Viral: Singapore Car ‘Disguised’ as a Malaysian Car Caught Pumping RON95

A Singapore-registered car was recently prevented from refuelling subsidised RON95 petrol at a fuel station in Changlun, Kedah, after it was allegedly made to appear as a Sabah-registered vehicle.

Going viral on social media, details of the incident were shared by a fuel station staff member on the SGRV Front Man (SGRV) Facebook page.

The incident occurred at about 11.16 PM on Jan 3, when the staff member noticed a Mazda 3 reverse-parking at a pump and attempting to fill up with RON95, raising suspicion. According to the Facebook post, the driver allegedly replaced the original number plate with a Malaysian-style plate mimicking the Sabah state.

The ruse was quickly uncovered as a Singapore electronic road pricing (ERP) in-vehicle unit was clearly visible inside the car. A check of the vehicle details by SGRV confirmed that the vehicle was registered in Singapore.

When confronted, the driver reportedly shouted “Sabah! Sabah!” in an attempt to claim local registration, but the claim was rejected after the car’s true registration was verified.

The staff then stopped the vehicle from refuelling with RON95 and required the driver to use RON97 instead, in line with regulations that restrict subsidised fuel to Malaysian-registered vehicles. The post added that the car later drove off towards Thailand.

This latest case comes just days after another incident involving a Singapore-registered vehicle that also went viral after its number plate was found partially covered with black tape to mimic a Labuan-registered car while refuelling with RON95 at a petrol station in Johor.

In said earlier case, Kulai district police chief Assistant Commissioner Tan Seng Lee said the vehicle owner, a Singapore permanent resident, had been successfully traced and instructed to report to the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division at the Kulai District Police Headquarters to assist with investigations.

Both cases fall under Section 108(3)(e) of the Road Transport Act 1987, with authorities warning the public that altering or concealing vehicle registration numbers is an offence under the law.

Together, the two incidents have renewed scrutiny on attempts to circumvent Malaysia’s fuel subsidy controls, particularly involving foreign-registered vehicles near border areas.