What Is COE and How It Works
A Certificate of Entitlement (COE) is the right to own and use a vehicle in Singapore for 10 years. Before registering a car you must win a COE in an open bidding exercise held twice a month. The price is set by demand — the final figure is the highest unsuccessful bid plus S$1. In the latest exercise (21 Oct 2026), Category A was S$132,004.
In Singapore you cannot simply buy a car and register it. You must first win a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) — a licence that gives you the right to own and use a vehicle for 10 years. The COE is how the Government caps the vehicle population: land is scarce, and roads already take up about 12% of Singapore’s land area.
How a COE is obtained
- Quota is announced. Before each bidding exercise, LTA announces how many COEs are available in each category — the vehicle quota.
- You bid. COEs are released through open bidding exercises held twice a month, usually starting at 12pm on the first and third Monday and ending at 4pm on the Wednesday of the same week (3 working days, barring public holidays).
- The price clears. Bidding is open — everyone can see the current price as it moves. The final quota premium is set at the highest unsuccessful bid plus S$1, and every successful bidder pays that same uniform price.
- You register. With a COE secured, you can register your vehicle and use it for 10 years. In practice, car dealers often place the bid on a buyer’s behalf.
Latest premiums (21 October 2026)
| Category | What it covers | Quota Premium |
|---|---|---|
| A | Cars up to 1,600cc and 97kW (EVs up to 110kW) | S$132,004 |
| B | Cars above 1,600cc or 97kW (EVs above 110kW) | S$131,901 |
| C | Goods vehicles and buses | S$92,200 |
| D | Motorcycles | S$10,778 |
| E | Open (any vehicle except motorcycles) | S$135,790 |
Premiums move at every exercise with demand and quota. We do not predict where they will go. For which car falls into which category, see COE categories explained.
After 10 years
When a COE expires you can either deregister the vehicle or renew it by paying the Prevailing Quota Premium (PQP) — no new bidding required. (If you deregister a car before its COE expires, you may receive a rebate for the unused COE; a PARF rebate applies only to cars deregistered within 10 years of registration and meeting LTA’s conditions.) See COE renewal and PQP explained.
A change on the horizon
In October 2026, LTA launched a public consultation on reforming car COE categories — proposing to merge Categories A and B into a single passenger-car category with a value-based fee-and-rebate (“feebate”) system. Nothing has changed yet; it is a proposal open for feedback. We will update this page as the outcome is confirmed.
Where to go next
Sources
- Certificate of Entitlement (COE) — Land Transport Authority (OneMotoring) (as of October 2026)
- COE Open Bidding results — October 2026 2nd exercise — Land Transport Authority (OneMotoring) (as of 21 October 2026)
- Launch of Public Consultation on COE Categorisation for Cars — Land Transport Authority (as of October 2026)