Yahoo Finance 
How much does a car really cost in Singapore?
Everyone here knows Singapore has one of the highest car prices in the world. Beneath the car price stated in advertisements, do you really know how much the total cost of a car comes up to?
Breakdown of Car Cost
Certificate of Entitlement (COE)
Total Car Loan Value
Road Tax
COE and PARF Rebate
Auto Insurance
1. Certificate of Entitlement (COE)
Anyone who wishes to register a new vehicle in Singapore must first obtain a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) in the appropriate vehicle category. A COE represents a right to vehicle ownership and use of the limited road space for 10 years. Indicative price for the last round of bidding (September 2017), for cars up to 1,600cc and producing 130bhp of power or less, was at $36,001. This price is usually already factored into the car’s retail price.
2. Total Car Loan Value
Using the example of one of Singapore’s best selling cars in 1st half of 2017, the Honda HR-V:
Car Price: $101,999
Down payment: $40,800
Loan amount: $61,199
Car loan over 5 years at 2.78% interest rate : $69,706
Total Price: $40,800 + $69,706 = $110,506
3. Road Tax
Road tax over 10-year period = $7,440
4. COE and PARF Rebate
Believe it or not, you do actually get money back from the Government once you’ve decided to scrap your car. This is in the form of COE and PARF rebates, and it’s essentially a carrot to entice you to let go of your car.
Should you scrap your car before you’ve used up your 10 years of COE ‘life’, you will be ‘refunded’ the remainder of the COE that you’ve paid, using the following formula:
(COE premium paid x Number of months remaining) / 120 months
However, assuming you drive your car till the end of the 10 year COE tenure, your COE rebate will be $0.
COE Rebate at end of 10 years = $0
As for PARF rebate, this is a percentage of money you get refunded from your ARF, or Additional Registration Fee, which is basically a tax you’ve paid on the value of your car. (PARF stands for Preferential Additional Registration Fee)
Again, how much you get depends on when you scrap your car, on a graduating scale of between 75% to 50% of your ARF. Therefore, if you scrap your car at the end of 10 years, you get back 50% of your ARF.
ARF for Honda HR-V = $9,988
PARF Rebate at end of 10 years = $4,994
5. Auto Insurance
Some car owners may try to save some money by taking a basic auto insurance, but with cars being such a prized possession here, it is advisable to take a comprehensive car insurance which includes the following coverage above the basic policy:
Death or injury to other parties
Damage to other parties’ car
Fire
Theft
Medical costs arising from the accident
An indicative price for a comprehensive car insurance is around $1,275 per year, with No-Claim Discount (NCD) of 10% each year capped at 50%. It is a reduction in renewal premium to reflect a claim-free record. The cost for a 10-year cost auto insurance will come up to about $13,000.
Total cost of owning a car for 10 years = $110,506 + $7,440 – $0 – $4,994 + $13,000 = $125,952
While the costs of owning a car is relatively high, make sure you insure your dream car with the best deals.
Do note that the final cost does not include maintenance fees, parking as well as fuel charges.
This article is kindly contributed by GoBear and is published on ZUU Online.
Choosing insurance and financial products was once a complicated and dull process. It was filled with tricks and different terms and conditions. Andre Hesselink didn’t think that was fair. He thought comparing insurance and financial products should be simple, straight forward and transparent. So, with the help of like-minded people, they solved this problem, leading us to GoBear.
(By Gobear)
Related Articles
- Driving Centres VS Private Driving Classes
- Top 6 Car Insurance policies in Singapore for you to consider
- 10 most expensive (and fastest) sports cars
