April 2026 COE Results 1st Bidding: The COE horse paid more for its hay in the past three weeks and then added fuel to the fire, with Cat A hitting its highest price so far this year and Cat B touching $121k

In the first COE bidding exercise of April 2026, Cat A closed at $118,000; Cat B closed at $121,000; Cat C closed at $80,001; Cat D closed at $10,000; while Cat E closed at $121,001.

Cat A (car up to 1600cc & 130bhp, and EV with up to 110kW) received 2,537 bids for 1,265 COEs and its premium climbed by $6,110. Category A COE closed at exactly $118,000.

Cat B (car above 1600cc or 130bhp, and EV with more than 110kW) received 1,406 bids for 811 COEs and its premium climbed by $5,432. Category B COE closed at exactly $121,000.

Cat C (goods vehicle and bus) received 539 bids for 295 COEs and its premium increased by $2,001. Category C COE closed at  $80,001.

Cat D (motorcycle) received 657 bids for 534 COEs and its premium increased by $411. Category D COE closed at exactly and painfully $10,000.

Lastly, Cat E (all vehicles except motorcycle) received 475 bids for 245 COEs and climbed by $2,882. Category E COE closed at $121,001.

At the risk of sounding like Captain Sibei Obvious, the Motorist editor asked a few motor trade gurus whether the main reason for these high COE prices was the three-week selling period between the previous bidding round (on 18 March) and the one today (8 April).

Their expert answers supported the notion, obviously, but with additional insights which made the Chinese captain in the Motorist editorial office feel obvious but at least not oblivious. 

Managing director of Volvo Car Singapore, Corinne Chua, said: “This increase was expected after a three-week break between the COE cycles. In addition, there were several roadshows over the long weekend (Good Friday). The increase in sales can be seen from the higher number of unsuccessful bids across Cat A and Cat B. Category A was 101 percent oversubscribed. With higher unsuccessful bids across both Categories, I expect prices to remain at current levels for a while.”

Managing director of Eurokars’ BMW and MINI dealerships, Jason Lim, said: “The market collected quite a bit of orders, because plus three weekends.”

Managing director of Eurokars EV (IM Motors and MG), Raymond Ng, added: “The recent surge in petrol prices has certainly nudged consumers into buying EVs, especially those sitting on the fence between an internal combustion engine car or an electric car. We are seeing a significant increase in footfall and sales orders as a result, for both our MG brand and IM Motors brand.”

A general manager at another Leng Kee Road dealership said: “Surely, especially with the three weeks. Cat A bids were up by almost 34 percent.”

Automotive consultant to Vincar Group (GAC, Aion, Hyptec), Vincent Ng, told us: “Generally, the bids received were high. The three-week bidding period is one reason, but with the high petrol prices, we can see that some customers have come in to replace (their cars) and they are buying electric. This is instead of extending COE.”

The “COE ending” factor was also mentioned by the managing director of Premium Automobiles (Zeekr, Xpeng, DEEPAL, AVATR), Lee Hoe Lone, who said: “We’re entering a period where there are more people with cars due for scrap in the coming months. From LTA February report, over 70,000 cars are 9 to 10 years old. The current COE allocation is 4,600 per month, or 55k over 12 months. So, demand is chasing supply.”

The COE quota was also on the mind of Nicholas Wong, chief executive officer of Kah Motor Honda, who shared his thoughts: “Categories A and B are closing in again. Too much heat in Cat A, but the authorities are still holding back on increasing the COE supply.” 

A word to the wise came from Komoco Motors commercial director for Hyundai, Ng Choon Wee: “The conflict in the Middle East has no impact on COE.”

Here is a summary of the first COE bidding exercise for April 2026: