Motor dealers told The Straits Times that they expected premiums to be high in the latest round on the back of recent car launches and aggressive promotional events by brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The upcoming Car Expo in October, as well as a three-week gap after the next COE tender exercise in September, also spurred dealers to put in higher bids this time to secure certificates and fulfil orders.
Mr Ng Lee Kwang, board adviser to Goldbell Corp, which specialises in leasing and distributing commercial and industrial vehicles, believes Chinese EV brand BYD, which has been selling well in 2024, influenced the latest results.
He pointed to figures showing that BYD had registered 520 cars in July, the majority of which were Category A COE EVs. On average, there are fewer than 2,000 Category A COEs available for bidding each month.