Rego check for every state (free) and what it doesn't tell you

Each transport authority runs its own free check, and each one only covers cars registered in that state. Enter the plate and you get the status and expiry date, plus whatever extra details that state chooses to show. None of them asks for an account or a payment. Here is what each one returns, measured in October 2026.

• NSW (Service NSW): status, expiry, make, model, colour, CTP insurer, up to three yearly odometer readings, last four characters of the VIN
• Victoria (Service Victoria): status, expiry, make, body type, colour, engine number and the full 17-character VIN
• Queensland (TMR): status, expiry, make, model, body, purpose of use, CTP insurer, and the VIN is often shown in full
• WA (Department of Transport): licence status, expiry, make, model and a partially masked VIN
• SA (EzyReg): status, expiry, make, body type, colour, CTP insurer and the last four digits of the VIN. A general warning appears if the car is recorded as suspended, stolen, defected or written off
• Tasmania (Transport Tasmania): registered or not, expiry, model, body type and CTP insurer; no VIN
• ACT (Access Canberra): status, expiry, basic description and next inspection date; no VIN
• NT (MVR): status, expiry, make, model, body type and last inspection date; no VIN

A rego check answers one question: is this car currently registered, and until when. It is a status lookup, not a history check. The transport authority is not searching the PPSR for you, and in most states it is not telling you about write-offs or theft either.

That gap matters most in a private sale. A car can be fully registered, with months of rego left, and still carry a loan that lets the lender repossess it from you. It can also have been written off and repaired, then re-registered, with nothing on the free check to say so. The rego check is where you start, not where you stop.

• Finance owing. Security interests live on the PPSR, which no state rego check searches.
• Written-off status. Only SA shows a general warning; the others show nothing, even for a statutory write-off that was later re-registered elsewhere.
• Stolen status. Victoria and SA show a general flag at most; the rest show nothing.
• The owner's name or how many owners the car has had.
• The amount owing, service history or accident repairs.

The two checks answer different questions and you should run both. The free rego check confirms the plate matches the car in front of you and that it is registered. The PPSR check tells you whether you will actually own the car after you pay, and whether it has been written off.

The PPSR search costs $2.00 at ppsr.gov.au, but it needs the VIN and the register cannot be searched by plate. That is the step we add. Enter the plate and state, and we look up the VIN, run the search and attach the certificate for $12.95. The $27.95 report also decodes the write-off codes and adds recalls and build data.

You do not need the VIN, the owner's name or any paperwork for a rego check. The plate and the state are enough. Personalised plates work the same way as standard ones.

1. Open the free check for the state on the plate. A NSW plate will not return anything on the Victorian check, and so on.
2. Enter the plate exactly as printed, without spaces. Confirm the make, model and colour match the car in the ad.
3. Note the expiry date. Short remaining rego is not a fault, but it is a cost to factor into the price.
4. If you want finance and write-off status, enter the same plate and state here. We look up the VIN and run the PPSR search for $12.95, certificate included.

Renewals, transfers, fines and tolls are handled by your state transport authority, not by us. The free check on each state site shows the expiry date. Most states let you renew online or in their app from the same place. We do not sell renewals and we cannot change registration records.

If you are buying a car with expired or cancelled registration, check your state rules before you pay. Some states require a safety or identity inspection to re-register, and a car that cannot be re-registered is worth much less.