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My car is pricey, but a 10-hour daily school run would cost me more
Cars are expensive in Singapore, but for Ms Kelly Ang, owning one is the best way to fit family, work and school life into 24 hours.
Ms Kelly Ang's five children in a photo taken in February 2026 with their family's trusty seven-seater MPV. The car had been with them for almost nine years. (Photo: Kelly Ang)
Kelly Ang
18 Jul 2026 09:30PM (Updated: 19 Jul 2026 08:58AM)
From 1.30pm to 6pm every day, I spend about 4.5 hours driving my five children to school, childcare, sporting activities and enrichment classes.
It sounds excessive but here is what I've calculated: without a car, those same trips by public transport would take close to 10 hours a day.
For my family, owning a car isn't about status or wealth. It is how we make family life, work and school fit into 24 hours.
Without a car, getting the kids to school would take me anywhere between 45 minutes and one hour each way by public transport.
Since my oldest can travel home independently and my two preschoolers attend the same school, I'd still need to make three separate trips a day.
Private-hire vehicles or taxis aren't feasible long-term alternatives either. With several children in tow. I'd have to book a six-seater, which is notoriously expensive and difficult to get.
A car is the only way I can juggle school runs, extracurricular classes and training sessions, and my part-time work schedule.
Based on the conversations I've had both online and offline, I'm certain that I'm not the only parent in Singapore who feels this way.
WHAT I'VE RECOUPED AFTER BUYING A CAR
When I was a younger mum with fewer kids, I, too, believed that owning a car in Singapore was not a necessity.Back when it was just two kids, we travelled everywhere on public transport after selling our first car.
We lasted six months before we bought a second car, when I found out I was pregnant again.
Speed-walking in the hot sun to catch buses and trains with two children, aged four and two then, was extremely challenging for a pregnant woman, to say the least.
Since then, we've been car owners.
But what we have gained are two things: time and energy. And it's impossible to put a price on them.
Instead of spending hours planning multiple bus and train trips with my kids, I have more time to start dinner promptly, help with homework and school preparations, and get everyone to bed earlier.
Our family car is also a safe space for the children to unwind every day after school as I drive around.
We have had meaningful conversations, shared laughter and car karaoke sessions. They have eaten packed lunches, taken power naps or used the time to do homework in between classes.
All this, put together, gives us just that bit more breathing space to enjoy the small pockets of time with each other in the midst of hectic work and school weeks.
A DIFFERENT REALITY FOR LARGE FAMILIES
That said, I understand why car ownership in Singapore is scrutinised.Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums – which are part of a car's price tag – help keep the car population in check, encouraging people to rely on public transport.
We're also often reminded that reducing reliance on private cars can help lower emissions and ease the urban heat island effect from built-up areas.
But, in practice, it just doesn't work for a family of seven like ours.
Mums like me who both work and manage the kids' schedules are already so time-pressed, so having a car buys back time, which is something far more precious than convenience.
To me, our car isn't a status symbol.
After outgrowing our previous seven-seater, we bought a budget-friendly second-hand vehicle that's spacious enough to seat eight, including three child car seats for my two preschoolers and a sixth child, now that I'm expecting again.
Owning a car is undoubtedly a luxury, even for us.
But it's one we've consciously chosen to prioritise.
After my third child, we've given up on holidaying in countries further away, with plans to move and live closer to the kids' schools to reduce fuel costs and switch from live-in help to part-time help to continue affording our car.
LOOKING BEYOND THE COSTS OF OWNING A CAR
To be sure, I'm not asking everyone to own a car.However, my lived reality makes me wish that cars were more affordable. The high COE premiums make it more challenging to raise children in a society that's already fraught with so many pressures.
For large families like mine, the conversation shouldn't be only about congestion and emissions – I'm usually driving my children around at off-peak hours anyway.
It should also acknowledge the hidden costs of raising children, when every hour spent commuting is every hour taken away from family life.
For families with young children, we're willing to pay for many things: tuition classes to improve their academic grades, sports and music to give them an edge in getting into better schools, domestic workers for housekeeping and to look after our children when we're at work.
Naturally, cars are also high up on that list, because they are the reason we can spend more time being present for our children.
At the end of the day, a car helps us not just get to destinations, but to get to the moments that matter, when our children are still young enough to need us.
