecar tribe.
ALSO READ: Car rental vs car sharing vs GrabCar: Which is the most cost-effective?
This article was first published in MoneySmart.