July 2026 COE Results 1st Bidding: Singapore won the World Cup of costly new vehicles yet again, with Categories A and B dribbling to new highs this year and Category C scoring an all-time peak

In the first COE bidding exercise of July 2026, Cat A closed at $129,000; Cat B closed at $130,889; Cat C closed at $95,000; Cat D closed at $10,201; while Cat E closed at $129,801.

Cat A (car up to 1600cc & 130bhp, and EV with up to 110kW) received 1,879 bids for 1,244 COEs and its premium climbed by $5,153. Category A COE closed at exactly $129,000.

Cat B (car above 1600cc or 130bhp, and EV with more than 110kW) received 1,500 bids for 867 COEs and its premium climbed by $7,387. Category B COE closed at $130,889.

Cat C (goods vehicle and bus) received 442 bids for 296 COEs and its premium increased by $1,999. Category C COE closed at exactly $95,000.

Cat D (motorcycle) received 677 bids for 530 COEs and its premium increased by $212. Category D COE closed at $10,201.

Lastly, Cat E (all vehicles except motorcycle) received 452 bids for 277 COEs and climbed by $799. Category E COE closed at $129,801.

Motorist asked several senior executives in the motor trade for their thoughts on this round’s COE results, which include Category A hitting a new high of $129k that beat the previous record of $128,105 set last year on 8 October 2025.

The three-week break prior to this round of bidding was cited as a major factor, but the strong upward dribble of COE prices was unexpected.

Ng Choon Wee, Hyundai commercial director in Komoco Motors, told us: “Cat A at $129k is the highest in the last 12 months. Cat B is within expectations, as it was marginally lower than Cat A previous round and the excess bids have now doubled. However, Cat E is now lower than Cat B, which could signal aggressive and unrealistic bidding to secure COEs for delivery.”

Corinne Chua, managing director of Volvo Car Singapore, told Motorist: “I expected COE premiums to go up due to the three weeks’ break, but I didn’t think it will be an all-time high again for Cat A. I didn’t think Cat B will go up so much, as the market was rather quiet in June due to the school holidays.”

Adelene Tan, managing director of Vantage Automotive BYD, said: “Three weeks, we expected the increase in premium. The bids received for Cat B were one of the highest.”

Chong Kah Wei, managing director of Eurokars’ BMW & MINI dealerships, said: “Three weeks’ bidding cycle, (premium) tend to be higher. I just did not expect Cat A to shoot up so much.”

Raymond Ng, managing director of Eurokars EV (MG and IM Motors), said: “Hitting record high Cat A premium is on the higher side of our expectations.”

Lee Hoe Lone, managing director of Premium Automobiles (Zeekr, Xpeng, DEEPAL, AVATR), said: “I didn’t expect such a big jump for both Categories.”

Another dealership MD down the road added: “Three weeks, it’s expected for premiums to rise, but not at these levels.” His counterpart, based a few showrooms away, remarked: “Beyond my imagination.”

Also taken by surprise was Ernest Tan, deputy CEO of Vincar Group representing Aion, GAC and Proton in Singapore, who said: “It was higher than I expected.” His colleague Vincent Ng, Vincar Group’s commercial director, added: “I didn’t expect Cat B to swing up so crazily.”

Ron Lim, head of Nissan sales & marketing in Tan Chong Motor, said: “The whole market expected COE premiums to increase, but turned out stronger than expected.” 

He continued with a prediction: “Crossing the psychological benchmark of $128k to hit a new high for Cat A and crossing $130k for Cat B will really test the strength of the market. Expect buying to slow down significantly with such a huge jump.” 

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