Car and motorcycle buyers who sat out the first October certificate of entitlement round get another shot from noon on Monday, when the Land Transport Authority opens the month’s second bidding exercise with 3,231 quotas across five categories.
The exercise runs until 4 p.m. on Wednesday 21 October, matching LTA’s standard three-day window. Quotas published ahead of the round include 1,191 for Category A cars, 923 for Category B, 308 for goods vehicles and buses, 539 for motorcycles and 270 for the open Category E.
Those numbers matter because they set supply before bidders reveal demand. In the first October exercise, which closed on 7 October, final premiums were S$130,001 for Category A, S$130,100 for Category B, S$91,889 for Category C, S$11,012 for Category D and S$137,000 for Category E. Category D’s 9.7% drop was the largest move, while Category E was unchanged at S$137,000 despite nearly two bids for every certificate.
What changed on your statement
For households, the household-money desk treats COE like any other recurring shock: it hits when you win a bid, not when headlines talk about “sentiment.” A Category B premium near S$130,100 plus registration taxes and loan interest can exceed the price of some mass-market cars. Motorcycle buyers saw the only double-digit percentage decline, but S$11,012 is still a material line item for delivery riders financing a new bike.
Bidders submit through DBS/POSB ATMs for individuals or internet banking for companies, with a non-refundable admin fee per attempt. Once accepted, the deposit and fee leave your account and the bid cannot be withdrawn — a reason to treat the acknowledgement code like cash.
Reading the second round
LTA’s schedule shows the October pair spaced across the 5–7 and 19–21 windows, avoiding the longer three-week gap that appears after some earlier exercises. With haze disrupting travel and events, demand for private transport may look uneven, but Category E’s tight 270 quota still tends to attract aggressive reserve prices from buyers who need a car outside A/B bands.
Results typically publish after the Wednesday close. If you are bidding, model the worst-case premium plus financing at today’s SORA rather than the first-round dip alone.
Financing the premium
Most car buyers finance COE together with the vehicle. A higher premium raises the loan principal even if interest rates stay flat. With SORA near 1.2%, the monthly shock is often the certificate line, not the spread. Households should model total debt servicing ratio headroom before raising reserves, especially if other loans price off the same benchmark.
Dealers sometimes offer guaranteed COE packages that bundle bidding services. Read the fine print: admin fees and failed-bid charges still hit your account. For motorcycles, Category D’s recent dip may tempt riders to upgrade, but insurance and COE together can exceed the bike’s sticker for newer models.
Prevailing quota premiums also feed into used-car pricing. Even if you are not bidding this round, second-hand listings may adjust after Wednesday’s results print on OneMotoring.