A Honda City is a small sedan, and small cars tend to keep their running costs down. But in Singapore the bills that matter most are set by rules, not by the car's size. This page goes through those bills for the City: the COE, road tax and car insurance.
All insurance figures below are examples, read on 20 October 2026, for one stated driver. Your own premium will depend on your age, record and car. Read the numbers as a map of how the costs work, not as a price you will be offered.
Versions you may come across
The new-car list has no Honda City on sale now, so there is no list price to show here. Most City buyers will be looking at a used car. The quote form lists three versions, all with the same 1,497cc engine:
- Honda City 1.5 i-VTEC
- Honda CITY 1.5 SV CVT
- Honda City MT
The insurance figures here are for the City 1.5 i-VTEC, the version most insurers quote. Because the three share one engine size, they share the same road tax too.
COE: which category
Every car on Singapore roads carries a Certificate of Entitlement. For the City 1.5 i-VTEC, with its 1,497cc engine, the category turns on power. It needs a Category A COE if its power is 97kW (130bhp) or less, and a Category B COE if it is more.
In the October 2026 1st round, Category A closed at S$130,001 and Category B at S$130,100. These results change every round, and the COE page has the latest.
On a used City, the COE was bought by the first owner. Check how long it has left. A car with fewer COE years left should cost less, because you get less time on the road from it.
Road tax: one figure for all three
Road tax follows engine size. For the City's 1,497cc engine, LTA's formula comes to S$682.50 a year, before any age surcharge.
An age surcharge applies to cars over 10 years old, rising each year:
- Over 10 years: +10%
- Over 11 years: +20%
- Over 12 years: +30%
- Over 13 years: +40%
- Over 14 years: +50%
So an older City on a renewed COE can pay more road tax than a newer one with the same engine. The road tax page shows how the figure is worked out.
Car insurance today
The Honda City price page quotes one set of details:
- Car: City 1.5 i-VTEC, registered 3 years ago, private use, comprehensive cover
- Driver: aged 40, married, office job, driving 10 to 19 years
- Record: 50% no-claim discount (NCD), no claims
- Repairs: authorised workshop, no options
15 insurers price this car for that driver. The lowest premium is S$625.90 a year. At the other end, the insurer whose lowest plan is the dearest asks at least S$1,373.79. The difference is S$747.89, which is 119% on top of the lowest. Prices include 9% GST.
That is a big gap for one small sedan. It is the plainest reason to compare before you renew. A few prices on the page are estimates, so the insurer's own quote has the final word.
Look at the excess too
Each plan has an excess, the share of a claim you pay. Most plans here sit at S$600. A few go as high as S$2,500 or S$3,000, and one has none. If two premiums are close, the excess can decide which costs you less when something goes wrong.
When one detail changes
The price page also lists the lowest premium after a single change, all else equal:
- No NCD (0%): S$966.78, up S$340.88
- 20% NCD: S$966.78, up S$340.88
- Driver aged 27, 3 years' driving, 30% NCD: S$966.78, up S$340.88
- Driver aged 65, 20 or more years' driving: S$642.42, up S$16.52
- A new car, registered this year: S$660.69, up S$34.79
- A car 8 years old: S$586.41, down S$39.49
What these show: losing your NCD lifts the lowest premium by 54%, the largest of the changes. A younger driver with less experience ends up at the same figure. Car age shifts the price only a little, and an 8-year-old City has the lowest figure in the list.
These are only the lowest prices for each case. Other plans can rise or fall by more or less.
The City beside similar cars
For the same driver and car age, the price page lists six similar cars with their lowest premiums:
- Mazda 3: S$927.36
- BMW X1: S$811.71
- Mercedes-Benz GLB: S$787.96
- Hyundai Kona: S$721.59
- Toyota Corolla Altis: S$642.42
- Toyota Sienta: S$604.07
Their average lowest price is S$749.19. The City comes in 16% below that. Of the six, only the Toyota Sienta costs less to insure. More Honda models are on the Honda car insurance page.
The costs only you can price
Some costs depend on your habits and your address, so no single figure fits.
- Parking: HDB or condo season parking, plus what you pay at work and in town.
- Petrol: your distance driven times the pump price.
- ERP: set by your routes and the time of day.
- Upkeep: servicing, tyres, brakes and batteries. On a used City, ask to see the service history.
- Depreciation: shaped by what you pay and how many COE years remain when you sell.
Summary of yearly costs we can show
For the City 1.5 i-VTEC, dated:
- Road tax: S$682.50 a year, before any age surcharge (LTA's formula, checked 2026-10-19)
- Insurance, standard driver: from S$625.90 a year (20 October 2026)
- Insurance, no NCD: from S$966.78
- Insurance, car 8 years old: from S$586.41
If a new COE is needed, the October 2026 1st round closed at S$130,001 for Category A and S$130,100 for Category B. No list price is shown, as the City is not on the new-car list.
Before you buy: car insurance for the Honda City
Before you drive off, get your car insurance through Shenton Brokers. Compare car insurance for the Honda City to see today's prices from every insurer we compare and how they change with the driver and the car's age. Or get a quote with your own details.