Landing page banner

The Traffic Police (TP) will introduce measures to give priority for Class 4 driving lessons, to Singapore Citizens (SCs), Permanent Residents (PRs), and work pass holders who are employed as full-time drivers, so as to reduce their wait time for lessons. This is in view of the high demand for Class 4 driving lessons.

High Demand for Class 4 Lessons

Prior to May 2023, only SCs, PRs, and work pass holders employed to drive heavy vehicles were allowed to enrol for Class 4 driving lessons. At that time, new enrolments averaged fewer than 200 learners per month. 
 
In May 2023, in response to industry requests to give employers more flexibility in the deployment of their workers, TP removed the occupational requirement. This meant that all drivers with a valid Class 3 or Class 3C driving licence could enrol for Class 4 driving lessons. 

Since then, enrolment figures for Class 4 driving lessons have risen sharply, reaching a peak of more than 1,000 new learners in the month of September 2024 alone, and averaging about 650 new learners per month in the first half of 2025.  

Meanwhile, the Class 4 driving test passing rate has fallen to about 30%, compared to above 40% in 2022 and 2023.  A good number of the failures are Work Permit and S Pass holders. They had converted their foreign driving licence to a Singapore Class 3C licence, but seemed to lack the proficiency to drive even Class 3 vehicles competently. This has led to higher demand for Class 4 driving retests, and lessons for the retest. 

As a result, average wait times for Class 4 driving lessons have grown significantly, to about 13 months now. 

Measures to Reduce Wait Time for SCs, PRs, and Work Pass Holders Employed as Full-Time Drivers

To reduce the wait time for Class 4 driving lessons for SCs, PRs, and work pass holders who will be employed as full-time drivers, TP will roll out the following measures with effect from 15 September 2025. 

Prioritisation of SCs, PRs, and Work Pass Holders Employed as Full-Time Drivers

Currently, learners are generally allocated lessons on a first-come-first-served basis. Going forward, SCs and PRs will be given priority for Class 4 driving lessons. Work pass holders employed as full-time drivers will also be prioritised, based on their occupation as declared to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).   

Learners from companies which have already installed speed limiters on their lorries, will also be prioritised over those from companies which have not installed speed limiters despite being subject to the mandatory speed limiter regime.  

With this change, we expect wait times to gradually drop for SCs, PRs, and work pass holders employed as full-time drivers. On the other hand, those who are not prioritised will see their wait times increase.   

[1]

Deprioritisation of Retest Learners

Our records show that some learners take up to as many as a dozen Class 4 driving tests before they pass. This imposes a significant strain on lesson and testing capacity. The Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC) currently allocates about 40% of lesson slots to retest learners. 

To optimise the limited capacity, learners who fail the Class 4 driving test after three attempts will not be allowed to register for another retest for at least six months. This will reduce the number of retest learners going for lessons and tests, and allow SSDC and TP to allocate a higher proportion of Class 4 driving lessons and tests to new learners.

Road Assessment for Class 3C Licence Holders Enrolling for Class 4

Today, Work Permit and S Pass holders with a valid foreign driving licence may convert the licence to a Singapore Class 3C driving licence (which allows them to drive Class 3 motor cars in Singapore) by passing the Basic Theory Test. With effect from 15 September 2025, all Class 3C driving licence holders will be required to pass a road assessment before they can proceed with Class 4 driving lessons. We expect this to improve Class 4 passing rates, and reduce Class 4 lesson and retest demand, as those who fail the road assessment (i.e. assessed to be not competent to drive a Class 3 motor car) will not be allowed to proceed with Class 4 driving lessons. 

In addition, those who fail the road assessment will have their Class 3C driving licence revoked. 

Declaration of Support from Employers

 All work pass holders enrolling for Class 4 driving lessons will be required to have an official declaration of support from their employer. Employers can submit this declaration via FormSG (https://go.gov.sg/class4support) using their CorpPass, stating that their companies deploy Class 4 vehicles and that they intend to deploy the named work pass holder to drive Class 4 vehicles for work. This will allow TP and SSDC to prioritise learners whom the industry has specifically identified to fill driving roles.

[1] Lorries with Maximum Laden Weight between 5,001kg and 12,000kg (inclusive) and registered in Singapore before 1 January 2018 must be fitted with a speed limiter by 1 January 2026. For other lorries, please visit the SPF website at https://www.police.gov.sg/Advisories/Traffic/Traffic-Matters/Speed-Limiter-Announcement for the mandatory installation timelines.

ANNEX A: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

ANNEX B: ENROLMENT PROCESS FOR CLASS 4 DRIVING LESSONS