An older used car can look like good value on the listing. But the costs of keeping it on the road change once it passes 10 years. Insurance prices move, fewer insurers quote online, and road tax picks up a surcharge. This guide sets out what changes and what to check before you pay a deposit.
All insurance prices below are from the site's older car insurance page, as of 25 October 2026, GST included. They are not today's prices for your car.
The example behind the figures
The figures use one car and one driver, so the ages can be compared fairly:
- A Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6
- A driver aged 40 with 10 years' driving
- A 50% no-claim discount
- Repairs at an authorised workshop
Each price is the lowest one found for that car's age. Next to it is how many insurers priced it. Some insurers only price on the results page with your own answers, so they are left out of these counts.
Your own price will differ. Your age, driving record, no-claim discount and workshop choice all play a part. See authorised or any workshop for how that choice works.
What the prices show, year by year
Comprehensive cover did not simply rise with age. For this example, it fell for the first 10 years:
- New: from S$660.69, with 13 insurers pricing it
- 10 years: from S$569.36, with 14 insurers pricing it
- 11 years: from S$608.20, with 12 insurers
- 15 years: from S$718.79, with 12 insurers
- 16 years: from S$869.48, with 4 insurers
- 20 years: from S$872.48, with 3 insurers
So the 10-year mark was the low point in this check. After that, the lowest price climbed each year. The bigger change came at 16 years, when most insurers stopped quoting comprehensive cover online.
Third party, fire and theft cover moved less in the early years. It was from S$490.50 at 10 years. It was from S$589.18 at 16 years, with 8 insurers. At 18 and 20 years it was from S$711.34.
Fewer insurers quote online after 10 and 15 years
Many insurers set an age limit on the cars they price online. The site's check found a clear pattern for comprehensive cover:
- From 11 years: two insurers had no online price. Their online quotes cover cars up to 10 years old.
- From 16 years: eight more had no online price. Most of them quote cars up to 15 years old online.
- From 20 years: one more dropped out. It quotes cars registered within the last 19 years.
That is why the count fell from 14 insurers at 10 years to 4 at 16 years. Fewer quotes means less to compare.
No online price does not always mean no cover at all. It means the insurer did not give a price through its online form in this check. The price pages name which insurers price each age.
Comprehensive or third party, fire and theft on an old car
Comprehensive cover pays for damage to your own car. It pays up to the car's market value, not what you paid for it.
As a car ages, its value usually falls. On an old car, the extra you pay for comprehensive over third party, fire and theft can be more than the car would sell for. For that reason, many owners of older cars switch to third party, fire and theft.
That is a choice each owner weighs for their own car. Points to think about:
- What the car would fetch if it were written off
- What a repair would cost you without own-damage cover
- The gap between the two premiums for your car
- The excess on each policy
The road tax surcharge past 10 years
Road tax is paid to LTA, not to an insurer. It is based on engine size, or motor power for an electric car. You need valid insurance, at least third party, to renew it.
Once a car is more than 10 years old, LTA adds a surcharge on top of its road tax:
- More than 10 years old: 10% on top
- More than 11 years old: 20% on top
- More than 12 years old: 30% on top
- More than 13 years old: 40% on top
- More than 14 years old: 50% on top
The surcharge is a share of the car's normal road tax. As an example of the base, a 1,600cc petrol car pays S$742.90 a year before any surcharge. A 2,000cc car pays S$1,212.10 a year before any surcharge. Each step of the surcharge applies to that base.
The road tax page has the base rates by engine size and motor power. For the exact sum on a given car, check LTA's OneMotoring site.
The renewed COE question
A car past its 10th year runs on a renewed COE. The site's figure for a 16-year-old Corolla Altis 1.6 shows what that looks like for insurance: from S$869.48 for comprehensive and from S$589.18 for third party, fire and theft.
The rules on COE renewal, and what it costs, are not covered here. Check LTA's OneMotoring site for those. The COE page explains the basics.
Before you pay a deposit on an older car
Run through this list before you commit:
- Check the car's age. Note the registration date, not just the model year. Insurers and LTA work from the car's age.
- Work out its age at your next renewal. A car that is 10 today may be 11 by the time the policy renews.
- Get insurance quotes first. Ask for prices on this exact car before you pay a deposit.
- Ask what cover is on offer. Find out if comprehensive is available online, or only third party, fire and theft.
- Check the road tax due. Look up the base rate and the surcharge band on OneMotoring.
- Check the COE end date. Know how long the current COE has left.
- Ask the seller for the road tax expiry. Know when the next payment falls due.
- Ask about the current policy. Find out when it ends and whether any claims were made.
What to compare at renewal
At each renewal of an older car, compare more than the headline price:
- How many insurers price your car's age online
- Comprehensive against third party, fire and theft
- The excess on each policy
- Authorised against any workshop
- Whether your no-claim discount carries over
The prices for a common model can show the pattern. The Toyota Corolla Altis price page lists each insurer's price. To check prices for your own car and details, use the compare page.
Car insurance through Shenton Brokers
Before you drive off or renew, get your car insurance through Shenton Brokers. See which cars cost least to insure, or look up your own model's prices from every insurer we compare. Or get a quote with your own details.