COE premiums up across most categories; Cat A price climbs 3.7% to $128,501

SINGAPORE – The price of a Category A certificate of entitlement (COE) climbed to $128,501 at the Aug 19 tender exercise, hovering near the record $129,000 registered in July.

Meant for smaller, less powerful cars and electric vehicles (EVs), the Category A premium rose by $4,611, or 3.7 per cent, from $123,890 at the previous tender on Aug 5.

The premium for Category B COEs, used to register larger, more powerful cars and EVs, inched up from $129,910 to $131,001 – an increase of 0.8 per cent.

The motorcycle (Category D) COE premium recorded a 7.6 per cent increase, from $10,503 to $11,301.

This is the fourth consecutive exercise where the price of such certificates has breached the five-digit mark, and there have been a total of six such occurrences so far in 2026.

The price of Open category COEs, otherwise known as Category E, rose 3.1 per cent, from $131,000 to $135,000.

Certificates in this category can be used to register any vehicle type except motorcycles, but are mostly used for bigger cars. As these certificates are transferable, motor traders often secure them for the flexibility to register cars without waiting for the next tender exercise.

Meanwhile, the price of a commercial vehicle (Category C) COE fell 1.7 per cent to $90,002, from $91,545.

A COE is needed to own and use a vehicle in Singapore.

Esther Loi is a journalist at The Straits Times, where she covers transport issues.