ABLINK listing data checked 8 and 19 October 2026
In Singapore, a goods vehicle's unladen weight (its weight when empty) decides whether the driver needs a Class 3 or Class 4 licence. The line is 2,500kg for petrol and diesel goods vehicles and, since 15 June 2026, 3,000kg for electric ones. Maximum laden weight answers a different question.
On ABLINK's used marketplace on 8 October 2026, the 22 Toyota Hiace vans listed were recorded at 1,660kg to 2,180kg unladen, all inside Class 3. The 14ft lorries are the ones to watch: 9 of 13 in the 14ft–17ft class sat between 2,300kg and 2,500kg, inside Class 3 with almost no margin left.
Getting it wrong is not a technicality. A driver can end up in a vehicle outside their licence class, and that tends to surface at the worst time: after an accident.
This guide covers where the line sits, what changed for electric vehicles, which sizes sit near it in 73 listed units, and how to check your own vehicle.
Key takeaways
- 2,500kg unladen is the ceiling for a Class 3 or 3A holder driving a petrol or diesel goods vehicle. Above it, the driver needs Class 4.
- 3,000kg unladen is the ceiling for electric vans, light lorries and small buses, since 15 June 2026. Petrol and diesel stay at 2,500kg.
- Maximum laden weight does not decide licence class. It decides your road tax band.
- The 14ft class sits on the line. In ABLINK's 8 October 2026 listings, 9 of 13 used 14ft–17ft lorries sat within 200kg of 2,500kg, and 4 were at exactly 2,500kg.
- The binding figure is on your vehicle log card, not on a brochure and not on any website, including this one.
Unladen weight is not the number on most spec sheets
Three weights get quoted for the same vehicle, and they are not interchangeable.
- Unladen weight (ULW): the vehicle empty, with no cargo and no passengers. This is the figure that sets the driving licence class in Singapore.
- Maximum laden weight (MLW): the heaviest the vehicle may be once loaded. This governs road tax bands and loading limits. It does not set the licence class.
- Payload: roughly the difference between the two, and the figure your operation cares about day to day.
A common mix-up is to treat a van as Class 3 because it is a light goods vehicle under 3,500kg maximum laden weight. The laden figure may be right, but the conclusion does not follow. A vehicle can sit under 3,500kg laden and still be over the unladen threshold that pushes it into Class 4.
In short: licence class is decided by the empty weight, not the loaded limit.
The two thresholds that decide Class 3 or Class 4
The Singapore Police Force class list sets both limits inside the Class 3 definition itself. Non-electric goods vehicles may weigh up to 2,500kg unladen. Electric vans, light lorries and small buses may weigh up to 3,000kg. Class 4 starts where the first limit ends: a vehicle built to carry a load or passengers that weighs more than 2,500kg unladen.
For anyone running goods vehicles, that means:
- Petrol or diesel goods vehicle, 2,500kg unladen or less: Class 3 or 3A is enough.
- Petrol or diesel goods vehicle, above 2,500kg unladen: the driver needs Class 4 (or 4P for a vehicle without a clutch pedal).
- Electric light goods vehicle, 3,000kg unladen or less: Class 3 or 3A is enough.
- The 3,000kg line for motor cars is a separate entry in the Class 3 definition. It does not extend the limit for a diesel panel van, which is a common misreading. See also Class 3 or Class 4 and what each one lets you drive.
Crossing 2,500kg unladen is not just a change of category on paper. It changes which of your drivers can take the vehicle out.
What changed on 15 June 2026: the electric exception
On 14 June 2026 the Traffic Police announced that from 15 June 2026, Class 3 and 3A holders may drive every electric van, light lorry and small bus up to 3,000kg unladen, up from 2,500kg. Before that, only selected electric models were allowed.
The release also says petrol and diesel goods vehicles and small buses stay at 2,500kg. A diesel van at 2,700kg unladen still needs Class 4. An electric van at the same weight does not. For scale, the one electric van in the listings below, a Citroën ë-Berlingo, was recorded at 1,760kg.
The practical consequence is easy to miss: going electric can keep a vehicle inside your current drivers' licence class when the diesel equivalent would not. For an operator weighing a fleet change, that is a staffing argument as well as an emissions one.
Which vehicle sizes sit close to the 2,500kg line?
People often look up the unladen weight of one model, such as a Hiace, a Dyna or an NV200. One published figure per model name is not safe to rely on, so we looked at real units instead.
Method
On 8 October 2026 we exported the recorded unladen weights of the used vehicles listed on ABLINK's marketplace. 73 of the 86 active listings carried a figure. We grouped them by the category each listing uses and counted them in three bands: under 2,300kg, 2,300–2,500kg and over 2,500kg.
| Category (as listed) | Units | Unladen weight range | Below 2,300kg | 2,300–2,500kg | Above 2,500kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10ft lorry (diesel) | 21 | 1,720–2,280kg | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 10ft lorry (petrol) | 1 | 1,640kg | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Big van (diesel) | 29 | 1,520–4,100kg | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| Small and medium van | 5 | 1,160–2,480kg | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 14ft–17ft lorry | 13 | 2,280–6,360kg | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| Refrigerated lorry | 1 | 2,300kg | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18ft–24ft lorry | 3 | 5,320–9,480kg | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 73 | 55 | 11 | 7 |
What is the Hiace unladen weight in Singapore?
The 22 Toyota Hiace vans listed weighed between 1,660kg and 2,180kg unladen, so every one was inside Class 3 with room to spare. The three Nissan NV350 vans were 1,780kg to 1,800kg, and the two Nissan NV200 vans 1,160kg to 1,220kg. Van unladen weight still varies with roof height, wheelbase and fit-out, so read the log card of the van in front of you. For the rest of the Hiace decision, from body types to running costs, see our Toyota Hiace buyer's guide.
10ft lorry unladen weight
The 12 Toyota Dyna lorries were 1,720kg to 2,280kg, and the six Mitsubishi FEA01 units 1,760kg to 2,120kg. Across all 21 diesel 10ft lorries, the heaviest was 2,280kg.
14ft lorry unladen weight
This is the size to watch. Nine of the 13 units sat between 2,300kg and 2,500kg, four of them at exactly 2,500kg, and three were above 5,000kg.
Three things stand out.
- 10ft lorries are comfortably inside Class 3. None of the 21 diesel units reached the 2,300–2,500kg band.
- The 14ft class is where the line bites. Every unit at 2,500kg is still within Class 3, because the rule says "does not exceed", but there is no margin left.
- The same model name does not mean the same weight. Three Isuzu NNR85 units were listed at 2,420kg, 2,420kg and 2,440kg. Three Mitsubishi FEB21 units were listed at 2,280kg, 2,480kg and 2,500kg, a 220kg spread under one name.
The one big van above 2,500kg was a Mitsubishi Rosa listed at 4,100kg, which is a bus-type body rather than a typical panel van.
For a 14ft lorry at 2,500kg, a tail lift, racking or a canopy added later is enough to take it over the line. Our 10ft versus 14ft compliance comparison covers the other rules that change between the two sizes.
Limits
This snapshot covers one day and one marketplace (ABLINK's used vehicle listings), which lists units from more than one dealer. The figures are the unladen weights recorded in the listing data, not re-checked against each log card. The samples per category are small. Treat it as a picture of where the line falls, not as the weight of any vehicle you own. The unit-level file is not published; each figure can be checked under View details on the listing.
Stock changes every week, so we checked again on 19 October 2026. 62 of the 64 commercial listings that day carried an unladen weight. All four light-duty 14ft units listed (two Mitsubishi FEB21, an Isuzu NNR85 and an Isuzu NPR85) sat between 2,340kg and 2,500kg, so the pattern held. The other five units in that listed category were medium-duty models above 5,000kg.
Cite this
ABLINK used-vehicle listing data: unladen weights recorded on 8 October 2026 (73 units) and re-checked on 19 October 2026, published in this guide on ABLINK's website. Licence thresholds: Singapore Police Force, Singapore Driving Licence class list.
Can body work move a vehicle across the line?
Unladen weight is not fixed for life. A chiller box, a tail lift, shelving or a tipper body all add weight after registration (our chiller van guide covers the refrigerated side), and LTA treats changes to a vehicle as modifications.
LTA's vehicle modification page says modifications must follow LTA's guidelines, and that illegal modification is an offence punishable by a fine or jail. On insurance, it passes on the General Insurance Association of Singapore's advice: tell your motor insurer about any modification, because an insurer that was not told may decline a claim after an accident and treat the policy as void.
For a vehicle that already sits at 2,400kg or 2,500kg, that is two risks in one fit-out: the driver's licence class can change, and the cover can fail if the insurer was never told. Ask the workshop for the weight of what it is adding before the work starts.
Which weight does road tax use?
Licence class is set by unladen weight. Road tax is not. LTA's tax structure page says road tax for a goods vehicle is worked out from its maximum laden weight.
So the same van is governed by two different weights for two different purposes:
- Who may drive it: unladen weight, against 2,500kg (3,000kg for electric light goods vehicles).
- What you pay in road tax: maximum laden weight, against LTA's bands.
Rates differ by fuel type and are revised from time to time, so check the current figure on LTA's page rather than a number quoted in an article.
How do you check your vehicle's unladen weight?
- Open the vehicle log card. The unladen weight is stated there. Use it over any brochure figure if the two disagree.
- Compare it against the right threshold. 2,500kg for petrol or diesel. 3,000kg for an electric light goods vehicle.
- Re-check after any body work. A tail lift, chiller box or racking added after registration changes the unladen weight.
- Confirm each driver's actual class. Class 3 and 3A carry the same weight ceiling; 3A is for vehicles without a clutch pedal. Class 3C covers motor cars only, not goods vehicles. Check the licence, not the assumption.
For a fleet, this check belongs on the yearly calendar, not in one person's memory. If driver availability is your constraint rather than the vehicle, our review of which trucks stay within a Class 3 licence works the problem from the other end.
Above 2,500kg: Class 4, 4P, 4A and 5
Crossing the threshold does not drop you into one "heavy vehicle" category.
Class 4 covers two groups in SPF's list: vehicles built to carry a load or passengers that weigh more than 2,500kg unladen, and vehicles not built to carry any load that weigh up to 7,250kg unladen. Most lorries above the light goods category sit in the first group. Whether a 14ft lorry needs it is a common question: see our 14ft lorry buying guide.
Class 4P covers the same load-carrying vehicles when they have no clutch pedal. Check which of the two a driver holds before assigning a lorry with a clutch pedal.
Class 4A is not a heavier goods class. It is a bus licence, for heavy buses running fixed public routes where passengers pay individual fares. Reading the class list top to bottom and treating the numbers as a weight ladder is a common mistake.
Class 5 covers vehicles not built to carry a load, such as prime movers, split at 11,500kg unladen between light and heavy locomotives. Our Class 5 licence guide covers that end in detail.
The practical point: "we need a bigger vehicle" is two decisions. The weight decides that you have left Class 3. What the vehicle is built to do decides which licence comes next.
Buying with the threshold in mind
- If your drivers hold Class 3 and you want to keep it that way, the unladen weight is a hard filter on the shortlist. Ask for the log card figure of the exact unit, not a brochure number for the model.
- If you are looking at a 14ft lorry, assume it may sit at or near 2,500kg until the log card says otherwise, and price any planned body work against that.
- If the payload you need pushes past what a diesel under 2,500kg can carry, an electric light goods vehicle under 3,000kg may keep you inside Class 3.
- If the work genuinely needs a heavier vehicle, plan for Class 4 drivers from the start rather than finding out after delivery.
Related reading: our light goods vehicle guide for Class 3 operators. If a driver is converting a licence from overseas, foreign licence conversion has its own restrictions.
Find a vehicle that fits your drivers' licence
Each used unit on ABLINK's used vehicle marketplace shows its recorded unladen weight under View details, so you can check it against your drivers' licence class before you call. To compare two or three units, put them side by side on the vehicle compare page. For new models, see current new commercial vehicles and prices.
Tell ABLINK which licence class your drivers hold and what you need to carry, and ask for the log card unladen weight of the exact unit before you commit.
FAQ: unladen weight and licence class in Singapore
What is the maximum unladen weight for a Class 3 licence in Singapore?
For petrol and diesel goods vehicles and small buses, 2,500kg. For electric vans, light lorries and small buses, 3,000kg since 15 June 2026. The 3,000kg line for motor cars is a separate part of the Class 3 definition and does not raise the limit for a diesel van.
Does maximum laden weight affect which licence I need?
No. Maximum laden weight is how heavy the vehicle may be once loaded, and LTA uses it for road tax. Licence class is set by unladen weight. A vehicle can be under 3,500kg laden and still need Class 4 if its unladen weight is over 2,500kg.
Do 14ft lorries need a Class 4 licence?
It depends on the unit's unladen weight, not the deck length. In our 8 October 2026 snapshot, most 14ft–17ft lorries listed sat at or just under the 2,500kg line, so within Class 3, but three were well above it. Check the log card of the exact lorry.
Does the 3,000kg electric threshold apply to every EV?
It covers electric vans, light lorries and small buses, and since 15 June 2026 every such model rather than a selected list. It does not apply to petrol or diesel vehicles of any weight.
Does a Class 3A licence carry the same weight limit as Class 3?
Yes. The unladen weight ceiling is the same. The difference is transmission: Class 3A is for vehicles without a clutch pedal.
My van had a chiller box fitted after registration. Does that change anything?
It can. Fitted bodies, tail lifts and racking add unladen weight, so a vehicle close to the line may have moved across it. Re-check the log card figure, and tell your insurer about the modification, as LTA advises.
