SINGAPORE, Oct 23 — A Singapore man was in tears as he had to say goodbye to an old friend — his first car, a trusty Honda Civic.

Mohammad Izzraimy Mohammad Isham bought the car second-hand in 2021 for S$28,800 (RM94,893) but under Singapore law, the car’s certificate of entitlement (COE) was expiring.

His wife Natasha Tan knowing his love for his car had gotten him a cake as he prepared to part with the car, and she also took video of him saying goodbye to it, giving it a hug as he wept.

Tan uploaded the video to TikTok on October 11, where it has received over 2.9 million views.

For Malaysians clueless about the COE, think of it as a lease that allows a Singaporean to hold onto a car.

It can be renewed for either 10 years or five years at a time but for the latter, once it has been renewed once, it can no longer be renewed.

In contrast, a car that has had its COE renewed for another 10 years, it can be renewed further.

However, the price for a COE renewal can be prohibitive and in the case of old cars, more expensive than its actual current value especially when considering car values reduce over time.