Singapore to Penang by car: route, tolls and which bridge

To go from Singapore to Penang by car, take the North-South Expressway (E2, then E1) to Juru and cross on the Penang Bridge. PLUS's calculator charged a Class 1 car RM76.00 one way from Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI), the Woodlands side, or RM80.92 from Tanjung Kupang, the Tuas side, on 3 November 2026. The bridge adds RM5.74 going to the island and nothing coming back.

Use the Penang Bridge for George Town, Gurney Drive and the north coast. Use the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, the second bridge, for Batu Maung, Bayan Lepas and the airport. It charges a car the same RM5.74 in the same direction, so the fare will not decide this for you.

Motorist puts the drive to Penang from Singapore at 698km from the checkpoint, and TheSmartLocal at roughly 7.5 hours before any queue. Split it. A night in Melaka, Seremban or Ipoh adds a sen at most to the PLUS fare, while a night in central KL can move it several ringgit either way.

Key takeaways

• Budget about RM178 through Woodlands or RM188 through Tuas for the round trip: PLUS both ways, one bridge and Malaysia's RM20 road charge. Fares read 3 November 2026, Class 1.
• Both bridges charge a car RM5.74 going to the island and nothing coming off it. Choose by where you are staying.
• Going north, Bandar Cassia, the exit for the second bridge, comes before Juru. Decide before you reach it.
• To stop in Ipoh, leave at Ipoh Selatan and rejoin at Ipoh Utara. That makes RM76.01 from BSI to Juru against RM76.00 straight through.
• Pay George Town's street bays the moment you park, because the council's plate scanners can issue a compound while you are still in the car. We found nothing on whether the app takes a Singapore plate.

The route from Singapore to Penang by car

PLUS's calculator gives a fare and no route. The usual way round Kuala Lumpur is ELITE and then the NKVE, and your map may offer others.

How long the drive takes

Motorist's guide, updated 22 May 2026, gives 698km from the checkpoint. TheSmartLocal said roughly 7.5 hours on 5 March 2026, which we would treat as rough, since the same article gives Ipoh about 8 hours and Ipoh is nearer. We found no figure from PLUS or LTA.

Neither figure counts the crossing. ICA said cars leaving at peak over the 2026 National Day weekend waited up to three hours, and on 1 November 2026 it told travellers again to expect longer waits at peak and to consider early mornings or late evenings. Our long weekend guide keeps Penang for five days or more for that reason.

Woodlands or Tuas

We would take Tuas unless you start in the north or east of the island. It meets the E2 at Senai North and skips Johor Bahru's streets. Woodlands costs RM4.92 less on PLUS each way and less in Singapore too, and parts of the Tuas departure car zones are closing in phases to late 2027 (The Star, 26 August 2026). Our Woodlands or Tuas guide has the full comparison, and the JB traffic guide covers when the queues build.

Tolls to Penang in ringgit

These are Class 1 fares from PLUS's calculator, read on 3 November 2026, plus Malaysia's RM20 road charge per entry. They are through fares, so the checkpoint plaza is already inside them.

Singapore's own toll goes on separately. LTA's page, last updated 28 May 2025, charges a car S$0.80 leaving at Woodlands and nothing coming home, or S$2.10 each way at Tuas.

Reading the calculator for Penang

Our PLUS toll guide has every plaza. Four things catch people out on this trip.

• Stay on the first slide, Class 1. PLUS calls a car Class 2 on the Penang Bridge, but the calculator's Class 1 slide already shows the car's RM5.74. Its Class 2 slide shows RM9.84, the rate for a van.
• Juru to the Penang Bridge shows RM5.74, and the bridge to Juru comes back empty. That is the one-way charge at work.
• Bandar Cassia appears twice. Plaza B/Batu Kawan shows RM75.46 both ways from BSI, while Plaza A shows RM81.20 going north and RM75.46 coming back. The RM5.74 gap is the second bridge's car fare, and the bridge operator's own notices use the name Plaza A, so we read RM81.20 as expressway plus bridge. Neither body says so outright, and we would not add RM5.74 to it.
• BSI to Ipoh Utara shows RM0.00, and Ipoh Selatan to Juru returns nothing. Read those as gaps in the listing.

What pays them

Carry a Touch 'n Go card and load it at home for the whole trip. PLUS lists Touch 'n Go cards, SmartTAG and RFID, and it ended reloads at its exit lanes in November 2019. PLUS's list has self-service kiosks at Rawang going north and at Tapah both ways, and JPJ takes the road charge by Touch 'n Go card or the eWallet app.

You may see RM4.59 quoted for the Penang Bridge. That rate is for private cars of people who live or work in Penang (Malay Mail, 25 January 2020), who register through the Jimat Di Penang portal (Carz, 19 March 2024), so budget RM5.74. PLUS began a trial of Visa, Mastercard and MyDebit lanes on the Penang Bridge in March 2024, and we could not confirm the trial's status today.

Penang Bridge or the second bridge

The fares match to the sen, so where each bridge lands is what separates them.

Malay Mail reported the one-way rule for both bridges on 31 March 2014. PLUS's calculator still behaves that way, and we found no later change. Older reports put the second bridge at RM7 from 1 January 2020, but JKSB's own site now shows RM5.74, and the Works Minister said in December 2025 that its rate stays unchanged through 2026 (Malay Mail).

Which one to use

Both meet the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway on the island. We would take the Penang Bridge for George Town and anything north of it, since Gelugor is the closer landing. Take the second bridge for Batu Maung, Bayan Lepas, the airport or Balik Pulau, or if traffic reports show the Penang Bridge stopped. You can also go in by one and come home by the other. Motorist's guide says the Butterworth ferry carries only pedestrians and two-wheelers, so a car has these two ways across.

Expect the approach to be slow at peak. A USM researcher said the Juru to Sungai Dua stretch had reached critical levels (Bernama, in Malay Mail, 1 November 2024), a crash on the Penang Bridge on 1 April 2026 left 7km of jam in the morning rush hour (NST), and police expected about 2.2 million vehicles over the two bridges in the 2025 Christmas school holidays (FMT, 23 December 2025).

Closures to check

The Penang Bridge International Marathon is on 13 December 2026, starting at Aspen Vision City in Batu Kawan (The Star, 8 October 2026). The second bridge closed from 11pm to 10am for the 2025 race (Buletin Mutiara, 5 December 2025). We found no closure times for 2026 yet, so avoid the night of 12 December and the morning of the 13th. JKSB posts its closures and traffic notices on its site, and its latest listed is dated 8 September 2026.

Where to break the drive

Add the two legs and you get the real cost of an overnight stop. Most of them come to almost the same as the through fare. These are Class 1 fares read on 3 November 2026, against RM76.00 from BSI and RM80.92 from Tanjung Kupang to Juru.

Ipoh

Ipoh is our pick, because it leaves about 129km to Juru by the markers, which makes for an easy second morning. It has its own guide to the old town and the caves. Exit 139 is Ipoh Selatan and Exit 140 is Ipoh Utara, and the fares only work in that order.

KL or Melaka

A night in KL needs more care. Leaving and rejoining at Sungai Besi costs RM5.50 more than the through fare. Coming in at Sungai Besi and leaving by Jalan Duta shows RM3.19 less from BSI, before any city toll and the drive across town. Our KL guide covers where to park. Melaka, on its own guide, costs nothing extra but only gets you about a third of the way.

R&R stops north of KL

On this stretch the markers count down as you go north. The markers and sides below are from PLUS's list, and the distances are our own sums to the Juru lay-by.

Coming home, do not plan a meal at the Bukit Gantang southbound R&R at KM225. Paul Tan reported on 2 March 2026 that it is closing for about 20 months and due back in the first quarter of 2028, with its petrol stations staying open. Our R&R guide has facilities and petrol brands at each stop.

Petrol and what to carry

LTA requires at least three-quarters of a tank when you leave Singapore, and 698km each way is a long run on that, so expect to buy petrol in Malaysia. Read our petrol guide first, for what a Singapore car may pump and what the wrong nozzle can cost. Driving an electric car, use our EV charging guide instead.

LTA also says Malaysian officers may ask for a printed certificate of insurance and printed road tax validity, so print both. You need two loaded cards: a stored-value card for the Singapore toll, because neither checkpoint has a top-up machine, and the Touch 'n Go card. The rest is in our checklist for driving across.

Parking in George Town

The city council, MBPP, sets the street rate. Its poster gives these from 1 March 2025, and we found no later change.

The poster lists three ways to pay: the Penang Smart Parking app, the PEARL app and e-kupon, sold at Happy Mart shops and appointed agents. Touch 'n Go will not help you here, since The Star reported on 8 August 2026 that public parking in the state cannot be paid through e-wallet apps.

Motorist's guide gives 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, with Sundays and public holidays free. The same page still shows the old 40-sen rate, so read the sign.

Plate scanners and a Singapore car

Pay as soon as you stop. The mayor said on 7 August 2026 that a car in a bay must be paid for even with the driver inside (The Star), and MBPP's scanners can issue a compound at the scan. Paul Tan reported on 28 April 2025 that they check plates against JPJ's records. We found nothing that says how that treats a Singapore plate, or whether the app accepts one, so try adding your car at home. If it refuses, ask MBPP before you trust a bay.

Streets that are changing

• Jalan Pantai: a RM24.7 million pilot would make it and Church Street Ghaut one-way, and cut roadside bays in the 1.76km loop from 293 to 100. The Vibes gave no dates on 16 January 2026.
• Jalan Hutton, Lebuh Chulia and the Air Itam Market area: named for new no-parking zones, with enforcement not yet started as of 13 January 2026 (Penang Property Talk).
• Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh Pasar in Little India: the mayor named parts of both for time limits (FMT, 2 March 2025). We could not confirm whether those have begun.
• Weld Quay: MBPP opened a tender for a multi-level car park (FMT, 2 March 2025). We found no report that it has opened.

We found no current official list of George Town's car parks, so we name none. We would book a hotel with parking, ask how its barrier is paid before you book, and walk.

Things to do in Penang

The list comes from Penang Global Tourism's map and 2026 foldable, with the order meaning nothing. Hours and tickets change, so check those with each place.

George Town on foot

Penang Global Tourism puts the World Heritage core at 109.38 hectares with more than 1,700 historic buildings, and its foldable strings the places below into one day's heritage trail.

For food, the foldable sets out a three-day street food trail, with curry mee and assam laksa in Air Itam, char koay teow on Lebuh Presgrave and supper on Lebuh Carnarvon.

Around the island by car

Only two of these publish anything for drivers. Visitors cannot drive up Penang Hill, and its FAQ points you to the Penang Hill Multi-Storey Car Park or an open car park by Thean Kong Thnuah Temple, both near the Lower Station. myPenang, undated, says you can park at two levels of Kek Lok Si on a narrow road. For the others we found no official parking detail, so ask when you plan the day.

Penang Hill's FAQ says the funicular shuts for scheduled maintenance twice a year without giving dates here, so look it up before you plan the day around it.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Singapore to Penang drive?

Motorist gives 698km from the checkpoint and TheSmartLocal says roughly 7.5 hours, and we found no figure from PLUS or LTA. Neither counts the queue, which ICA put at up to three hours at peak over the 2026 National Day weekend.

How much is the toll from Singapore to Penang by car?

On PLUS's calculator, read 3 November 2026, a car pays RM81.74 from BSI or RM86.66 from Tanjung Kupang to reach the island by the Penang Bridge, and RM76.00 or RM80.92 coming back. Singapore's toll and Malaysia's RM20 road charge per entry are extra.

Which Penang bridge is cheaper for a car?

Neither by much. Both charge RM5.74 going to the island and nothing coming off it, and the through fares by the second bridge come out RM0.54 to RM0.55 lower each way.

Which bridge should I use for George Town?

The Penang Bridge, which lands at Gelugor. The second bridge lands at Batu Maung, so it suits Bayan Lepas, the airport and Balik Pulau.

Where should I stop between Singapore and Penang?

We would stop in Ipoh, leaving at Ipoh Selatan and rejoining at Ipoh Utara, which adds one sen from BSI. Seremban and Ayer Keroh also add a sen or less, while leaving and rejoining at Sungai Besi adds RM5.50.

Can I use George Town street parking with a Singapore car?

We could not confirm it. MBPP takes the Penang Smart Parking app, PEARL and e-kupon, and none of the sources we read says how they treat a Singapore plate, so try registering your car at home.

Sources

• PLUS: Toll fare calculator, Class 1, BSI, Tanjung Kupang, Bandar Cassia, Juru, Penang Bridge and the stops listed (read 3 November 2026)
• PLUS: Penang Bridge vehicle classification, on the home page (read 3 November 2026)
• PLUS: Our expressways, Penang Bridge, Second Link and ELITE
• PLUS: Our facilities, R&R and lay-by markers, Touch 'n Go kiosks
• PLUS: FAQs, accepted toll payment methods
• Malay Mail: PLUS to scrap Touch 'n Go reload booths starting Nov 5 (1 November 2019)
• Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd: Toll rates and important notices (read 3 November 2026)
• Malay Mail: RM8.50 toll for second Penang Bridge, charged going to the island (31 March 2014)
• Malay Mail: Toll rates for private vehicles at second Penang Bridge reduced (1 January 2020)
• Malay Mail: Further reduction in Penang Bridge toll for some Penangites from Feb 1 (25 January 2020)
• Carz: Penang Bridge begins to accept credit and debit cards (19 March 2024)
• Malay Mail: No toll hikes in 2026 for 10 major highways (19 December 2025)
• Bernama, in Malay Mail: Juru-Sungai Dua elevated highway and congestion (1 November 2024)
• NST: Fatal crash on Penang Bridge sparks 7km traffic jam (1 April 2026)
• FMT: Over 2.2mil vehicles expected in Penang during festive break (23 December 2025)
• The Star: Limited slots open for full Penang Bridge marathon (8 October 2026)
• Buletin Mutiara: Second Penang Bridge to close for PBIM 2025 (5 December 2025)
• Paul Tan: PLUS closing Pedas Linggi and Bukit Gantang R&Rs for refurbishment (2 March 2026)
• LTA OneMotoring: Vehicles registered in Singapore, tolls, tank rule and what to carry (last updated 28 May 2025)
• ICA: Heavy traffic expected at land checkpoints during September school holidays (31 August 2026)
• ICA: Heavy traffic expected during upcoming Deepavali long weekend (1 November 2026)
• JPJ FAQ: road charge per entry and how it is paid (read 2 November 2026)
• The Straits Times, republished by The Star: Car lane closures at Tuas Checkpoint from Sept 1 (26 August 2026)
• Motorist: Road tripping to Penang, distance and parking hours (updated 22 May 2026)
• TheSmartLocal: Weekend getaway destinations near Singapore, Penang entry (5 March 2026)
• MBPP: Tempat letak kereta, new rate posters from 1 March 2025 (read 3 November 2026)
• The Star: MBPP enforcing immediate parking payment via mobile ANPR system (8 August 2026)
• Paul Tan: Penang begins using ANPR to enforce public parking payment (28 April 2025)
• FMT: Penang Island parking charges raised, time limits and Weld Quay tender (2 March 2025)
• Penang Property Talk, on Newswav: Studies ongoing for no-parking zones in George Town (13 January 2026)
• The Vibes: Unesco World Heritage Site in George Town to undergo facelift (16 January 2026)
• Penang Global Tourism: Penang tourist map (April 2024)
• Penang Global Tourism: Foldable with suggested itineraries (2026)
• George Town World Heritage Incorporated: The Clan Jetties of George Town
• Penang Hill Corporation: FAQ, driving and car parks
• myPenang: Kek Lok Si Temple, undated
• Wikipedia: Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, length, exits and plazas (read 3 November 2026)
• Wikipedia: Penang Bridge, landing points and classes (read 3 November 2026)
• Wikipedia: North-South Expressway Northern Route, exits and markers (read 3 November 2026)
• Wikipedia: New Klang Valley Expressway, Shah Alam and Bukit Lanjan
• Tourism Perak: How to come to Perak, expressway exits for Ipoh

The car also needs an activated VEP tag linked to a Touch 'n Go eWallet before it enters Malaysia. Radiant VEP Solutions is not affiliated with JPJ. You can apply yourself at vep.jpj.gov.my. If yours is not sorted yet, our application service can file it for you. JPJ makes the approval decision, so leave time before the trip.