Earlier this November, answers to a Parliamentary Question revealed that about 2,000 HDB households owned at least three cars. Despite the relatively small proportion – there are over 1 million HDB households in Singapore – the idea of HDB dwellers owning three or more cars seemed to capture the attention of Singaporeans, though some online questioned why such a question was asked in the first place.
Parliamentary Questions (PQs) are a formal process in Singapore’s legislature that allows Members of Parliament (MPs) to request information or clarification from government ministries. According to the Parliament of Singapore website, “At the start of each Parliament sitting, one and a half hours are reserved for Question Time. This is a chance for MPs to raise questions with the Ministers on their respective Ministries’ responsibilities. Through questioning the Ministers, MPs make the Government accountable for its actions and allows the public to listen to a spectrum of views and opinions to find out how decisions affecting them are made. This forms an integral part of Parliament’s role. Questions may be filed by any MP who can seek either oral or written replies from Ministers.”
In the current 15th Parliament of Singapore, which convened after the 2025 General Election, PQs continue to play this role in providing transparency and accountability across a wide range of issues. On topics such as car ownership and the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), PQs often yield details that are not readily available elsewhere. Within the 15th Parliament, which was formed after the General Election in May and have met 11 times since September, let’s look at what we’ve learnt from PQs to Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.
Car Ownership
#1 274,000 HDB Households Own At Least One Car
On 4th November 2025, MP for Pioneer SMC, Patrick Tay asked “What is the total absolute number of HDB versus non-HDB households that have a. at least one car; b. at least two cars; and c. at least three or more cars.”
In a written reply, it was revealed that, as of 30 September 2025,
| Type of Property | Households owning at least 1 car | Households owning at least 2 cars | Households owning at least 3 cars |
| HDB | 274,000 | 20,000 | 2,000 |
| Non-HDB | 207,000 | 46,000 | 9,000 |
#2 800,000 People Have Owned A Car In Singapore Over The Last 10 Years
On 5th November 2025, MP for Sengkang GRC, He Ting Ru asked “Over the last 10 years and excluding Certificate of Entitlement (COEs) registered to companies, a. how many individuals have held a COE; b. what is the distribution of total COEs held per individual including both sequential and concurrent ownership; and c. how does this distribution further break down when adjusted for household size on a per capita basis.”
In a written reply, it was revealed that, over the last 10 years, around 800,000 unique individuals owned a car. An average of about 5% of car-owning individuals owned multiple cars. An average of about 15% of car-owning households owned multiple cars. Adjusting the number of cars owned by households on a per capita basis is not meaningful, as households have different needs, and cars may also be used by individuals beyond the immediate household.
Read Also: How Much Are Singapore Members Of Parliament (MP) Paid?
COE
#3 There Is No Evidence Car Dealers Are Bidding Up COE Prices Beyond What Buyers Are Prepared To Pay
On 4th November 2025, MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, Foo Cexiang asked “Whether LTA has detected any trend of car dealers bidding up COE premiums while keeping vehicle sale prices relatively stable; and whether the Ministry will consider only allowing prospective vehicle buyers to bid for new COEs, rather than dealers.”
In a written reply, Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow revealed that vehicle sale prices generally have risen in tandem with higher Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums, but not to the same extent. Other factors, including lower Open Market Values (OMVs) and government subsidies on electric cars, have contributed to higher COE bids.
The COE clearing price is set at the highest unsuccessful bid plus $1. Today, car buyers have the option of bidding for their own COEs instead of through their dealers. There is no evidence car dealers are bidding up COE prices beyond what buyers are prepared to pay. Some buyers also prefer car dealers to bid on their behalf for convenience.
#4 About 1% Of Temporary COEs Issued For Successful Bids Were Not Used To Register A Vehicle Within A Year
On 5th November 2025, MP for Aljunied GRC, Gerald Giamasked three questions. “What is the number of COEs that were bid for but not used to register a vehicle in each of the past three years; whether the current one-year COE validity period facilitates speculative bidding by dealers; and whether the Ministry will consider shortening the validity period to three or six months to discourage front-running and moderate COE prices.
In a written reply, the following was revealed:
1. From 2022 to 2024, an average of about 650, or 1% of temporary COEs (TCOEs) issued for successful bids were not used to register a vehicle within a year. The low proportion of TCOE expiry suggests that the dealers are not speculating and are bidding based on actual demand for COEs.
2. TCOE validity periods are already shorter than one year across all COE categories, ranging from one month for Category D to six months for Categories A and B.
#5 About 24,000 COEs Were Awarded To Existing COE Holders So Far In 2025
On 5th November 2025, MP for Sengkang GRC, He Ting Ruasked “For each COE bidding exercise in 2025 and excluding COEs registered to companies, what is the breakdown in absolute numbers and percentages of new COE registrations that were awarded to (i) existing COE holders, (ii) recent holders who had a COE within the last 60 days and (iii) those without a COE within the last 60 days respectively.”
In a written reply, it was revealed thaton average across Categories A and B in the first three quarters in 2025, around four in five or about 24,000 COEs were awarded to existing COE holders, around 2% or about 500 COEs were awarded to those who held a COE within the last 60 days, and around one in five or about 6,000 COEs were awarded to those who had not held a COE in the last 60 days.
#6 A Total Of 30,813 COEs Have Been Reassigned In “Cut-And-Fill” Approach
On 4th November 2025, MP for Sengkang GRC, Jamus Lim asked “With regard to the “cut-and-fill” approach to reassign COE quota supply a. from May 2023 till to date, how many quotas have been reassigned from guaranteed deregistrations of 5-year non-extendable COEs and the standard 10-year COEs; and b. whether the Ministry has any further medium-term plans to equalise the COE supply across years to eliminate the peak-and-trough cycle of COE prices.
In his written reply, Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow revealed that since May 2023, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) redistributed and injected a total of 30,813 COEs across the COE categories. “We will continue to monitor the COE supply to ensure it is stable.”
