What happens when your COE expires
On the expiry date your car is automatically deregistered. You then have one month to renew with a late fee, after which it has to be scrapped or exported.
When a COE expires, LTA automatically deregisters the vehicle and it cannot be used on the roads. You can still renew within one month, paying the PQP of your expiry month plus a late fee of $50 to $250. After that month the vehicle must be disposed of by scrapping or export, and no PARF or COE rebate is paid because the COE had already expired.
What happens on the expiry date
LTA's wording is direct: when your COE expires, your vehicle is automatically deregistered and you cannot use it on the roads until you have renewed the COE. The car is still yours and can stay parked, but it cannot be driven on a public road.
From that day you have two routes: renew within one month and pay a late fee, or let the month run out and dispose of the car. You cannot keep an unregistered car parked indefinitely.
Driving the car after the expiry date, even to the workshop or the scrapyard, on the assumption that the late renewal window covers it. The window only allows you to renew. The car cannot be driven until the renewal is done.
The one-month late renewal window
LTA allows you to renew within 1 month after the expiry date with payment of a late renewal fee. You pay the PQP of the month your COE expired, so a rising market does not cost you more for being late, and the fee is small next to the PQP.
| Vehicle | Late renewal fee |
|---|---|
| Motorcycle | $50 |
| Private car, 1,000cc and below | $50 |
| Private car, 1,001cc to 1,600cc | $100 |
| Private car, 1,601cc to 2,000cc | $150 |
| Private car, 2,001cc to 3,000cc | $200 |
| Private car, more than 3,000cc | $250 |
| Company car (business service passenger vehicle) | $250 |
| Goods vehicle and public service vehicle | $250 |
| Others | $250 |
The bigger costs are the days without a car and arranging a six-figure payment at short notice. At October 2026's figures, the 10-year PQP is $128,715 for Cat A and $131,616 for Cat B. Financing can still be arranged quickly, and we submit to lenders the same day, but starting before expiry keeps the car on the road.
If you don't renew within the month
Once the month has passed, renewal is closed. LTA's instruction is that you will have to dispose of your vehicle immediately. LTA recognises three ways to do that:
- Scrap it at an LTA-appointed scrapyard.
- Export it.
- Store it temporarily at an LTA-appointed Export Processing Zone (EPZ), pending export.
LTA's deregistration rules also require proof that the vehicle has been scrapped, exported or sent to an EPZ within a month of deregistering. Failing to submit proof of disposal on time is an offence, with a fine of up to $2,000 or up to 3 months' imprisonment.
PARF and COE rebates are only paid if your COE had not expired when you deregistered. The PARF rebate also needs the car to be not more than 10 years old at deregistration. So if you already know you won't renew, deregister before the expiry date. Letting a 10-year-old car's COE run out and then scrapping it throws the PARF rebate away. Work out yours with the rebate calculator.
Renewing early instead
You don't have to wait for the expiry month. If you renew earlier, LTA's rule is that your new COE period starts from the 1st day of the month after you renew, and you forfeit any unused portion of the old COE. That includes any COE rebate the vehicle enjoyed from a previous lay-up period.
There is no rebate or refund for the months you give up. Renew in March for a COE that would have run until September, and the new COE starts on 1 April: April to September of the old COE are gone. That is why we usually aim to renew in the expiry month itself.
The exception is a clearly rising PQP. Next month's PQP is published after the second bidding exercise of the current month, and you can renew at it from the Friday after that exercise. If you renew in the month before your expiry month, the new COE starts on the 1st of your expiry month, so you forfeit the days between that date and your expiry date, with no rebate for them. If the PQP is markedly lower than where the trend is heading, that trade can be worth it. Check the trend on the PQP page before deciding.
What you can't do
- Drive after expiry. The car is deregistered on the expiry date and cannot be used on the roads until the COE is renewed.
- Renew after the one-month window. Past that point the vehicle must be disposed of.
- Collect PARF or COE rebates after expiry. Rebates need the COE to be unexpired at deregistration.
- Take a second 5-year renewal on a car or motorcycle. For Cat A, B and D, a 5-year renewal can be taken only once; at the end of it, the vehicle must be deregistered. Cat C goods vehicles and buses can keep renewing in 5-year periods until their statutory lifespan (20 years for goods vehicles).
- Get money back for unused COE when renewing early. The unused portion is forfeited.
A 10-year renewal has no such limit for Cat A, B and D: LTA allows unlimited 10-year renewals for vehicles without a statutory lifespan. If you might want the car beyond five more years, read 5 years or 10 before you choose.
The timeline at a glance
| When | Status | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Before your expiry month | COE valid | Renew (new COE starts on the 1st of the next month, unused portion forfeited) or deregister and claim any rebates. |
| Your expiry month | COE valid until the expiry date | Renew at this month's PQP, or deregister before the date to keep rebates. |
| Expiry date | Automatically deregistered | Car cannot be used on the roads. Rebates are no longer available. |
| Up to 1 month after expiry | Late renewal window | Renew at the PQP of your expiry month plus a $50 to $250 late fee. |
| More than 1 month after expiry | Renewal closed | Dispose of the vehicle immediately: scrap, export or EPZ storage. |
Not sure where you are on this table? Check your COE expiry date on OneMotoring first.
Where we come in
If you are already inside the late window, message us the same day; if you are months away, starting early gives you more choice. Tell us your expiry date and category and we will put the cost of renewing next to the rebate from deregistering before the date, so you can decide. We arrange COE renewal loans with banks and finance companies: $0 down, no admin or processing fees, from 2.58% flat (2.80% if a 10-year renewal is spread over more than 7 years), subject to lender approval. See how COE renewal loans work. The step-by-step process is in how to renew your COE.
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COE Basics
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Find your COE expiry date on OneMotoring with Singpass in a few minutes, what the date means for your PQP and rebates,… The Big Decision
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