Motorcycle COE: Category D
Category D is the certificate for motorcycles and scooters. Latest result: $10,778 in the 2nd exercise of October 2026, read on 24 October 2026.
Motorcycle on the road, before dealer margin
$23,144
Road tax $109 a year
| OMV | $8,000 |
| Excise duty (12%) and GST | $1,766 |
| ARF (15 / 50 / 100% tiers) | $2,250 |
| Registration fee | $350 |
| Cat D COE, October 2026 (2) | $10,778 |
Motorcycles get no PARF rebate. MAS loan limits do not apply to motorcycles.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · COE results read on 24 October 2026 (latest: 2nd exercise of October 2026)
The Category D premium closed at $10,778 in the 2nd exercise of October 2026, −$234 on the 1st exercise of October 2026; over the last 24 exercises it moved between $7,989 and $12,556. A new motorcycle pays more than its COE. On an OMV of $8,000 the ARF is $2,250, because the first $5,000 is taxed at 15%, the next slice at 50% and anything above $10,000 at 100%. Excise duty of 12%, GST and the $350 registration fee bring that bike to $23,144 with the COE, before the dealer’s margin. A 400 cc engine then pays $109.48 of road tax a year. Unlike cars, motorcycles get no PARF rebate when they are scrapped, and the MAS car loan limits do not apply to them.
Category D results of the last eight exercises
| Exercise | Premium | Quota | Bids |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 (2) | $10,778 | 539 | 611 |
| October 2026 (1) | $11,012 | 530 | 599 |
| September 2026 (2) | $12,201 | 522 | 605 |
| September 2026 (1) | $12,556 | 514 | 657 |
| August 2026 (2) | $11,301 | 512 | 686 |
| August 2026 (1) | $10,503 | 521 | 591 |
| July 2026 (2) | $10,202 | 562 | 620 |
| July 2026 (1) | $10,201 | 530 | 677 |
Category D is a small market: a few hundred certificates per exercise, against more than a thousand in Category A. Its premium is an order of magnitude lower than for cars, but it reacts to the same forces. When delivery riders and commuters renew their fleets at the same time, the bids climb above the quota and the premium follows.
The price of a new motorcycle, line by line
Motorcycles have their own tax schedule, separate from cars. The ARF is still charged in tiers on the OMV, but the rates are lighter at the bottom: 15% on the first $5,000, 50% on the next $5,000, and 100% on everything above $10,000. Excise duty is 12% of the OMV, against 20% for cars. GST at 9% applies to the OMV plus duty, and the registration fee is the same $350.
For a bike with an OMV of $8,000 that gives $960 of excise duty, $806 of GST and an ARF of $2,250, so $12,366 before the certificate. With the latest Category D premium of $10,778 the total is $23,144. A big touring bike with an OMV of $20,000 pays far more ARF, because every dollar above $10,000 carries a full dollar of ARF. There is no VES rebate or surcharge on motorcycles.
Would your Category D reserve have won?
Exercises your price would have cleared, Cat D
13 / 24
| Lowest premium, last 24 exercises | $7,989 |
| Median | $9,689 |
| Highest | $12,556 |
| Bid deposit taken by the bank | $1,500 |
Road tax on a motorcycle
Six monthly road tax on a petrol motorcycle depends on engine capacity: a flat $40 times 0.782 up to 200 cc, then $0.15 more per cc above 200 cc up to 1,000 cc, and a higher rate beyond. In a year that is $62.56 for a 150 cc scooter, $109.48 for a 400 cc bike and $344.08 for a 1,200 cc machine. Unlike cars, motorcycles pay no surcharge for age. Late renewal is charged as below.
| Engine | Within 1 month | 1 to 2.5 months | More than 2.5 months | More than 6 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Below 300 cc | $10 | $30 | $50 | $130 |
| 300 cc and above | $10 | $60 | $80 | $230 |
At the end of ten years
When the certificate expires, a motorcycle is either renewed or deregistered. Renewal costs the Category D prevailing quota premium for ten years, or half of it for five, and a five year renewal cannot be repeated. Renewing late, within one month of expiry, adds a fee of $50; beyond that month the bike must be disposed of. A deregistered motorcycle gets a COE rebate for any unused months but no PARF rebate, because it never paid the car ARF that PARF refunds. The COE renewal calculator works for Category D as well.
A motorcycle first registered before 1 July 2003 has a statutory lifespan that ends on 30 June 2028 whatever its COE says, unless it is under a vintage or classic scheme. Check the first registration date on OneMotoring before renewing such a bike.
Selling or scrapping early
Because there is no PARF rebate, the only money a motorcycle returns at deregistration is the COE rebate: the premium paid times the unused months, divided by 120. A bike bought at the latest Category D premium of $10,778 and scrapped with four years left would return $4,311. Most riders sell instead, and the used price follows the remaining COE and the current premium more than the bike itself. The MAS rules that cap car loans at a share of the price and at seven years do not cover motorcycles, so a lender sets its own terms; compare the total repaid, not the monthly figure.