Tools you need: Second-hand car registration check

Looking to buy a second-hand car? Do this first!

On a scale of one-to-ten, how nervous are you when buying a second-hand car?

While most sellers are honest and open, you never want to be the person caught out by that one unscrupulous ‘too good to be true’ deal. So how can you protect yourself?

One of the best ways to double-check the information about a car being advertised is to run the registration plate through one of the state-based governing bodies. These online tools allow you to immediately verify that the car is what it says it is, when the registration is (or has) expires and in some cases disclose the full VIN details so you can use other online tools to further check information on the car.

And yes, for a bit of fun, you can even check a couple of the WA plates used in our header image…

Here’s what to expect in each state:

Australian Capital Territory

	ACT Registration Check Details
Website	Access Canberra – Check Registration Details
Car information	Year / Make / Model / Colour / Build date
Registration information	Status and expiry
VIN or engine number	Last four digits
Insurance information	Status and insurer
Theft information	Stolen car / plate / engine flags

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New South Wales

	NSW Registration Check Details
Website	Service NSW – Check Vehicle Registration
Car information	Year / Make / Model / Colour / Body style
Registration information	Status and expiry
VIN or engine number	Last four digits
Insurance information	Status and insurer
Theft information	Report available to purchase – $22

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Northern Territory

	NT Registration Check Details
Website	NT.GOV.AU – Check your vehicle registration
Car information	Year / Make / Model / Colour
Registration information	Status and expiry
VIN or engine number	None
Insurance information	None
Theft information	None

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Queensland

	QLD Registration Check Details
Website	Queensland Government – Check Registration Status
Car information	Year / Make / Model / Body style
Registration information	Status and expiry
VIN or engine number	Full VIN details
Insurance information	None
Theft information	None

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South Australia

	SA Registration Check Details
Website	EzyReg – Check Registration
Car information	Make / Model / Colour
Registration information	Expiry
VIN or engine number	Last four digits
Insurance information	Insurer
Theft information	None

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Tasmania

	TAS Registration Check Details
Website	Transport TAS – Rego Check
Car information	Year / Make / Model / Colour
Registration information	Status and expiry
VIN or engine number	Complete Engine number
Insurance information	None
Theft information	Stolen car / write-off flags

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Victoria

	VIC Registration Check Details
Website	VicRoads – Registration Check
Car information	Year / Make / Colour / Body style
Registration information	Status and expiry
VIN or engine number	Complete engine number and VIN
Insurance information	None
Theft information	Sanctions flag

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Western Australia

	WA Registration Check Details
Website	Department of Transport – Vehicle Licence Expiry
Car information	Year / Make / Model / Colour / Body style
Registration information	Expiry
VIN or engine number	None
Insurance information	None
Theft information	None

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Visit the Mercedes Benz VIN decoder article here.

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