What was the Category C COE in the first October 2026 bidding exercise?

Category C, which covers goods vehicles and buses, closed at S$91,889 in the first October 2026 bidding exercise, which ended on 7 October 2026. That was down S$255, or 0.28%, from the previous exercise. There were 471 bids for a quota of 310 certificates.

Do electric goods vehicles use a different COE category?

No. Electric and diesel goods vehicles both bid in Category C, the goods vehicle and bus category, and pay the same premium. For cars, electric models fall into Category A or B according to motor power, but there is no separate electric category for commercial vehicles.

Is it worth waiting for the Category C COE to fall before buying a truck?

Nobody can reliably predict COE premiums. Category C closed at S$92,223 in May 2026 and S$91,889 in the first October exercise, so it has not fallen meaningfully over that period. Whether to wait depends on how close your current vehicle's COE is to expiry, what an older vehicle is costing you to keep running, and whether grants you would rely on are likely to change in the meantime.

Regulatory watch · 8 October 2026

Commercial COE barely moved in October. What that means for a fleet decision

Car and motorcycle premiums fell in the first October exercise. The goods-vehicle premium hardly moved. If you are deciding whether to replace a truck or van this year, that is the number that matters, and it says something worth hearing.

What the October results say

The first COE bidding exercise of October 2026 closed on 7 October. Four of the five categories fell, and none rose. It was the second exercise in a row with no increase in any category.

Category	Premium	Change
A — cars up to 1,600 cc and 97 kW; EVs up to 110 kW	S$130,001	−S$1,889 (−1.43%)
B — larger cars; EVs above 110 kW	S$130,100	−S$2,900 (−2.18%)
C — goods vehicles and buses	S$91,889	−S$255 (−0.28%)
D — motorcycles	S$11,012	−S$1,189 (−9.75%)
E — open (all except motorcycles)	S$137,000	No change

Category C drew 471 bids for 310 certificates, roughly one and a half bids for every certificate available. Demand for commercial vehicles is still comfortably ahead of supply.

Why this is the number that matters for a fleet

Category C covers every goods vehicle and bus, whatever drives it. A diesel lorry and an electric one bid in the same category and pay the same premium. For cars, an electric model is placed in Category A or B according to its motor power. For commercial vehicles there is no separate electric category.

So the COE does not favour one powertrain over the other. What it does is set the price of the right to put any commercial vehicle on the road, and right now that price is high and steady.

Is it worth waiting for it to come down?

We don't forecast COE premiums. What we can say is what has happened. In May, Category C closed at S$92,223. The exercise before this one closed at S$92,144. This one closed at S$91,889, S$334 below the May figure. Five months apart, the number has barely moved, while the car categories have eased.

Whether waiting makes sense for you depends less on the premium than on your own fleet:

· How close is the vehicle you would replace to the end of its COE? If it has years left, there is no hurry. If it expires next year, waiting simply means deciding later under more pressure.
· What is the old vehicle costing you to keep running? Repairs, downtime and fuel on an ageing truck are costs too, and they don't show up in the COE results.
· Will the grants you are counting on still be there? That one changed recently. See below.

A steady premium, but the grant underneath it changed

For lighter electric trucks the COE looks almost the same as in May. The support beside it does not.

On 3 September 2026, LTA reduced the HVZES incentive for electric goods vehicles above 3,500 kg and up to 7,000 kg maximum laden weight from S$40,000 to S$15,000. The reduced amount applies to vehicles registered on COEs obtained from the first September 2026 bidding exercise onwards. This October exercise is the third under the new rate.

Put plainly: a fleet buying a 4.5-tonne electric truck in May paid a Category C premium of about S$92,000 and could expect S$40,000 under HVZES. A fleet buying the same truck on a COE from this exercise pays almost the same premium and can expect S$15,000. Vehicles above 7,000 kg still receive S$40,000.

This is not a reason to buy a heavier truck than the work needs. A bigger vehicle costs more to run every year, while the grant arrives once. But if your plans assumed the old figure, they are worth checking again.

Why a high premium raises the stakes on choosing well

A COE gives ten years on the road. At around S$92,000, that is roughly S$9,200 for each year of the right to operate one vehicle, and you pay it whichever vehicle you put on the certificate.

That makes the choice of vehicle matter more, not less. It's worth putting an expensive certificate on a vehicle that will work hard for all ten years and still suit your routes, loads and customers in 2036. Singapore's Green Plan aims for all vehicles to run on cleaner energy by 2040, so a vehicle registered today will run for most of the time remaining before that target.

None of this tells you whether electric is right for your fleet. That depends on your duty cycle, where the vehicles park overnight and what your depot's electrical supply can take. Our buying guide walks through those questions, and the comparison tool puts the models side by side.

Where to read the primary source

· LTA OneMotoring — COE open bidding results
· Our HVZES summary, updated for the September change