It is no secret that petrol prices in Malaysia is about one third that in Singapore. At present, the price of RON97 is RM 2.05 per litre, whereas it costs S$2.05 (before applying discount) per litre for RON95 in Singapore. Topping up your tank before returning to Singapore from Malaysia means huge savings, especially for cars with bigger tanks. Some even perform the rather unsightly maneuver of rocking their car in an attempt to get that little bit more petrol into the tank.
Cars returning to Singapore after travelling on the North-South Highway will have to decide where to pump petrol, and it’s best to plan ahead exactly where. One might say this is an easy decision – just choose the station nearest to the immigration checkpoint. Under optimal conditions, when there is no queue at the checkpoint, this is a sensible choice. However, when there is a queue, pumping at a petrol station near the checkpoint may cost you more time to clear the immigration, since your queue will virtually start at the petrol station. It can be demoralizing.
Let me go straight to the point and show you the three options you have in choosing the petrol station:
1. Petrol station near checkpoint
For the second link, obviously the Shell just before the Tanjung Kupang CIQ is the one, and probably 90% of the cars returning to Singapore will pump petrol here.
For the causeway, assuming one approaches the CIQ from EDL (this is the most direct route into Singapore from the North-South Highway), then the Shell or Petronas petrol stations near the CIQ are nearest. Instead of going into the CIQ from EDL, one will have to keep left and go towards Pusat Bandar (city centre), then turn right at the traffic junction. After pumping petrol, the way back to the CIQ is by making a U turn under the flyover, or, if you pump at Petronas, you can exit the station from the other side (opposite where you entered) and turn left. Travel some 200m and there’s a link way on the left that leads you onto a flyover that goes straight into the CIQ (try to keep this not-so-well-known secret passageway to yourself ok?).
2. Petrol station along North-South Highway
Another option to settle the hassle of pumping petrol quick and easy is to do so along the North-South Highway itself. Unfortunately the petrol station nearest to Singapore is the one at Machap R&R. (See update below). This is 86km from the CIQ, and 83km from Tanjung Kupang CIQ. Assuming your car does 15km per litre of petrol, it means you lose out on more than 5 litres of cheap petrol. Nevertheless, if you’re in a hurry, this is the best choice.
Update Aug 2022
It’s a no brainer to pump at the newly opened Skudai R&R especially on days when there is a queue on the causeway. The location is just before the Toll booth, 25km from the checkpoint, and you have a choice of Petron, Shell, Caltex and BHP. Saves time compared to the other options.
3. Petrol stations near immigration checkpoint involving short detour from the Highway
This is the compromise between options 1 & 2. When you choose this option, you avoid the queue at the busy petrol stations near the immigration checkpoint, while losing out on a negligible amount of petrol instead of more than 5 litres. The detour should cost you less than 10 minutes of additional travel time.
For the second link, the detour would be to go into Gelang Patah, where there is a Petronas station as well as a Shell station.
Petronas and Shell stations in Gelang Patah
According to Google Maps, the detour to Gelang Patah Petronas station takes 16 minutes
For the causeway, the detour is to pump at the Shell station which is just off the EDL. You leave the EDL at the Bakar Batu junction, and after pumping you will still travel along under the EDL leading to the customs.
Thank you for the information,hopefully useful
Hopefully..
so detailed, this is what i need! thanks