COE questions, answered
The basics of how COE bidding and renewal work in Singapore.
What is a COE?
A Certificate of Entitlement (COE) gives you the right to own and use a vehicle in Singapore for 10 years. You need one before you can register a new vehicle, and its price is set by an open bidding process run by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
How often is COE bidding held?
There are normally two bidding exercises a month. Each one usually opens on a Monday and closes on the Wednesday at 4pm, and LTA releases the results shortly after it closes.
What is the quota premium?
The quota premium (QP) is the COE price for a bidding round. It is the lowest successful bid in each category: everyone who bid at or above it gets a COE and pays that same price.
What are the COE categories?
Cat A is for cars up to 1,600cc and 97kW (or electric cars up to 110kW). Cat B is for larger or more powerful cars. Cat C is for goods vehicles and buses, Cat D for motorcycles, and Cat E is open to any vehicle except motorcycles, so it usually tracks Cat B closely.
What is the PQP?
The Prevailing Quota Premium (PQP) is what you pay to renew a COE when it expires. It is the average quota premium of the previous three months, so it moves more slowly than the bidding price.
Should I renew for 5 or 10 years?
A 10-year renewal costs the full PQP. A 5-year renewal costs half, but for cars it cannot be renewed again, so the car must be deregistered after the 5 years. Our PQP calculator shows both.
Why do COE prices go up and down?
The number of COEs on offer each quarter depends mostly on how many vehicles were deregistered earlier. When fewer COEs are available and demand stays the same, prices rise. A useful sign is the number of bids compared with the quota: when there are many more bids than COEs, prices tend to stay high.
Where does this data come from?
All results come from LTA's published bidding results on data.gov.sg. We update the site after every bidding round. For official figures, check OneMotoring.