4-Year-Old S’porean Kid Cries When Family Has To Give Up Their Car After COE Expires; Offers Piggy Bank Money To Save It

Sometimes, it can be hard parting with things that you’ve cherished for a long time, inanimate as they may be.

A four-year-old kid, Joshua, known as Anak Khoo on TikTok, recently had to face the harsh reality of how the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) for vehicles works in Singapore.

In a TikTok titled “SG car policy made my son cry!”, the little boy was seen sobbing into his booster car seat as his parents tell him that they would have to bid farewell to their BMW.

The COE on the car had expired, and was going to be scrapped.

For those who don’t know, in Singapore, car owners who’ve successfully bid for a COE are able to register and use the vehicle for 10 years. At the end of that period, they have the option to deregister their vehicle, or renew their COE for five or 10 years. Should they choose the first option, the vehicle will have to be scrapped after its COE expiration date.

Having only renewed their COE for five years, Joshua’s parents had no choice but to part with the BMW, revealing that their initial plan was to buy a brand-new car once the BMW’s time was up.

However, due to the hefty price of COE, they chose to get a second-hand Honda.

Joshua's mum tried to comfort him by explaining the situation, saying: “We can only afford one car, we cannot keep two cars. In Singapore, cars are too expensive. This car old already, expire already.”

According to Joshua’s mum, he “practically grew up” with the vehicle, and affectionately referred to it as “the black car”.

She added: “When I told him it was too expensive to maintain two cars, he offered his piggy bank money.”

Joshua was then seen bidding his last farewell to the car, still sobbing as he made a final effort to beg his mum to keep it.

“Made me want to cry too lol,” she recalled.

Anak Khoo’s followers found his reaction totally relatable, and while some lamented about the local car policy, others shared memories of when they, too, had to part with their beloved cars.

“Why did I tear up with him!” wrote one netizen, while another added: “My father's car expired in 2022, at that time I was [in] primary 5 and [it was] very painful when I said bye to the car."

The family would later share another video, which featured a cheerful Joshua taking to their Honda Vezel. Phew.