Electric cars registered from 1 January 2027 will no longer get the EV Early Adoption Incentive, which is worth up to S$7,500 off the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) this year, so the timing of a purchase at this weekend’s Car Expo now turns on registration date as much as on price. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and NEA set that cut-off when they extended the schemes.
COE prices are the other half of the decision. In the October second-round exercise that closed on Wednesday (21 October), the Category A premium rose to S$132,004 and finished above Category B at S$131,901.
What changes for EVs in 2027
In 2026, owners who register an electric car or taxi get 45 per cent off the ARF under the incentive, capped at S$7,500. That cap was halved from S$15,000 when the scheme was extended.
From 1 January 2027 the incentive ends. The Vehicular Emissions Scheme carries on until 31 December 2027, with rebates for electric models only, and the S$0 ARF floor for electric cars stays until the end of 2027. LTA put the combined maximum saving off the ARF for an electric car at S$30,000 for a 2026 registration and S$20,000 for a 2027 registration.
The incentive follows the registration date, not the date a sales contract is signed. A car ordered this weekend still needs a COE and has to be registered before the year ends to qualify. Five bidding exercises are left in 2026: 2 to 4 November, 16 to 18 November, 7 to 9 December and 21 to 23 December. The next one opens at noon on Monday (2 November) and closes at 4pm on Wednesday (4 November).
LTA’s September 2025 release on the extension put it plainly: “We expect a short-term increase in COE prices. Potential car buyers are strongly encouraged to be prudent in bidding for COEs.”
The Cat A and B review
LTA’s public consultation on COE categories for cars closes at 11.59pm on 2 November. It proposes merging Categories A and B into a single car category, with a fee-and-rebate system that charges more for higher-value cars and gives rebates on mass-market ones. One option in the consultation paper sets that rebate or surcharge at S$15,000, CNA and The Straits Times reported.
LTA’s case is that engine capacity and power no longer separate mass-market cars from premium ones, especially with EVs. Category A prices topped Category B three times between February and June 2026, and again in the latest round.
Nothing in the consultation applies to COEs bid for this year. LTA expects to finish the review by the end of 2026 and to publish its findings and recommendations in the first half of 2027. Feedback goes through go.gov.sg/coe-pcd-feedback.
The Car Expo this weekend
The Car Expo runs on Saturday and Sunday (24 and 25 October) at Singapore EXPO Halls 5 and 6, from 10am to 9pm, with more than 50 brands and free admission. Expo MRT station is next to the halls.
Buyers who purchase a car at the show and complete the organiser’s buyer survey enter a grand draw, with one winner drawn at 7pm on each day.
