Thread

1. shell0x · 1789706769 · focus · HN ↗

   A basic commuter car costs over S180,000( US135,000) due to a compulsory 10-year quota license (COE/certificate of entitlement) that alone costs S$100,000+, plus registration taxes scaling up to 320% of the car's base value. Total running costs (tolls, parking, road tax) easily add S1,000–S2,000+ per month.

   Singapore is so small though and cabs are cheap and I never needed a car. I can see why Waymo will be very attractive.

   1. vachina · 1789706924 · focus · HN ↗

      If you never needed a car in Singapore then why is the COE so expensive? COE price is determined from a bidding process.

      1. shalmanese · 1789708392 · focus · HN ↗

         A lot of people get a car when they have kids as taking grab with a car seat can be unwieldy. Also, COE wasn’t always $100K, many people are still on legacy COE when it was $30-$50K

         1. shell0x · 1789709892 · focus · HN ↗

            That's a good call-out actually. I haven't thought of people with kids.

            1. zhivota · 1789711372 · focus · HN ↗

               One note, taxis are exempt from car seat laws and you can book them on demand via grab or the taxi company apps. That's what we did, it's a slight risk but so is life.

               1. red369 · 1789712385 · focus · HN ↗

                  Are taxis exempt, but car-sharing like Grab not exempt? I have seen Grab drivers turn down taking a child without a car seat a few times.

                  1. eru · 1789713739 · focus · HN ↗

                     > Are taxis exempt, but car-sharing like Grab not exempt?

                     Yes!

         2. normie3000 · 1789711425 · focus · HN ↗

            Are car seats mandatory for children in taxis in Singapore?

            1. immawizard · 1789712809 · focus · HN ↗

               Only for the children you want to keep after car crash.
            2. rossriley · 1789713400 · focus · HN ↗

               For the official taxis they are not, but for ride hailing taxis like Grab/Gojek they are.
            3. eru · 1789713721 · focus · HN ↗

               The rules differ between Grab (our local Uber-lookalike) and traditional taxis.

               They are less strict for the latter.

         3. eru · 1789713691 · focus · HN ↗

            > Also, COE wasn’t always $100K, many people are still on legacy COE when it was $30-$50K

            What vintage was that?

            1. delta_p_delta_x · 1789714963 · focus · HN ↗

               COE was around 30K in the first year of COVID. Not exceptionally long ago. We have a continental car we bought at the end of 2020 with a 41.5K COE; we paid less in total than what a base-model Corolla costs nowadays.

               1. eru · 1789715234 · focus · HN ↗

                  Thanks for explaining.

                  Covid was special. We also rented a shop house at the height of Covid (late 2020) and paid as much per square metre as we previously had paid for HDB.

            2. eloisant · 1789717339 · focus · HN ↗

               Apparently it's cyclic, every 10 years a lot of cars reach 10 years, the market is flooded with COE and it gets cheaper.

               1. eru · 1789718407 · focus · HN ↗

                  Really? I would have expected CoEs to be roughly evenly staggered.

                  Also keep in mind that when lots of CoEs expire at the same time, you'll also have more demand in the market from those people whose CoE just expired, but who still want a car.

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