What it means for you
<h2>What it means for you</h2><h3>What happened on 23/09/2026</h3><p>The Land Transport Authority's 2nd bidding round for September 2026 closed at higher premiums in every category compared to the previous round. The movement was uniform direction but uneven in scale — Cat B led the absolute increase at +$1,999, motorcycle Cat D led in percentage terms.</p><div class="my-6 overflow-x-auto"><table class="min-w-full text-sm border border-metal-champagne rounded-lg overflow-hidden"><thead class="bg-primary text-on-primary"><tr><th class="px-4 py-3 text-left">Category</th><th class="px-4 py-3 text-right">Premium</th><th class="px-4 py-3 text-right">Δ vs prev round</th><th class="px-4 py-3 text-right">PQP (Sep)</th><th class="px-4 py-3 text-right">Quota</th><th class="px-4 py-3 text-right">Bids</th></tr></thead><tbody class="bg-surface"><tr class="border-t border-metal-champagne"><td class="px-4 py-3">A — Cars ≤1600cc & ≤130bhp / ≤110kW</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right font-semibold">$131,890</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right text-primary font-semibold">+$3,389</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">$126,208 (Sep) $128,715 (Oct)</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">1,193</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">1,507</td></tr><tr class="border-t border-metal-champagne"><td class="px-4 py-3">B — Cars >1600cc / >130bhp / >110kW</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right font-semibold">$133,000</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right text-primary font-semibold">+$1,999</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">$128,697 (Sep) $131,616 (Oct)</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">927</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">1,135</td></tr><tr class="border-t border-metal-champagne"><td class="px-4 py-3">C — Goods vehicle & bus</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right font-semibold">$92,144</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right text-primary font-semibold">+$2,142</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">$92,907 (Sep) $92,614 (Oct)</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">318</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">532</td></tr><tr class="border-t border-metal-champagne"><td class="px-4 py-3">D — Motorcycle</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right font-semibold">$12,201</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right text-primary font-semibold">+$900</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">$10,366 (Sep) $11,161 (Oct)</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">522</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">605</td></tr><tr class="border-t border-metal-champagne"><td class="px-4 py-3">E — Open (all except motorcycle)</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right font-semibold">$137,000</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right text-primary font-semibold">+$2,000</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">-</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">269</td><td class="px-4 py-3 text-right">431</td></tr></tbody></table></div><h3>What the PQP column means</h3><p>The PQP row looks like a premium number but it isn't one. PQP stands for Prevailing Quota Premium — it's the rolling 3-month average of successful bidding premiums, recalculated at the start of each month. LTA uses the PQP, not the latest round's premium, when calculating your COE renewal price.</p><p>That distinction matters for two reasons:</p><ul class="list-disc list-outside ml-6 mb-6 space-y-2"><li><strong>A single round's spike doesn't drive renewals.</strong> When this round's higher premiums flow into the PQP calculation next month, they enter as one of three inputs. A higher premium in one round nudges the next-month PQP up, but the effect is smoothed across the rolling 3-month window — not a step change.</li><li><strong>A single round's dip doesn't drop renewals either.</strong> Two or three higher rounds still sitting inside the 3-month window keep PQP elevated even after a softer round.</li></ul><p>For September 2026, the PQP figures shown are the published month-start average based on the previous three months' premiums.</p><h3>How LTA's bidding actually clears</h3><p>LTA holds two bidding rounds per month, typically on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday. Each round:</p><ol class="list-decimal list-outside ml-6 mb-6 space-y-2"><li>Bidders submit a price they're willing to pay for a COE.</li><li>LTA ranks bids from highest to lowest.</li><li>The round clears at the lowest price that fills the available quota. Everyone who bid at or above that price pays the clearing price.</li><li>Anyone below the clearing price walks away with no COE.</li></ol><p>The Bids Received column shows how many people bid. The Quota column shows how many COEs were on offer. <strong>A ratio above 1 means the category was oversubscribed</strong> — more bidders than plates.</p><h3>What's next</h3><p>The next bidding round of September 2026 will close on the upcoming Wednesday. We'll publish the next update after that round closes.</p><h3>Reference</h3><p><strong>Source:</strong> Land Transport Authority (LTA) — OneMotoring COE Open Bidding. <a href="https://onemotoring.lta.gov.sg/content/onemotoring/home/buying/coe-open-bidding.html">onemotoring.lta.gov.sg</a></p><p><strong>Selling your car?</strong> Get a free valuation from Wheeley Auto → <a href="https://wheeleyauto.sg/sell">wheeleyauto.sg/sell</a></p>