Best Car for Short-Term Rental Singapore: Which to Pick

The best car for short term rental in Singapore is the smallest one that still fits your passengers, their bags and the carparks you use. This blog will walk you through each category in our short term car rental fleet, with the models and starting rate behind each one.

How to Choose a Short Term Rental Car in Singapore

Start with two numbers: how many people are travelling and how many bags come with them. Those two set the category. Parking and fuel then decide between the options left.

The most common mistake is sizing up for a trip you are not taking. A couple renting an MPV for a week pays the higher MPV rate, burns more petrol and spends longer finding a lot, all for seats that stay empty. Rent for this week’s trip, not the largest group you host once a year.

Car Categories for Short Term Rental

Hatchbacks and Stationwagons for Solo Drivers and Couples

A hatchback is a small car whose rear door lifts up with the back window, which makes loading shopping or a folded pram easier than a saloon’s boot lid. Our range includes the Honda Fit, Nissan Latio Sport and Mitsubishi Colt Plus, all with 1.5 litre engines and all starting from S$70 per day on our hatchback and stationwagon rental page.

The Honda Shuttle is the stationwagon in this group. It shares its underpinnings with the Fit but has a longer body and a deeper load area, so it suits a couple heading to Changi with two large suitcases better than a standard hatchback. The Toyota Sienta also appears in this category on our site, but it is a seven seat compact MPV, covered in the MPV section below.

For one or two people doing errands, school runs or office commutes, this is the category that asks least of you. It is the easiest to park and among the cheapest to fuel.

Saloon Cars for Four Adults

A saloon, or sedan, has a boot sealed off from the cabin behind the rear seats. It gives four adults more rear legroom than a hatchback and keeps luggage out of sight. Our saloon car rental range starts from S$70 per day and covers the Toyota Vios, Corolla Axio, Corolla Altis in three generations, Honda Civic, Ford Focus and Mitsubishi Lancer, with engines from 1.5 to 1.8 litres.

The Toyota Vios often gets called a compact, but it sits in our saloon category and is the usual budget pick for four people. Our Toyota Vios rental guide covers it in detail. Step up to a Corolla Altis or Civic when the car will carry four adults on longer drives, where the extra cabin space shows.

Luxury Sedans and SUVs for Comfort and Gear

This category starts from S$120 per day and splits into two groups. The Toyota Camry and Nissan Teana are larger sedans for client driving and airport transfers where a composed ride matters. The Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson and Honda Vezel are five seat SUVs, and the Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota Fortuner add a third row. See the full luxury sedan and SUV rental range for current models.

An SUV earns its rate when a family of five travels with a pram, bicycles or a week of luggage, or when the plan includes a drive up to Johor. On Singapore’s paved roads, ground clearance on its own is rarely a reason to book one. The Outlander and Fortuner seat seven, but their third row is tight and leaves little boot space when in use. Our Toyota Fortuner hire guide covers when that trade off works.

The Mercedes-Benz E250, Mercedes S-Class and BMW 523i are listed on the same page, but they are available only on long term rental or with a chauffeur, not as short term self drive.

MPVs and 7 Seaters for Six or More

You need an MPV the moment a sixth person joins the trip. Five seat cars cover most bookings, and the MPV exists for the sixth and seventh passenger, three generation family outings, and wedding or airport runs where everyone brings bags. Our 7 seater car hire in Singapore starts from S$120 per day, with the Toyota Sienta at the compact end, the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Estima in the family tier, and the Toyota Alphard and Vellfire at the premium end.

For eight people, the Hyundai Trajet is our only 8 seater, and it drives on an ordinary Class 3 or 3A licence. Our MPV model comparison sets the Odyssey against the Toyota models by seats, doors and fuel use.

Renting an MPV for four passengers means paying for space and petrol you will not use. The exception is luggage: four travellers with full size checked suitcases from Changi may need the boot of an MPV with its third row folded.

Commercial vans make up the last category in our short term fleet and are meant for moving goods, not passengers.

Matching the Car to Your Group

Solo Drivers and Couples

Default to a hatchback. A bigger car only adds fuel and parking effort for seats nobody uses. If you are two people with airport luggage, the Honda Shuttle or a saloon gives you the boot without moving up a price tier.

Families of Four or Five

A saloon fits a family of four for city driving. Once a pram, a week of luggage or a Malaysia trip enters the plan, an SUV like the Honda CR-V gives you the boot a saloon lacks.

Child seats change the maths. Singapore’s Traffic Police child restraint rules require any passenger below 1.35m to ride in an approved child restraint, and rental cars are not exempt. Two child seats plus an adult across a five seat car’s back bench is often a squeeze, so if you have three young children, an MPV that spreads the seats across two rows is the practical answer.

Groups of Six or More

Only a 7 or 8 seater works here. Seven people fit an MPV such as the Odyssey or Estima, and eight need the Trajet 8 seater or two cars. If most of the group only joins for one day of a longer rental, it can cost less to book a saloon for the week and a separate MPV for that one day.

Will the Car Fit Singapore Carparks

Parking is a real constraint here. Under the LTA Code of Practice on Vehicle Parking Provision, the minimum car lot in a development is 2.4m wide and 4.8m long, with at least 2.2m of headroom.

Every saloon and hatchback in our short term fleet is comfortably shorter than 4.8m, which leaves room to open doors and walk around the car. A Toyota Camry or a large MPV such as the Alphard is close to the full length of a minimum lot, so reversing in takes more care, especially in older HDB carparks with tight ramps. Height is rarely the issue; the 2.2m minimum headroom clears the cars and MPVs in these four categories.

If you park at an open air or landed property, size hardly matters. If your daily lot is in an older multistorey carpark, choose the smallest car that fits your group.

What a Short Term Rental Costs to Run

Every rental includes insurance, road tax, unlimited mileage, breakdown service and full maintenance, so distance costs you nothing. Petrol is on you, and the car should go back at the same fuel level it left with.

That makes fuel the cost that separates the categories. Our MPV fuel consumption breakdown puts a 1.5 litre Toyota Sienta at about 7 litres per 100km in real Singapore traffic and a 2.4 litre MPV at 11 to 12. On 250km of weekly driving, that is roughly S47againstS74 in petrol. The 1.5 litre saloons and hatchbacks sit at the economical end, and the OneMotoring fuel cost calculator lets you compare specific models before you book.

A refundable S$200 deposit applies. The minimum hire is one day on weekdays and two days for the weekend package. Delivery is free from 9am to 5pm on weekdays and 9am to 2pm on Saturdays.

Taking a Short Term Rental Into Malaysia

Our saloons and MPVs can be driven into Malaysia as far as Kuala Lumpur, with a cross border surcharge from S$50 per day covering the insurance extension. For SUVs, confirm eligibility with our team before you plan the route. Budget for RON97 once you cross, because foreign registered cars cannot buy subsidised RON95, and leave Singapore with at least three quarters of a tank. Our car rental to Malaysia page covers documents and the VEP.

For the drive itself, a saloon handles two to four people well. Five people with luggage are better off in an SUV or MPV for the four to five hours to Kuala Lumpur.

FAQs About Short Term Car Rental

What is the cheapest car for short term rental in Singapore?

Saloons and hatchbacks are the cheapest, starting from S$70 per day. The Toyota Vios is the usual budget saloon, and the Honda Fit is the equivalent hatchback. Both run 1.5 litre engines, so they are also cheap to fuel, and the rate already includes insurance, road tax and unlimited mileage.

What is the best rental car for a family of five in Singapore?

For city driving, a saloon such as the Toyota Corolla Altis works. Add a pram, heavy luggage or a Malaysia trip and a five seat SUV like the Honda CR-V is the better choice. With three young children needing car seats, an MPV spreads them across two rows.

What car should I rent for Changi Airport luggage?

Two travellers with two large suitcases fit a saloon or the Honda Shuttle stationwagon. Four people with full luggage need an SUV or MPV. Seven travellers with seven checked bags is more than one MPV carries comfortably, so fold the third row for five or book two cars.

Can I rent a Mercedes or BMW for a short term rental?

Not as self drive. The Mercedes-Benz E250, S-Class and BMW 523i in our fleet are available only on long term rental or with a chauffeur. For short term hire, the Toyota Camry and Nissan Teana are the premium sedan options, from S$120 per day.

Which rental cars can I drive to Malaysia?

Our saloons and MPVs can go as far as Kuala Lumpur with a cross border surcharge from S$50 per day, which covers the insurance extension. Confirm SUV eligibility with our team first, and plan to buy RON97 in Malaysia because foreign registered cars cannot buy subsidised RON95.

What is the minimum rental period for a short term car rental?

One day for weekday hire and two days for the weekend package. A refundable S$200 deposit applies. Delivery and collection are free from 9am to 5pm on weekdays and 9am to 2pm on Saturdays, with a surcharge outside those hours.

Will a large MPV fit in a Singapore carpark?

Yes, but with less margin. LTA’s minimum car lot is 4.8m long, and large MPVs like the Toyota Alphard come close to that length. Every saloon and hatchback we rent is comfortably shorter. The 2.2m minimum headroom clears all the cars and MPVs in these four categories.