In the next six months starting August, expect around 20 per cent lesser COE to be issued. This, in a bid by the Government to control vehicle growth figures from the oversupply in earlier years. The annual vehicle growth has been set at 1 per cent starting next month from the previous announcement of 0.5 percent, following the negative public feedbacks.

Cat A COE for cars under 1,600cc will see the largest drop in quota figures. Compared to the current period, Cat A COE’s will drop 36.6 percent to just 786 quotas per month. The open Cat E category also sees a drop of 21.4 percent to 485 from the current 617.

Cat B COE for cars above 1,600cc, and Cat D for motorcycles will see a mild increase while Cat C for commercial vehicles will have a high 12.9 percent increase to 360 from the current 319. Cat B quotas will increase by a mere 0.3 percent to 701 from 699 and Cat D will increase 9 percent to 894 from the current 820.

Industry experts and analysts predict COE prices to head north, in a period where COE premiums have seen the highest of figures in more than a decade. LTA reviews and releases COE quotas every six months with the next announcement in January 2013, for the period of February to July.