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Anyone who has tried to plan a self-drive trip from Singapore to Johor Bahru, Malacca, or Kuala Lumpur has probably run into the same wall: not every rental car in Singapore is allowed to cross the Causeway. Since the Vehicle Entry Permit, or VEP, became mandatory for all Singapore-registered vehicles entering Malaysia, the rental companies that prepare their fleets for this requirement have become a lot more valuable to travellers than the ones that don’t.
Some charge a daily surcharge. Some restrict you to a handful of vehicle classes. A few don’t allow it at all. This guide rounds up eight of the most relevant options, including one private taxi service for travellers who would rather skip the driving altogether, so the planning part takes a few minutes instead of an entire evening.
What Is a VEP and Why It Matters for This Trip
The VEP is an RFID tag that Malaysia’s road authority, JPJ, requires on every foreign-registered car entering the country. Without it, drivers face an on-the-spot fine and can be turned back at the checkpoint. For a personal car, the registered owner applies for the tag directly. For a rental car, only the rental company can apply, since the company is the one listed as the registered owner.
That single detail is the reason this list exists. A traveller cannot simply rent any car in Singapore and expect to drive it into Johor or beyond; the vehicle needs to already carry an activated VEP tag, or the rental company needs to have a clear process for arranging one.
The 8 Best Car Rentals for Singapore to Malaysia Travel
1. WAHDAH Singapore
WAHDAH.SG runs its entire Singapore fleet as VEP-ready by default, which removes the most common point of friction in this kind of trip. Every car comes with the RFID tag already activated, so there’s no separate application, no waiting period, and no chance of arriving at the Causeway only to discover the paperwork was never filed.
Cross-border travel carries no extra charge, mileage is unlimited, and pickup is available at Jewel Changi Airport, Seletar Airport, several hotels including Marina Bay Sands and Shangri-La Singapore, and a handful of shopping malls.
Travellers who don’t want to retrace their route can also book a one-way rental through the Singapore to Malaysia one-way drop-off service, picking up in Singapore and returning the car in Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, or Penang instead of driving all the way back.
2. AVIS Singapore
AVIS offers VEP-registered vehicles for both short-term rentals and longer-term leases, with pickup at Changi Airport Terminals 2 and 3 or at Havelock Road. The company also handles long-term VEP registration for travellers who cross the border on a regular basis rather than for a single trip, which is useful for business travellers commuting between Singapore and Johor. Mileage is unlimited on both sides of the border, and the booking process runs through their standard online platform.
3. Hertz Singapore
Hertz permits driving into Malaysia, but the arrangement works differently from a VEP-ready fleet. A daily surcharge applies on top of the base rental rate, the amount varies by vehicle group, and for rentals of one to three days the car must be returned to Singapore rather than dropped off across the border.
A one-way rental into Malaysia requires a four-day minimum and is limited to a short list of cities, including Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, and Penang. Travellers planning to drive into Malaysia need to notify Hertz in advance, since this isn’t built into every booking by default the way it is with a dedicated VEP-ready fleet.
4. KINTO Share
KINTO Share is Toyota’s car-sharing arm in Singapore, and it positions itself around transparent, no-surcharge cross-border pricing. VEP handling is built into the booking, there’s no additional fee for driving into Malaysia, and mileage is unlimited. The company also offers islandwide delivery and collection, so the car can arrive at a hotel or residence rather than requiring a trip to a rental counter first.
5. Asia Car Rental
Asia Car Rental provides VEP-ready vehicles, though the most cost-effective version of the offer is tied to long-term leasing rather than short daily rentals. For travellers who lease a vehicle on a longer-term basis, Malaysia usage is included at no extra charge. For shorter trips, it’s worth contacting the company directly to confirm which vehicles in the current fleet carry an active VEP tag.
6. Jack Cars
Jack Cars has built a reputation around its EV fleet, with most of its electric and petrol vehicles already VEP-registered. The catch is that short-term rentals purely for a Malaysia crossing aren’t part of the standard offering. Instead, cross-border access comes through the company’s Plug-N-Drive subscription program, which suits travellers who want recurring access to a car rather than a single weekend trip. For an EV road trip specifically, this is one of the few Singapore options built around that use case, though charging infrastructure in Malaysia is still less developed than in Singapore.
7. Strides Premier
Strides Premier, formed from the 2023 merger of Strides Taxi and Premier Taxis, also runs a car rental and leasing arm that permits driving into West Malaysia. Travellers need to notify the company beforehand to receive approval and the necessary documentation, and a surcharge applies for vehicles crossing the border.
Short-term rentals start from a one-day minimum on weekdays and a three-day minimum on weekends, with rates from SGD 70 a day for the base fleet before any cross-border add-ons.
8. TaxitoJB.sg (Private Taxi, Not Self-Drive)
Not every traveller wants to drive. For those who would rather sit back through both immigration checkpoints, TaxitoJB.sg runs a licensed private transfer service between Singapore and destinations across Johor and Peninsular Malaysia, using 7 to 11 seater MPVs such as the Toyota Innova, Toyota Alphard, and Hyundai Starex. Since it operates as a private hire service rather than a self-drive rental, there’s no VEP to worry about at all.
Fares start from SGD 110 one way to Johor Bahru and the doorstep pickup covers locations across Singapore, including Changi Airport. It’s a reasonable alternative for groups or families who want the comfort of a private vehicle without the driving, the insurance excess, or the documentation that comes with taking a car across the border themselves.
Conclusion
The right choice usually comes down to how much of Malaysia a traveller plans to cover and how much they want control over the route. A self-drive rental with no cross-border surcharge, makes the most sense for multi-day trips, detours to smaller towns, or any itinerary that doesn’t fit neatly into a single fixed-rate transfer.
The VEP requirement is not optional, so it pays to confirm exactly how a rental company handles it before the booking is locked in rather than discovering the answer at the checkpoint.
