The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced that the total Certificate of Entitlement (COE) quota for the upcoming August to October period will be 19,085, representing a modest 0.2 per cent increase from the 19,052 certificates available in the previous quarter. Bidding under this new quota is scheduled to begin on August 3, 2026. While the overall supply has grown, the distribution across vehicle categories remains uneven, with smaller cars facing a further reduction in availability.
Category A, which covers mainstream cars with smaller engines or lower power outputs, will see its supply drop by 4 per cent to 7,134 certificates. This marks the third consecutive quarter that the supply for this category has declined, potentially impacting prospective buyers of mass-market vehicles. In contrast, Category B, intended for larger and more powerful cars, will see a 6.2 per cent increase in supply, rising to 5,527 certificates.
The COE system serves as a mechanism to manage Singapore’s vehicle population by requiring owners to secure a certificate before registering a vehicle. The quota is primarily determined by the number of vehicles deregistered over the previous 12-month period, along with other adjustments such as changes in the taxi population and the redistribution of expired temporary certificates.
Other categories will also see shifts in supply. Category C, which includes goods vehicles and buses, will increase to 1,836, while Category D for motorcycles will decrease to 3,065. The Open category, Category E, will see a slight dip to 1,523. The LTA has also noted that there will be a three-week interval between the second bidding exercise of August and the first in September, a change that regular bidders should account for in their planning.
As the market adjusts to these new figures, industry observers suggest that while the overall increase is a positive sign, the continued tightening of Category A supply may keep pressure on premiums for smaller vehicles. The LTA continues to manage these fluctuations through its quarterly quota announcements, with the next update for the November 2026 to January 2027 period expected in October.