Can I drive my car the day it expires in Australia?

Well to keep it short, on that very same day yes but afterward NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. I think we made it pretty clear that there is no way you even think about driving your vehicle after the registration expires. You may ask why? Well first of all you get fined. If your vehicle is unregistered it probably is out of insurance and this combination will cost 1,262 dollars. Yes, you read it right! But to be completely honest with you it differs from region to region.

How do you get caught? Read this from Yahoo! News (2021) to know how: “Across Australia highway patrol vehicles are now fitted out with registration detection cameras so your car license plate is automatically scanned as you drive past and police are alerted if the rego has expired,” GetReminded co-founder Tim Nicholas said.

But why is it different from region to region? That is because of the “Rego”. As mentioned on the website of Junk Car Removal – a business that helps you get top cash for your old cars on the spot -: In Australia, all vehicles need to be registered before being driven on public roads. Every state has its regulations on the registration or “The Rego”, a mandatory document for driving your car in Australia.

The Rego is in the car owner’s name, and if a vehicle is traded, the name on the Rego should be transferred to the new owner.

So far we learned that there seems no way out of not registering your car.

We would like to show you why nobody should take the renewal of their registration till the last day;

Time-Related problems of late registration renewal:

First of all, you might not have sufficient time to renew and consequently, you get fined also it’s worth noting that the new registration period starts from the date you make the payment, but the expiry date remains the same. You won’t get a full year of registration.

Cost-Related problems of late registration Renewal:

We talked about fine a lot, but there is no escape here. Apart from that, there might be late fees to renew as well as insurance costs and there is even a possibility that your vehicle could be towed and impounded, which can be very costly to retrieve.

Legal-Related problems of late registration renewal:

Driving with an expired registration could not only result in fines but also citations or points on your driving record, which can have long-term effects on your driving privileges and insurance rates. The worst is yet to come as If you are involved in an accident with an expired registration, you could face additional legal liabilities, especially if there are injuries involved.

Read more: Car registration changes in Canberra, ACT and NSW with emissions schemes

How to renew registration BEFORE expiration

You have up to 3 months before expiration to renew your registration. To submit your request you can simply do it by calling 132213, submitting an Online request, or doing it in person in service centers.

How to renew registration AFTER expiration

To get a new registration you must:

• hand in your plates
• get a design, identity, and safety check from an authorized inspection station
• get CTP insurance launch
• pay the applicable registration costs.

How to make sure you don’t forget to renew your car registration?

Let’s be real, between juggling our jobs and keeping up with the endless sea of bills and fixing stuff around the house, it’s easy to let something like renewing the car’s registration slip through the cracks.

But guess what? There’s a pretty cool way to dodge this hiccup – signing up for text or email alerts that give you a nudge to pay your car’s Rego before it’s too late. The first heads-up lands in your inbox or on your phone about 4 to 6 weeks before the due date. And if you’re a master procrastinator and still haven’t sorted it out, you’ll get another reminder a week before D-day. Handy, right?

Conclusion

Registration of your car is a MUST in Australia and if you forget or ignore its renewal you face legal, financial, and even cultural consequences. You can set reminders for yourself to make sure you would never miss the due time. But if you ever miss due time and nothing can be done one option might be selling your used car. Junk Car Removal comes to you and pays top money on your old car. You can reach us at     0483 333 444.

Originally posted 2023-06-18 16:00:44.