Roadworthy certificates in Australia: what each state requires

• VIC: Roadworthy Certificate (RWC), issued by a licensed vehicle tester
• QLD: safety certificate, issued at an Approved Inspection Station
• NSW: safety inspection report, called a pink slip or eSafety check, and a blue slip for unregistered vehicles
• ACT: roadworthy inspection, with a Certificate of Inspection
• NT: roadworthy inspection
• WA, SA and TAS: no general roadworthy for a private sale, but vehicle inspections apply in particular situations

• Victoria: when selling a registered vehicle, re-registering an unregistered one, or clearing some defect notices. The RWC is current for 30 days.
• Queensland: before you offer a registered light vehicle, motorcycle or caravan for sale. The certificate lasts two months or 2,000 km, whichever comes first, and covers one sale.
• NSW: a pink slip at rego renewal for most light vehicles over five years old (your renewal notice says if you need one). It must be done within six months before renewing. A blue slip is needed to register an unregistered or interstate vehicle and is valid for 42 days.
• ACT: to transfer the rego of a vehicle more than six years old, or an imported vehicle. The Certificate of Inspection is valid for one month.
• Northern Territory: from 9 February 2026, light vehicles 7 years or older need an inspection when ownership is transferred, when rego is re-established after more than 12 months, or when first registered in the NT.
• WA, SA and Tasmania: inspections are usually triggered by things like first registration in that state, a defect notice, modifications or a repairable write-off. Check with your transport department.

A roadworthy is a safety check, not a full mechanical inspection. Queensland’s transport department says plainly that it doesn’t assess a car’s quality or life expectancy. Testers typically look at:

• Tyres, wheels and wheel bearings
• Brakes, steering and suspension
• Lights, indicators, horn and reflectors
• Windscreen, windows, wipers and washers
• Seats, seatbelts and their anchorages
• Body and chassis rust in structural areas
• Engine, exhaust and fluid leaks

• Tyres worn to the tread wear indicators, or with cuts and bulges
• Blown globes in headlights, brake lights, indicators or the number plate light
• Chips or cracks in the windscreen in the driver’s line of sight
• Worn or split wiper blades, or an empty washer bottle that doesn’t spray
• Worn brake pads or discs, or a weak handbrake
• Oil leaks dripping onto the exhaust or ground
• Frayed or slow-retracting seatbelts
• Worn suspension bushes, ball joints or leaking shock absorbers
• Window tint darker than your state allows

Many of these are cheap to fix before the inspection, which saves you a reinspection.

NSW is the main state that sets a maximum fee. For 2026–27 the NSW Government lists about $52 for a light vehicle pink slip and $82 for a light vehicle blue slip. If a car fails and is fixed and rechecked at the same station within 14 days, there’s no extra inspection fee.

In Victoria and Queensland, prices are set by each tester, so ring around and ask what’s included. In Victoria, a car that fails can be reinspected by the same tester within 14 days without paying the full fee again.

• Sellers: do a walk-around first: lights, tyres, wipers, horn and seatbelts. Fix the cheap things before the tester sees them.
• Buyers: check the certificate’s date and odometer reading against the car. In Queensland you can report a suspect safety certificate to TMR if it was issued within the last three months.
• Everyone: a roadworthy doesn’t replace a pre-purchase mechanical inspection or a check of the car’s rego, finance and write-off history.

If you’re unsure what your state needs for your particular sale or rego, you can ask an expert in a $1 chat (priced in USD) at helpbyexperts.com.