COE (Certificate of Entitlement)

Explain Like I’m Five

Buying a vehicle is not enough to put it on Singapore’s roads. A matching COE gives the holder the right to register and use that vehicle for the COE period, which is normally ten years.

How It Works

COEs are released in vehicle categories through bidding exercises. A successful bid can be used to register the relevant vehicle; when the entitlement ends, the owner must renew it under the prevailing rules or deregister the vehicle.

Where You’ll Run Into It

COE comes up when people discuss why vehicles cost so much in Singapore, compare vehicle prices or decide whether to renew or replace an older vehicle.

A PDL concerns permission to learn to drive; COE concerns the vehicle. ERP is a separate road-use charge, rather than an entitlement to register a car.

Example

“The advertised car price includes COE.”

The seller is saying the quoted amount includes the cost of the entitlement needed to register the car.

The Part People Get Wrong

The COE is not the car itself and its premium is not fixed forever. Current bidding results and rules should be checked on LTA’s OneMotoring site.