How much is car registration in Australia in 2024?

Car registration costs vary depending on your state or territory, and take into account factors like your vehicle's weight, what you use it for, and where you drive it.

In Australia, car registration can cost a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars per year. 

Some states will also lump together rego fees with your Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance. This is the insurance cover you need to legally drive on Australian roads, and generally covers liability for costs related to injuries or deaths caused while driving (details differ state-to-state).

Since there’s no federal oversight, you’ll need to know exactly how things work where you live. So, here’s a breakdown of car rego costs and details in each Aussie state and territory.

In NSW, car registration is made up of a $79 annual rego fee and an annual vehicle tax that depends on the weight of your car, and whether it's for private use or business use.

In addition to the $79 fee, here is the annual vehicle tax you can expect, as of 27 November 2024:

• Private-use vehicles. Depending on your vehicle’s weight. You’ll pay between $255 to $1,397 per year, depending on weight. For a popular car like a Toyota Corolla (weighing 1,160kg), rego would cost you about $438/year in NSW (fee + tax). This does not include the number plate fee or inspection fee, if applicable. 
  
• Business-use vehicles. Depending on the weight, the tax will cost between $411 to $2,642/year.

Keep in mind, prices differ for motorcycles, trailers and caravans, and CTP insurance is a separate fee you’ll also need to pay.

NSW CTP insurance providers

In NSW, you’ll be able to choose between six providers who set their own prices for this essential kind of insurance. These are:

• AAMI
• Allianz
• GIO
• NRMA
• QBE
• Youi

If you want more details about other forms of cover, check out our NSW car insurance hub, or head to the NSW government's rego fee page  for more info on other registration costs and concessions.

Things get a little more complicated in the capital...

In the ACT, your rego fee is made up of:

• Motor Accident Injuries (MAI) insurance
• A motor accident levy
• Road safety contribution and rescue fee
• Car registration fee. 

You can register your car for three, six and 12 month periods and prices are again dependent on weight, and whether you drive it for personal or business use.

According to GIO, the average cost for a family car could be about $1,240/year.

MAI insurance providers in the ACT

The MAI insurance providers include:

• NRMA
• AAMI
• APIA
• GIO.

If you want to learn more about MAI insurance and sift through the fine print, head to our ACT car insurance comparison page, or to the ACT government's car registration page . 

Victoria mixes the calculations up in a different way, with rego prices changing depending on the risk level of the area you live, and if you have a passenger car or a good carrying vehicle. As of 27 November 2024, here's what you can expect:

Rego costs for a standard passenger vehicles in Victoria

If you drive a sedan, station wagon, hatch, or 4WD... 

• Metropolitan area (high risk zone): $906.60/year
• Outer metropolitan (medium risk zone): $848.40/year
• Rural (low risk zone): $780.10/year

Rego costs for goods-carrying vehicles in Victoria 

If you drive a dual-cab ute or utility vehicle carrying up to 2 tonnes...

• Metropolitan area (high risk zone): $907.70/year
• Outer metropolitan (medium risk zone): $769.10/year
• Rural (low risk zone): $634.90/year

Find more details at the VicRoads rego page , then investigate insurance options for your wheels at Mozo’s Victoria car insurance hub.

Rego and CTP are bundled together in Queensland, alongside an extra cost called a ‘traffic improvement fee’. The QLD registration site  also shows costs changing depending on the number of cylinders in your car.

• 1 to 3 cylinder and electric vehicles: $646.70/year. 
• 4 cylinder vehicles: $708.35/year. 
• 5 or 6 cylinder vehicles: $876.65/year. 
• 7 or 8 cylinder vehicles: $1,059.55/year. 
• 9 to 12 cylinder vehicles: $1,170.10/year. 

Queensland CTP providers

If you're looking for CTP insurance in Queensland, your choices include: 

• Suncorp
• Allianz
• QBE.

Head to the Queensland car insurance page for details on the other kinds of cover you may want to consider to protect your wheels and minimise repair bills.

You’ll be paying rego and CTP separately in South Australia but registration costs are once again rather complex.

The SA registration site lists costs for one, three and 12-month rego options, which are impacted by the type of vehicle you’re registering, its cylinders, and for utility vehicles and vans, the weight.

But there are also two 'streams' of pricing – one for metropolitan areas and one for country areas. Rates listed under ‘country’ are slightly cheaper than those under ‘metropolitan’.

As a starting point, registering a four cylinder sedan or station wagon will cost $660/year for those in metro areas, or $545/year in the country, as at 27 November 2024.

CTP providers in South Australia

If you're looking for CTP insurance in South Australia, your choices include: 

• AAMI
• Allianz
• NRMA
• QBE
• Youi.

Steer towards our South Australia car insurance page for more rego details and insurance options.

They get rather technical with rego fees in WA (it’s referred to as a vehicle license fee here).

It’s based on vehicle weight, but the WA registration page lists the costs as per-100kg, rather than giving rough estimates, so you’ll need to do some maths to figure out your car’s potential rego fee.

For a standard motor car weighing 1,700kg, car registration in WA costs $475.12/year, not including the administration fee. 

CTP is sold separately and exclusively by the Insurance Commission of Western Australia .

Find more insurance details for WA drivers at Mozo’s Western Australia car insurance hub.

Tassie drivers are looking at rego fees based on car cylinders in addition to a separate motor tax and Tasmania’s CTP equivalent, the Motor Accident Insurance Board (MAIB) fee.

If you're registering a private car with 3 cylinders or less you're looking at about $612.42 for the first year, and about $578.18 for yearly renewal (your first year's costs include your plate fee). And that's before the Motor Tax ($140) and the MAIB fee (about $231).

Of course, these figures will differ depending on your vehicle. 

Jump over to the Tasmania car insurance page for more insight into insurance off the mainland, and check specific pricing at the Tasmania car rego site .

Registration prices include Motor Accidents Compensation (MAC) in the NT, which is yet another version of CTP. The overall cost is calculated based on the number of cylinders as well as engine size, and can be paid annually or at one, three and six-month intervals.

For 12-month rego, prices sit between $672.25 and $841.25 for cars with four cylinders and an engine size less than 3000cc. Over this level, it gradually increases alongside engine size to a maximum of $1,400.25.

Check out the tables at the NT rego site for detailed price tiers, or head to Mozo’s Northern Territory car insurance page for info on the full spectrum of car insurance options.

Looking to level-up your car insurance game? Investigate some of the comprehensive policies below.