Missing your expiry date isn't the end of the world. You can renew an expired rego in every state, though if you've kept driving on it there's a decent chance you'll cop a fine for it.
How do I renew an expired rego?
Every state and territory does this a bit differently, so the details depend on where the car is registered. Your local transport authority's website is the place to start, or read our guide to car registration in Australia.
A couple of examples show how much it varies. In New South Wales you can renew within three months of expiry, but renewing late means the new period starts on the day you pay while the expiry date stays put, so you're short-changed on the year. In Western Australia, once you're past three months you have to hand in your plates and get the car inspected before it goes back on the road.
So check your own state before you assume anything. In most cases it's quick: enter the car's details online, then pay for the new rego using whichever payment option suits, with a late fee tacked on in some places. You'll get a fresh registration certificate and you're clear to drive again.
Can I drive an unregistered vehicle?
No. Driving unregistered is illegal, full stop, and you probably won't get away with it.
You'll usually get a renewal notice before the expiry date rolls around, which gives you plenty of time to pay. Ignore it and keep driving, and you're running a real risk. In South Australia and plenty of other places, roadside cameras read plates and pick up unregistered cars automatically, and the fine turns up in the post.
Crash while unregistered and it gets a lot worse. With no CTP cover in place, you're personally on the hook for anyone you injure.
There is one narrow exception. In states where the car needs an inspection before you can renew, you can sometimes get an unregistered vehicle permit to drive it there. In New South Wales this is the UVP: it lets you drive to a service station or weighbridge if you need to check the gross vehicle mass, but you have to pull the plates off and take the most direct route.
Checking a car's registration status
Not sure whether your own car is still registered, or eyeing off a used car and wondering the same thing? A free rego check on your transport authority's website will tell you, and all you need is the plate. It'll show whether the car is registered, when the current rego expires, and often who the CTP insurer is.
That's as far as it goes, though. It won't tell you who's driving the car, their address, or how to contact them.
Checking the rego on a second-hand car
Buying second-hand? Ask the seller for their rego certificate, and if they can't find it, ask them to order a replacement. Failing that, run the plate through the government site yourself, which again only tells you whether the rego is current, cancelled or expired.
For anything deeper, get a full vehicle history report from Carify. It covers the registration, CTP insurer, damage history, stolen check and a safety check, so you're not signing for a car that turns out to be illegal to drive the moment you take the keys.
A few common questions
If your rego runs out but the car's sitting in the driveway, nothing happens. It only becomes a problem once you drive. Pay within the grace period, usually 30 days, and you generally won't be charged extra, though you can still be fined for having driven while it was expired, and if you've been on the road without CTP the penalties climb fast.
Let it lapse more than three months and, in some states, you're required to hand your plates in before you can renew. As for the last day: rego expires at midnight, so you're fine to drive right up to 11:59pm on the expiry date, and not a minute after.
When in doubt, check online before you turn the key. And if you're buying used, a vehicle history report tells you exactly where the current rego stands.
