Do you need a roadworthy to sell to a dealer? State by state

Usually not. In Victoria and Queensland, the two states where a private seller of a registered car normally needs a roadworthy or safety certificate, the private-sale rule usually doesn’t apply when a licensed dealer buys the car. NSW, WA, SA and Tasmania don’t ask for one to transfer a currently registered car, whoever the buyer is, and the ACT and NT tie an inspection on transfer mainly to the car’s age.

The catch is that each rule is written for its own state. If the dealer holds its licence somewhere else, ask which rules apply before you book a test. Below is what each state’s official guidance says, checked in October 2026, plus the questions that get you a straight answer.

Why does it matter who buys the car?

A dealer exemption covers your sale into the dealer’s stock, not the car’s next sale. When the dealer sells the car on, the certificate rules come back into play: Queensland, for example, sets a separate validity of 3 months or 1,000 km for certificates issued to licensed dealers.

Someone who buys from a dealer also gets protections a private buyer doesn’t. The ACCC says most of the consumer protections and state and territory laws that cover dealer sales don’t apply to second-hand cars bought privately or at auction, while a car bought from a licensed dealer must be of acceptable quality. So when a dealer buys your car to resell, those duties to the next buyer generally sit with the dealer rather than with you.

For a private seller, the cost isn’t only the test. It’s also the repairs the tester asks for and the deadline that starts the day the certificate is issued. Our guide to the true cost of selling a car privately weighs it against the other costs of a private sale.

What does each state require?

The names change at each border:

• Victoria: a roadworthy certificate, or RWC.
• Queensland: a safety certificate.
• NSW: a safety inspection report, better known as a pink slip, which belongs to rego renewal rather than the sale.
• ACT and NT: a roadworthy inspection, triggered mainly by the car’s age.

Here’s the short answer for a currently registered car, state by state.

The dealer column assumes a dealer licensed in that state. If yours is licensed elsewhere, read the interstate section below before you rely on it.

Victoria: what does the VicRoads transfer table say?

VicRoads publishes a table of transfer types, and one row covers a transfer from a private owner (an individual or a company) to a dealer. Against that row it lists the transfer fee as payable, motor vehicle duty as not payable, and an RWC as not needed. VicRoads adds that if your transfer involves a dealer, the dealer will manage the transfer process for you. You can read the table on VicRoads’ transfer fees and exemptions page.

On a private sale, Consumer Affairs Victoria says you must provide a certificate less than 30 days old when you sell a registered vehicle. The Department of Transport and Planning says an RWC is current for 30 days from issue. If the car fails, you have 14 days to fix it and have it re-checked without paying for a whole new test.

Consumer Affairs Victoria also says a licensed motor car trader (LMCT) must pay you for your car, or provide a trade, before they try to sell it. Whoever buys, don’t sign the transfer until the money is in your account. Our guide to selling a car in Victoria covers the rest of the Victorian process.

Queensland: what does the dealer exemption cover?

Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) says a safety certificate is needed when registration is transferred to a new owner. Its list of exemptions includes vehicles “traded to, or between, licensed motor dealers”, and it tells sellers they must get a certificate before disposing of a registered vehicle, “other than to a dealer”. TMR’s own advice to sellers is that “the easiest way to sell your vehicle is to a licensed motor dealer”.

On a private sale the certificate is your job. TMR sets out the details, as at October 2026:

• You no longer need a certificate before you offer the car for sale, only before you dispose of it.
• The inspection fee for a vehicle up to 4,500 kg GVM is $102.70.
• A certificate from a private seller is valid for 2 months or 2,000 km, whichever comes first.
• Each certificate covers one transfer only, and if the sale drags on past its validity you pay for another.
• You may be fined over $700 for not having a current safety certificate when you dispose of a vehicle.

The exemption is written for licensed motor dealers, and TMR’s safety certificate page doesn’t say whether a dealer licensed in another state counts. More on that below. Our guide to selling a car in Queensland has the transfer steps.

NSW: does a pink slip come into the sale?

No, as long as the registration is current. Service NSW says that if you’re transferring a current NSW registration, you won’t need a safety inspection report (pink slip). That holds whether you sell to a neighbour or to a dealer.

Pink slips belong to rego renewal. Most light vehicles more than 5 years old need a safety inspection each year before the rego can be renewed, counted from the compliance plate date, and a report is valid for 6 months. If your car is old enough to need one and the renewal falls due while it’s on the market, the report is for the renewal, not the sale.

Selling to a NSW-licensed dealer changes a different detail. On your notice of disposal, you give the dealer’s motor dealer licence number and registered business name in place of a buyer’s driver licence.

ACT and NT: when does the car’s age trigger an inspection?

These two territories link the inspection mainly to the car’s age rather than to the type of buyer.

• ACT. Access Canberra says the buyer of an ACT-registered vehicle that weighs up to 4.5 tonnes and is more than 6 years old, or is imported, needs a roadworthy inspection before transferring the rego. It adds that other inspection requirements may apply depending on the vehicle’s age, type and use.
• NT. The NT Government says a roadworthy inspection is required for a light vehicle 7 years old or older when ownership is transferred.

A car built in 2021 or later stays under both age lines for the rest of 2026. Access Canberra’s buying page says nothing about dealers, and we haven’t found NT guidance that sets a separate rule for a dealer buyer either. If your car is past either age line, ask the dealer how the transfer will be handled before you agree to a sale.

Some guides say the NT has no roadworthy rule on a sale at all. Go by the NT Government’s current buying and selling page, not an old article.

WA, SA and Tasmania: is there any inspection at all?

Not for a currently registered car changing hands, whoever buys it.

• WA. Consumer Protection WA says private sellers “are not legally required to do a roadworthiness check on the car they are selling”. You must still tell a buyer about any finance owing, and you can be liable for a serious defect you knew about and didn’t disclose. Only a currently licensed vehicle can be transferred.
• SA. Service SA doesn’t ask for a roadworthy certificate to transfer a registered car. Its transfer rules mention a change-of-ownership inspection for some heavy vehicles and trailers, not an ordinary registered car.
• Tasmania. Transport Tasmania lists no inspection for transferring a currently registered vehicle.

In these three states there’s no certificate for a dealer sale to remove. What a dealer changes is how the sale runs and how you get paid.

What if the dealer is licensed in another state?

This is the open question. VicRoads’ dealer row and TMR’s dealer exemption sit in each state’s own registration rules, and neither page says whether a dealer licensed in another state counts as a dealer for that rule.

An interstate sale can also take a different route altogether:

• VicRoads recommends that if you sell to someone interstate, you cancel the rego and remove the plates.
• WA says its vehicle licences can’t transfer to people who aren’t WA residents, so a car going to an interstate buyer is sold unlicensed.
• Service SA won’t take the notice of disposal online when the buyer is from interstate, so you use the paper form.
• Service NSW won’t take an online notice of disposal when the buyer is an interstate motor dealer without a NSW motor dealer licence number.
• If the car is later registered in the buyer’s state, that state’s rules apply. Queensland, for example, needs a safety certificate when a car moves to Queensland rego from another state. That step belongs to whoever registers it there.

Our own licence is a NSW motor dealer licence (MD 077404), so we don’t assume which rule fits a car registered in another state. We confirm what applies to your car, in your state, on the call, and walk you through your side of the paperwork before pickup. Our guide to selling a car in Australia sets out each state’s seller steps.

What should you ask before you book a roadworthy?

Don’t pay for a test until you know you need one. A Victorian RWC lasts 30 days and a Queensland certificate 2 months or 2,000 km, so a test booked just in case can run out before the car sells. Ask the dealer these questions first, and get the answers in writing, by email or text:

1. Which state is your dealer licence from, and what’s the number? Check it with that state’s licensing authority before you go further. Our guide on how to check a car buyer is licensed shows where to look.
2. Do I need a roadworthy, safety certificate or inspection for my car, registered in my state? You want a clear yes or no, not “probably not”.
3. Is my rego transferring or being cancelled? The answer decides which forms you fill in and whether a rego refund might apply.
4. What do I lodge myself? In most states the seller lodges the notice of disposal, so find out which form and by when.
5. Will you inspect the car, and when? A dealer’s own inspection is separate from a roadworthy.

If the answer to question 2 is yes, ask who books the test and who pays for any repairs it finds.

Then match your situation to the right timing:

Private sale or dealer: where does the certificate fit?

In Victoria and Queensland the certificate is a real cost of a private sale. Elsewhere, the bigger differences between a private sale and a dealer are time, safety and how you get paid.

When you sell to us, usually no roadworthy or safety certificate is needed. Rules differ by state, and we confirm what applies to your car on the call. Sell Your Car Australia is run by Autohaus Australia Pty Ltd, NSW licensed motor dealer MD 077404, and our valuer has priced cars since 1992. We buy cars, utes, SUVs and 4WDs 2021 or newer with 100,000 km or less. If yours is older or has done more kilometres, send it through anyway and we’ll tell you straight away if we can help.

You get a genuine offer by phone from a licensed dealer, not an online estimate, and a deposit is often paid the same day. The inspection happens after you accept, at a time and place that suits you. The balance goes into your bank account, and we collect the car from anywhere in Australia only after you confirm the funds have cleared. We prepare the sale paperwork, help with the transfer of ownership and make sure your notice of disposal is done correctly.

“They helped me through the transaction of a high value car and made it very pleasant. From paperwork and working with the lenders, to a personal touch.” Roy.

When you’re ready, ask for a free valuation or call 1800 73 55 73. There’s no obligation and no fees taken out of the offer.