How do I renew my COE in Singapore?

You renew COE by paying the Prevailing Quota Premium (PQP) for your vehicle category — you do NOT bid. Renewal is done online via OneMotoring (LTA) using Singpass, and you can renew from shortly before your COE expires. Decide first whether to renew for 5 or 10 years, then pay the corresponding PQP (plus any GST/admin where applicable). Make sure road tax and insurance are valid. Once renewed, your vehicle can stay on the road for the new period.

What is the PQP for COE renewal?

PQP (Prevailing Quota Premium) is the price you pay to renew a COE instead of bidding for a new one. LTA sets it as the moving average of Quota Premiums (the winning COE prices) over the last three months for your category, so it changes every month. A 10-year renewal costs 100% of the PQP; a 5-year renewal costs 50% of the 10-year PQP. Check the current PQP for your category on OneMotoring before deciding.

How many times can I renew my COE?

For private cars (Category A and B), there is no statutory lifespan, so you can keep renewing in 10-year blocks indefinitely — 10 years, then another 10, and so on — as long as you pay the PQP each time. A 5-year renewal, however, can only be done once: after that 5-year period ends, the COE cannot be renewed again and the car must be deregistered (scrapped or exported). So a 5-year renewal is a final, one-time extension.

How much does it cost to renew a COE?

It depends entirely on the PQP for your category in the month you renew, because the PQP tracks recent COE prices. A 10-year renewal = 100% of the PQP; a 5-year renewal = 50% of the 10-year PQP. As COE prices move into the tens of thousands of dollars, renewal is a major expense — often comparable to a chunk of a new car's cost. Use the COE Renewal vs New Car Calculator to compare renewing against buying new for your situation, and check the live PQP on OneMotoring.

What happens if I don't renew my COE?

If your COE expires and you don't renew, your vehicle is automatically deregistered and cannot legally be driven. There is a one-month grace period after expiry during which you can still renew — but you'll pay the PQP for the month the COE expired plus a late renewal fee (roughly $50–$250 for cars depending on engine capacity). After that one month, renewal is no longer allowed and the car must be scrapped or exported. You may receive a COE rebate on deregistration, but not a PARF rebate if you'd already renewed.

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How to Renew Your COE in Singapore (2026): PQP, Cost & 5 vs 10 Years

verifiedBy Smart Calculator Editorial·Verified against official .gov.sg sources·6 June 2026

How COE renewal works in Singapore: what the PQP is, 5-year vs 10-year renewal, what it costs, the PARF trade-off, and what happens if you don't renew. 2026 guide.

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The short version: at the end of your COE you have three choices — renew for 10 years (pay 100% of the PQP, and you can keep renewing forever), renew for 5 years (pay 50% of the PQP, but it's a one-time extension after which the car must go), or don't renew (deregister and scrap/export). Renewing means paying the PQP, not bidding. The catch most owners miss: renewing forfeits your PARF rebate. Whether renewing beats buying new depends on the numbers — run them in the COE Renewal vs New Car Calculator.

Quick answer: how COE renewal works

To renew your COE, you pay the Prevailing Quota Premium (PQP) for your vehicle category on OneMotoring — you don't bid. 10 years = 100% of the PQP and can be renewed repeatedly; 5 years = 50% of the PQP but is a final, one-time renewal. Renewing forfeits the PARF rebate. If you don't renew, the car is deregistered at expiry (with a 1-month grace period).

What is the PQP?

The PQP (Prevailing Quota Premium) is the amount you pay to extend your COE instead of bidding for a new one. LTA calculates it as the moving average of Quota Premiums (the winning COE prices) over the last three months for your category. Because it tracks recent bidding, the PQP changes every month — so the cost to renew in, say, July reflects COE prices from the preceding three months.

You don't compete in a bidding exercise to renew. You simply pay the PQP for your category in the month you renew. Always check the current PQP on OneMotoring before committing — it can swing meaningfully month to month.

5 years vs 10 years: the key decision

This is the choice that trips owners up, because the two options behave very differently:

	10-year renewal	5-year renewal
Cost	100% of PQP	50% of the 10-year PQP
Can renew again afterwards?	Yes — repeatedly, in 10-year blocks (cars have no statutory lifespan)	No — one-time only; car must be deregistered after
Best for	Keeping the car long-term, max flexibility	Squeezing a few more years before letting the car go
Cash upfront	Higher	Roughly half

The trap: a 5-year renewal is final. Once those 5 years are up, you cannot renew again — the car must be scrapped or exported. A 10-year renewal keeps your options open and can itself be renewed again later.

The PARF trade-off (the hidden cost of renewing)

Here's what makes renewal a genuine financial decision rather than an automatic one: renewing your COE forfeits your PARF (Preferential Additional Registration Fee) rebate.

A car scrapped before its original 10-year COE expires gets a PARF rebate (a portion of the ARF you paid at registration).
Once you renew, the car becomes a "COE car" — on a later deregistration you may get a COE rebate for any unused COE, but no PARF rebate.

So renewing isn't just "pay the PQP." It's "pay the PQP and give up the PARF rebate you'd have received by scrapping now." That combined figure is what you should weigh against the cost of a new car.

Should you renew or buy new?

There's no universal answer — it depends on the current PQP, your car's condition, expected repair costs, and the PARF rebate you'd forgo. The break-even logic:

Renew if (PQP + forfeited PARF + expected upkeep) over the years you'll keep the car is comfortably less than the depreciation on a new car over the same period.
Buy new if the PQP is high, the car is ageing into expensive repairs, or you value a fresh warranty and lower running costs.

Plug in your numbers with the COE Renewal vs New Car Calculator to see the break-even for your specific car and the current PQP.

How to renew, step by step

Check the current PQP for your category on OneMotoring.
Decide 5 or 10 years (remember: 5 years is one-time only).
Ensure road tax and insurance are valid for the renewal period.
Pay the PQP via OneMotoring using Singpass — no bidding involved.
Renew before expiry. If you miss it, you have a one-month grace period but will pay the PQP for the expiry month plus a late fee (~$50–$250 for cars).

What if you don't renew?

If your COE lapses and you take no action:

On the expiry date, the vehicle is automatically deregistered and cannot be driven.
You have one month to change your mind and renew (PQP for the expiry month + late fee).
After that month, renewal is no longer possible — the car must be scrapped or exported.
You may receive a COE rebate for unused COE on deregistration (but no PARF rebate if you'd renewed).

The bottom line

COE renewal is paying the PQP to keep your car — 10 years (100%, repeatable) or 5 years (50%, one-time). The decision hinges on the current PQP, your car's age, and the PARF rebate you give up by renewing. Check the live PQP on OneMotoring, then run renew-vs-new for your car in the COE Renewal vs New Car Calculator.

General information for Singapore vehicle owners, not financial advice. PQP and fees change — verify current figures on OneMotoring (LTA) before deciding.