COE supply to climb 6.4% for the upcoming quarter

Think about a bit more than just which party you like - the upcoming long weekends are set to see more families here considering just which car they should purchase next - and there's a chance you'll be joining their ranks as well.

The LTA has announced that the COE supply is set to climb in the upcoming quarter which stretches from May to July 2025.

A larger portion of the injected COE supply is going into Category A this upcoming quarter compared to the period from February to April 2025

First up, the numbers. The total COE quota will reach 18,232 in the upcoming quarter - a 6.4% increase over the 17,133 total COEs made available in this current quarter. As with the last quarter, the period from May to July 2025 will continue to get bolstered by an injection of supply from a part of the additional 20,000 COEs announced in October 2024.

The upcoming quarter will see a total of 2,735 COEs being added into Category A, 1,165 COEs being added to Category B, and 1,255 COEs being added into Category D from this special injection.

And this injection will see the total number of COEs available for bidding in Category A reaching 7,511, while the same figure for Category B will reach 4,689.

A total of 1,625 COEs will be available in Category C, and a total of 3,198 COEs will be available for Category D. Category E, the open category, will see a total of 1,209 COEs being made available in the upcoming quarter.

For those who want to see the relative changes, this means Cat A will see a 10% increase in available COEs in the upcoming quarter when compared to this current one. The same numbers stand at 5% for both Category B and Category C, while Category D is set to see a 3% increase.

The LTA states that next quota announcement for the bidding period of August to October 2025 will be made in July 2025.

Now let's look at what all these numbers could mean.

Compared to the current quarter from February to April 2025, this upcoming quarter will see the total number of injected COEs rising from 4,069 to 5,050. We like to think that this is because premiums in Categories B and E still stand tall compared to those witnessed in last months of 2024. But of course, many will entertain the idea that this is a product of the fact that the nation is going to be especially sensitive to high prices when the earliest days of May 2025 swing around.

Jokes aside, what's more interesting, we think, is the fact that while the total of injected COEs for Category A is climbing from 2,000 to 2,735 when comparing this current quarter against the upcoming one, the total injected COEs for Category B is dropping a touch: From 1,178 to 1,165. This move only reiterates our initial suspicion (gleaned at the last supply announcement) that a majority of that 20,000 COE injection is set to be poured into Category A.

And with so many Cat A COE-friendly cars having reached our shores since the 2025 Singapore Motor Show - there's going to be plenty of decision making due in the coming quarter.