Mainstream car COE premium down nearly 7% as big car category ticks up 3.5%
Results in the latest bidding round are mixed; premium for commercial vehicles dips, while motorcycle and Open categories rise
[SINGAPORE] Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) opened 2026 with mixed results, as the premium for mainstream cars dipped almost 7 per cent, while the big car category swung the other way.
Category A was down 6.8 per cent or S$7,492, at S$102,009.
The category applies to mainstream cars that have engines of up to 1,600 cubic centimetres (cc) in capacity or with up to 97 kilowatts (kW) of power, or for electric vehicles (EVs) with up to 110 kW of power.
Category B’s premium was up 3.5 per cent or S$3,998 at S$119,100.
The category applies to larger, more powerful cars that have engines of more than 1,600 cc in capacity or with more than 97 kW of power, or for EVs with more than 110 kW of power.
The commercial vehicle category, C, posted a 1.9 per cent drop or S$1,500 to S$75,503.
The premium for Category D, used for motorcycles, increased 7.5 per cent or S$608 to S$8,689.
Category E, the Open category which can be used to register any type of motor vehicle except for motorcycles, rose 2.5 per cent or S$3,000 to S$122,000.
Market still on holiday
Dealers The Business Times spoke to said that Category A’s result was not a surprise. The first round of bidding for the year is typically slow, as buyers are still on holiday and expect better deals forthcoming at the Singapore Motorshow.
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Ng Choon Wee, commercial director for Hyundai distributor Komoco Motors, said: “Although it is a round with a three-week break, the market remained relatively slow as most people are out for holidays.”
COE bidding starts on the first and third Monday of each month, and ends on the corresponding Wednesday.
This means that typically there are two weeks between bidding rounds. However, in some cases, the gap is three weeks, which usually results in higher COE premiums, as more car orders would have been taken in between bidding rounds.
Ng said that consumers widely expect more attractive promotions at the Singapore Motorshow, and will likely delay purchases until then. The event takes place from Jan 8 to 11 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.
However, Vincent Ng, automotive business consultant at Vincar Group, noted that with many model debuts expected at the show, some dealers would have soft-launched their cars to draw interest beforehand.
These cars would appeal to buyers of Category B cars, who are less price-conscious and would want to act before an expected glut of orders could drive premiums up, he added.
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