By James Stevens, Director and Solicitor, Go To Court Lawyers. Last reviewed 10 April 2026.
Key points
- Fines from 1 July 2026: $867 for using an unregistered car on a road, $867 for using an uninsured one, and $339 for leaving an unregistered car parked on a road. The registration and uninsured offences often come together.
- Police can fine you, take the number plates and seize the vehicle.
- No CTP cover: an unregistered vehicle is unlikely to have compulsory third party insurance, and you may have to pay compensation to anyone injured in a crash.
- No grace period: the vehicle is unregistered from the expiry date. You can renew online for up to 3 months afterwards; after that you must re-register it.
- You can drive unregistered only by the most direct route to get or renew registration, or with an unregistered vehicle permit.
- Court: up to $2,200 for using an unregistered vehicle and $5,500 for an uninsured one.
- For advice on an unregistered or uninsured vehicle fine, or a court date, call 1800 577 015 at any hour: free general legal information, and a 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in NSW for a fixed $295.
In NSW a vehicle is unregistered from the day its registration expires, or is cancelled or suspended; from 1 July 2026 the penalty notice for using an unregistered car on a road is $867, the same as for using an uninsured one, and police can also take the number plates or seize the vehicle. You may drive an unregistered vehicle only by the most direct route to get it registered, or with an unregistered vehicle permit.
Checked on 23 October 2026 against Revenue NSW's 2026-27 penalty data, the NSW Government, Service NSW and the Local Court Bench Book.
When is a vehicle unregistered?
- The day it expires: a vehicle becomes unregistered when its registration is not renewed by the expiry date, or when it is cancelled or suspended.
- Late renewal is not a grace period: Service NSW lets you renew online up to 3 months after the expiry date, but the vehicle is unregistered from the expiry date until you pay. The new period starts on the day you pay and ends on the old expiry date, so you do not get a full year. After 3 months unregistered, you must re-register the vehicle at a service centre.
- Six-month renewals: you must pay the CTP insurance and renew no later than 21 days after the expiry date.
- Reminders: renewal notices go out 4 to 6 weeks before the due date. You can ask for one up to 3 months early by calling Service NSW on 13 77 88 or at a service centre.
- CTP insurance (the green slip): every vehicle except trailers and caravans must have it, and when a vehicle is unregistered its CTP insurance is usually not valid. You cannot renew the registration without a green slip for the same term.
- Check for free: Service NSW's free registration check (online or in the app) shows the expiry date, whether the registration is suspended or cancelled, and the CTP insurer and policy expiry date.
- Cameras check too: enforcement cameras read number plates and check them for valid registration and CTP insurance.
Fines for unregistered and uninsured vehicles
| Offence | Fine from 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|
| Use an unregistered car or other light (Class A) vehicle on a road | $867 |
| Use an uninsured vehicle on a road | $867 |
| Stand (leave parked) an unregistered car on a road | $339 |
| Cause or permit someone else to use an unregistered vehicle | $867 |
| Cause or permit someone else to use an uninsured vehicle | $867 |
| Use an unregistered trailer on a road | $867 |
| Stand an unregistered trailer on a road | $241 |
| Use an unregistered Class B or Class C vehicle on a road | $1,831 |
- These are the penalty notice amounts in Revenue NSW's data for offences from July to September 2026. Transport for NSW's penalties page still shows the earlier amounts (such as $818).
- Two fines at once: an unregistered car is usually uninsured as well, and the uninsured offence often comes with the registration offence.
- Demerit points: Transport for NSW lists none for a car. For a heavy vehicle (gross vehicle mass over 4.5 tonnes), driving or parking unregistered also carries 4 demerit points.
- Not the driver? The last registered operator of an unregistered vehicle can still be fined, for causing or permitting its use.
- Parking: the NSW Government says penalties apply to parking an unregistered vehicle on a road or road-related area for more than 15 days.
- How often: in July to September 2026, Revenue NSW's data shows 8,355 notices for using an unregistered car (1,629 of them from cameras), 5,347 for using an uninsured vehicle and 5,252 for leaving an unregistered car on a road.
What police can do
- On the spot: if police catch you driving an unregistered vehicle, they can give you a fine, seize or remove the number plates, and seize the vehicle.
- Speeding as well: there are also penalties for speeding while driving unregistered. See speeding fines in NSW.
- Driving to get it registered: if police pull you over, you may need to show that the trip is to get the vehicle registered. The NSW Government suggests booking the inspection, so the appointment can be checked with the vehicle examiner.
If there is a crash
The NSW Government warns that an unregistered vehicle is unlikely to be covered by compulsory third party (CTP) insurance, and that you may be liable to pay compensation to anyone injured in an accident involving it. If someone was hurt, get legal advice early.
When you can drive an unregistered vehicle
You can drive an unregistered vehicle only while you are getting or renewing its registration, or with an unregistered vehicle permit. While getting or renewing registration, you must take the most direct or convenient route:
- to the nearest convenient service centre;
- to the nearest convenient authorised inspection station, or while the vehicle is being inspected or tested;
- to the nearest practicable weighbridge, to weigh the vehicle;
- to the nearest convenient office of a licensed insurer, to get CTP insurance;
- from a service centre or inspection station, if registration is refused, to the nearest place for repairs or where the vehicle is garaged, unless you have been told not to drive it until it is repaired;
- to the nearest convenient place for any other purpose directly connected with registering it.
Any other trip needs an unregistered vehicle permit. Some vehicles are exempt from registration altogether, such as farm machinery like tractors and harvesters, motorised wheelchairs, and electric bicycles within the power limits.
Unregistered vehicle permits
- What it covers: a specific journey by the most direct route: one way, a return trip, a trip over several days (up to 28), or a trip into or out of NSW. It is valid only for the time the journey needs, does not cover regular use, and is not a substitute for registration.
- Not available for: vehicles written off in NSW or interstate, vehicles listed as stolen, vehicles that are already registered, vehicles whose registration was suspended by a defect notice, modified vehicles without a compliance certificate for the change, vehicles carrying a commercial load (except plant such as forklifts), and vehicles that do not need registration.
- How to apply: take the Application for Unregistered Vehicle Permit, the Vehicle Suitable for Safe Use Declaration (form 1245), proof of identity and payment to a service centre. If you have held a NSW registration or licence before, you can apply by email (Transactions.parkes@service.nsw.gov.au) or post; allow up to 7 days.
- Fee: the permit fee includes CTP insurance for the permit, which covers roads and road-related areas only.
- Number plates: if the registration was cancelled, hand the plates back before the permit is issued. If it only expired, you keep them, but you must take them off before driving on the permit.
- On the road: display the permit label and carry the permit in the vehicle at all times.
Reviews and court
You can ask Revenue NSW to review the fine, or elect to have it decided by the Local Court. If police charge you instead of giving you a fine, the case goes to court. A magistrate can impose up to these maximums:
| Offence | Maximum court fine |
|---|---|
| Use an unregistered registrable vehicle (Road Transport Act 2013, s 68(1)) | 20 penalty units ($2,200) |
| Use an uninsured motor vehicle on a road (Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017, s 2.1(1)) | 50 penalty units ($5,500) |
| Unregistered vehicles, and vehicles on which tax has not been paid (Motor Vehicles Taxation Act 1988, s 9) | 10 penalty units ($1,100) |
- One penalty unit is $110 in NSW.
- If you lose in court, the court can impose a higher fine than the notice, costs and a conviction. See how to appeal a traffic fine in NSW for the review and court options and their deadlines.
Free help in NSW
| Service | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue NSW, fines not yet overdue | 1300 138 118 | 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday |
| LawAccess NSW (Legal Aid NSW) | 1300 888 529 | 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays |
How Go To Court Lawyers can help
Our free line, 1800 577 015, answers at any hour. Jen, our AI legal information assistant, gives general legal information and takes your details; Jen is not a lawyer and does not give advice about your case. A 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in New South Wales is a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person where the lawyer offers it. The lawyer can advise whether to pay, seek a review or go to court, and represent you in the Local Court. Requests are taken at any hour; how soon a lawyer can see you depends on who is available. Request a $295 consultation.
General information only, not legal advice. Updated 23 October 2026. Checked against Revenue NSW's penalty notice data for July to September 2026; Transport for NSW's pages on the NSW Government website on the rules for unregistered vehicles, when you can drive one, unregistered vehicle permits, and licence and registration offences and penalties; Service NSW's pages on renewing and checking registration and applying for an unregistered vehicle permit; and the Judicial Commission of NSW's Local Court Bench Book, on 23 October 2026. The NSW legislation website could not be read that day.