Car buyers have until 4pm on Wednesday, Sept 23, to submit Certificate of Entitlement bids in September’s second open exercise, the Land Transport Authority’s standing mid-month window on OneMotoring. The round opens against a backdrop of record premiums: Category A for smaller cars and lower-power electric vehicles closed at S$133,009 on Sept 9, beating the S$129,000 peak set in July and lifting every other category in the same session.
Why LTA is warning buyers
After the Sept 9 results, LTA told media that premiums remain elevated following a three-week gap from the previous tender, giving dealers more time to stack orders. The authority urged prospective buyers and motor traders to bid prudently, repeating language used when COE spikes followed motor shows or policy changes to electric-vehicle rebates. Industry observers noted Categories A and B were oversubscribed relative to quota, a ratio that tends to push clearing prices upward even when supply quotas are inching higher toward the 2026 peak-supply year.
Category B for larger cars and higher-output EVs settled at S$135,001 on Sept 9, its highest since late 2023. Open Category E, often used by dealers as a flexible certificate, rose to S$137,890. Commercial Category C and motorcycle Category D also climbed, with two-wheel premiums posting an 11.1 per cent jump that pain delivery riders separately from family sedan shoppers.
Mechanics of this week’s round
Bidding began at noon on Monday, Sept 21, following LTA’s 2026 schedule of first- and third-Monday openings. Successful bidders pay the uniform quota premium at the close, not their private reserve, so aggressive dealer bidding can surprise households who treated COE like a negotiable accessory. Renewals for existing cars follow a different path, paying the Prevailing Quota Premium averaged over prior exercises—a distinction that matters for owners deciding whether to extend a ten-year COE or deregister.
Quota for the August to October 2026 tranche sits at 19,085 certificates, slightly above the previous quarter. LTA has said supply will keep rising toward the peak year around 2026, but short-term demand from EV model launches and pent-up orders can outrun incremental quota, especially after longer gaps between exercises.
Household math in Tampines and beyond
For a typical Category A purchase, S$133,009 sits atop vehicle price, registration fees and insurance—often crossing S$180,000 all-in for a mass-market compact. Buyers financing through bank hire purchase face higher monthly repayments even when car dealers discount list prices, which is why LTA’s prudence plea is really aimed at deposit-rich bidders who can walk away. First-time owners stretching with minimal down payment bear the most pain if premiums rise another notch on Sept 23.
Results publish on OneMotoring after the close; dealers watch bid counts in real time while households should decide a hard ceiling before Monday noon. COE will remain volatile while Singapore caps vehicle growth, but this week’s exercise tests whether record Cat A prints pull even more aggressive bids—or whether LTA’s warnings finally cool the room.
Dealer inventory and EV mix
Authorised dealers entered the Sept 21 window with orders stacked during the three-week gap after the Aug 19 exercise, when Cat A already sat at S$128,501. Chinese EV brands priced under internal combustion rivals continue to pull first-time buyers into Category A, compressing the old divide between mass-market Japanese compacts and premium European marques. LTA’s vehicle growth cap of zero net expansion still binds, so every new registration requires someone else to scrap or export—a dynamic that keeps premiums sensitive to sentiment even when quota ticks up slightly.
Used-car dealers watch COE as closely as new-showroom managers because higher premiums push buyers toward shorter-lease PARF cars or renewals priced off the Prevailing Quota Premium. Motorcycle delivery fleets face a separate pain point: Category D’s climb toward S$12,556 affects riders who do not share the car buyer’s financing options. LTA’s data.gov.sg dataset gives historians bid-to-quota ratios; this week’s exercise will show whether prudence talk trimmed oversubscription or whether record headlines fed momentum into another climb.
After Wednesday’s close
Buyers who miss the window wait for the Oct 5 exercise, another potential three-week interval depending on the calendar. Finance departments should model repayments at premiums above S$130,000 even if LTA’s hope is moderation. For households in Bedok or Jurong West weighing a first car against continued Grab subscriptions, the Sept 23 result is the latest datapoint in a decade-long affordability argument—one where the certificate often costs more than the metal beneath it.
