Singapore COE May 2026 1st Bidding Results — Cat B Hits S$126K, All Categories Up. What to Expect for 2nd Bidding (20 May)

Five COE categories, each with its own quota and price: **Cat A** = passenger cars ≤1,600cc engine OR ≤130bhp power (whichever applies). Most mass-market sedans + small SUVs. **Cat B** = passenger cars >1,600cc OR >130bhp. Mid-size and large SUVs, performance sedans, most luxury cars. **Cat C** = goods vehicles + buses (commercial use). **Cat D** = motorcycles only. **Cat E** = the 'open' category — can be used to register ANY vehicle except a motorcycle. Cat E is what dealers + speculators bid on when expecting Cat A or B to surge; it usually trades close to Cat B price.

Three structural reasons: (1) **Quota supply is low.** COE quota each cycle is calculated from deregistrations (cars deregistered from the road) over the prior 6 months. 2026 is suffering because 2016 was a high-volume year, but 2014-2015 weren't — meaning the 10-year deregistration cycle isn't replenishing supply at the pace of registration demand. (2) **EV adoption is up sharply.** EVs benefit from VES rebates (vehicle emissions scheme) but pay the same COE as petrol. The shift to EV hasn't reduced overall demand — it's increased it, because EVs are typically purchased as ADDITIONAL family cars rather than petrol-replacements. (3) **High-net-worth resilience.** Cat B in particular ($126K+) is being driven by HNW buyers + speculators who price-insensitive at the top end. Expect prices to remain in the S$100K-130K band through the rest of 2026.

Realistic answer: probably not, if you actually need a car in the next 12-18 months. Here's the math: for COE to materially drop (back to <S$80K Cat A territory), one of three things needs to happen: (a) a new wave of mass deregistrations from 2016's high-volume year — already factored into current pricing, so no further drop expected. (b) Government policy intervention (more aggressive EV-only quota, demand-side measures like additional ARF surcharge) — unlikely in the immediate 6-month window. (c) A demand shock (recession, dramatically falling EV interest) — speculative. Realistic 2026 outlook: Cat A bands between S$110-130K, Cat B between S$120-145K. If you genuinely need a car, locking in now might be cheaper than waiting if 2027 brings another supply crunch.

Bidding opens **Monday 18 May 2026 at 12:00pm noon** and closes **Wednesday 20 May 2026 at 4:00pm**. Results are published immediately on the LTA OneMotoring website ([onemotoring.lta.gov.sg](https://onemotoring.lta.gov.sg/content/onemotoring/home/buying/coe-open-bidding.html)) and reported on Motorist + Toyota Singapore + Singpromos within minutes. To bid, you need to go through a motor dealer or vehicle agent (most consumer COE buyers do this — direct LTA bidding via individuals is rare). Most dealers ask buyers to commit to a maximum bid before noon Monday and they bid on your behalf. Expected outcome based on the elevated 1st-bidding result: Cat A likely S$120-128K, Cat B likely S$124-132K range.