Singapore-Registered Mini Cooper Driver Busted Doing Petrol “Takeaway” With Malaysia’s Subsidised Fuel

0 Sara Smith August 05, 2025

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The driver of a Singapore-registered vehicle got caught red-handed at a Johor Bahru Caltex station, not just filling up his Mini Cooper with Malaysia’s subsidised RON95 petrol, but pumping the cheap fuel into containers for takeaway.

The vehicle was recently photographed at Nusa Sentral in Johor Bahru, making what amounts to a bulk petrol shopping run, treating subsidised Malaysian fuel like it’s some kind of cross-border grocery haul.

The internet had a field day with the double contradiction: here’s someone with a Singapore-registered Mini Cooper – not exactly a budget car, and definitely not cheap to own in Singapore – but apparently can’t stomach paying Singapore petrol prices.

Road vigilante group SGRV FRONT MAN’s Facebook post exploded with typical internet justice:

“Got gas for his enduro motorbike now! All set for a day of riding” – suggesting creative uses for the extra fuel

“Immigration & Checkpoints Authority helu polis, tangkap ini olang” – someone demanding authorities arrest the guy.

“Tapao some more.. steady mini” – mocking the takeaway mentality

Why This Container Thing Matters

Malaysia’s RON95 costs about 60 Singapore cents per litre – four to five times cheaper than Singapore prices.

The government subsidises this fuel specifically for Malaysian citizens, and foreign-registered vehicles have been banned from buying it since 2010.

But a Singapore-registered car pumping it into containers? That’s next-level subsidy abuse, essentially turning a quick fuel stop into a smuggling operation.

Some sharp-eyed commenters noted that even Malaysians driving foreign-registered vehicles aren’t supposed to fill them with RON95, meaning the petrol station should also face consequences.

However, enforcement of these rules has always been inconsistent, allowing foreign-registered vehicles, such as this Mini Cooper, to exploit the system for years.

The guy’s probably hoping this viral moment blows over, but the internet never forgets – especially when the irony runs this deep across international borders.

Meanwhile, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) is probing the case as part of its efforts to regulate fuel distribution and prevent the misuse of subsidised fuel.