Pink slip, Green Slip, Blue Slip, White …. haaa help!! When buying a car in Australia it’s important to know what the administration paperwork means to ensure you’re FULLY covered!

Buying a Car or Campervan in Australia

1 country = 6 States & 2 Territories

Each state has its own government website where you can look up fees and other Rego and insurance information. Do your research before you buy and check out the website for whatever state you plan on buying your car in as they all have different rules and requirements:

New South Wales: Roads and Maritime Services – www.rms.nsw.gov.au

Victoria: VicRoads – www.vicroads.vic.gov.au

Queensland: Department of Transport and Main Roads – www.tmr.qld.gov.au

Northern Territory: Motor Vehicle Registry – www.transport.nt.gov.au

Western Australia: Driver and Vehicle Services – www.transport.wa.gov.au

South Australia: Transport Vehicle Registration – www.sa.gov.au

Australia Capital Territory: Rego.act- www.rego.act.gov.au

Tasmania: Transport Tasmania – www.transport.tas.gov.au

Driving in the Australian Outback

Definitions…  

Pink Slip: To register your car (Rego) for driving each year, the RMS (Roads and Maritime Services), requires that you have it checked for roadworthiness – or vehicle safety check – by an authorised mechanic. You will get a Pink Slip from the mechanic confirming that your car is safe to drive. It’s valid for 42 days from the date of issue. Read more about pink slip here.

Blue Slip: Different from the Pink Slip – the Blue Slip is a full inspection of your vehicle as it checks all the components of your vehicle: leaks, lights, seat belts, brakes, suspension thoroughly, etc…  A Blue Slip is required if you’re selling your vehicle without Registration, if you’re re-registering your car from interstate, or if the Rego has been expired for more than 3 months. A Blue Slip will last 28 days from when it is issued. If you don’t pass the Blue Slip inspection, then just like the Pink Slip you have 14 days from when you fail the inspection to have the defects repaired and return to your local inspection centre.

White Slip: A White Slip is only issued if during your Blue or Pink Slip inspection, your vehicle is found to have roadworthy defects.

Car-sold

Green Slip or Insurance: is a generic term for Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Insurance. It ensures that you’re covered if other people are injured in a crash when you (or the person driving your car) is at fault. If your car is not registered then your green slip is not valid.

Pink Slip and Green Slip: will enable you to renew your vehicle registration for another 12 months.

Registration or “Rego”: By transmitting the Pink Slip to the RTA, you can renew the vehicle Rego. In most states, the Rego fee will also include a minimum third-party personal insurance, which is compulsory in Australia. Rego charges vary greatly across Australia; in NSW it can cost over $800, while in WA it can be half that.  If you’re buying a car that already has rego, then you will have to pay a transfer fee within 14 days buying the car.

Transfer of Ownership: Once a vehicle has been purchased, the Rego must be transferred at the state or territory Motor Registry within 14 days (except in Tasmania and WA, where the limit is 7 days). Both the buyer and the seller need to sign the registration form. If the vehicle was purchased from a licensed dealer they should provide a completed transfer of registration form.

Certificate-of-registration

The 3 main ways to buy your car in Oz…

When buying a vehicle in Australia, you really have 3 options: buy on a private basis, from a dealer, and from a dealer with warranty.

Keep in mind that buying a vehicle on a private basis is a gamble and it comes without service, warranties, road side assistance or buyback. Moreover, you will need to sort all the paperwork out by yourself (Registration, Pink Slip, White Slip, Green Slip, Transfer of Ownership, etc…). Ask yourself the right question: is it worth buying for a thousand dollars less than with a dealer and maybe spend three or four time the amount fixing it?

buying-car

A dealer will go through the whole vehicle before selling it (full service, change of oil, change of coolant, breaks, new tyres). They will also provide you with a Pink Slip and will take care of all kind of paperwork for you (Rego, Green slip, Transfer of Ownership, etc…). Moreover, you will get a vehicle that is under warranty in case of a breakdown, and most of the times will come with a buyback option in case you don’t have the time to sell it yourself when you leave.

When a warranty is provided when purchasing a used car from a licensed dealership. Legal requirements on the length of the warranty vary with each state and each car dealer. There may be no warranty for old or high mileage vehicles. Typical warranty periods are 3 months or 5,000 km for non-commercial vehicles that are less than 10 years old and have covered less than 160,000 km.

Above all, make sure you do your homework as to values and get the vehicle checked out if you aren’t mechanically minded yourself. If you’re looking for buying a vehicle with warranty, call us on 1800 674 374 or come visit one of our 6 depots (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Cairns & Brisbane).

We’ve got many more Buying and Selling Campervan and Car articles for you, come and explore.

About the Author

Bastian Graf

Bastian is the Sales & Marketing Manager here at Travellers Autobarn. He holds a Master of Commerce in Marketing and International Business Management, and 20+ years experience in campervan hire, road trips and travel.

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