Cat A COE price climbs 3.9% to $109,501 after falls in last 4 rounds

Year-end promotions, cut in EV rebates cited as possible drivers of rise in premium

- Lee Nian Tjoe Senior Transport Correspondent

The certificate of entitlement (COE) price climbed 3.9 per cent to $109,501 for smaller cars at the last tender exercise of the year, which closed on Dec 17.

The price of a Category A certificate, meant for smaller and less powerful cars and electric vehicles (EVs), was 3.9 per cent higher than the $105,413 at the previous exercise. The rise ends the streak of four consecutive rounds where the Category A COE premium dipped since it hit the record of $128,105 at the first tender exercise in October.

At $115,102, the premium for a Category B COE, meant for larger and more powerful cars and EVs, was 7.1 per cent lower than the $123,900 at the previous exercise on Dec 3.

The Open category (Category E) premium went down by 3.3 per cent from $123,000 to $119,000. This is the lowest price since the first tender exercise in July, when the premium was $118,500. Although Open category certificates can be used to register any vehicle type except motorcycles, they are used mostly for bigger cars.