NOTE: Be aware that owners of vehicles that are subject to the compulsory defective Takata airbag recall may be required to provide proof that the defective airbags have been replaced by an authorised vehicle dealer before a roadworthy inspection can be performed.

Most light vehicles in New South Wales have to undergo regular inspections and certifications to remain legal in terms of current roadworthy regulations. However, unlike other jurisdictions, the regulations in NSW make provision for two distinctly different kinds of inspections, each of which serves a particular purpose. Let us look at these inspections in some detail, starting with the-

Pink Slip inspections

With a few exceptions, all light vehicles that are older than 5 years have to undergo an annual safety inspection, aka a Pink Slip inspection. The date on which such an inspection is due is included in vehicle registration renewal notices.

Affected vehicles include the following-

• passenger vehicles
• Motorcycles
• vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 4.5 tonnes or less with no power-operated brakes that are primarily used to carry goods
• trailers and caravans with an aggregate trailer mass of 4.5 tonnes or less, including those fitted with breakaway brakes but note that such vehicles with air or vacuum breakaway braking systems are excluded from this requirement
• vehicles that are used for point-to-point transport have to undergo a safety inspection every year

While the above inspections are used to assess the general safety of a vehicle, there is also another kind of inspection that must be completed for vehicle registration purposes. Below are the main requirements-

Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection (Previously known as Blue Slip inspections)

AUVIS inspections are more comprehensive than Pink Slip inspections with regard to the safety aspects of a vehicle, but these inspections are also used to verify both a vehicle’s identity and its conformity to the design rules that apply to a specific vehicle type or category.

In practice, you must get an AUVIS inspection under the following circumstances-

• if a vehicle’s registration expired more than three months ago
• if the vehicle had been imported from another state or territory
• if the vehicle does not have number plates
• if a vehicle is written-off, but repairable and approved for re-registration
• if the vehicle had undergone significant changes, such as an engine replacement
• if the vehicle had received some types of defect notices
• if the vehicle had been imported from overseas, but note that in such cases, the vehicle examiner must be provided with a valid Vehicle Import Approval issued for the vehicle by the Australian Government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

What is a Green Slip?

Note that even if your vehicle passes all required inspections, you need to purchase a Green Slip before you can register your vehicle in NSW. This slip is a form of insurance that provides different types of insurance coverage in case you should be involved in an accident. Note however, that since the types of cover provided depends on whether the accident happened in NSW, or outside of the state's borders, we strongly recommend that you visit this official NSW government resource to learn more about how Green Slips work, and what they cover.

How long are roadworthy certificates valid in New South Wales?

Roadworthy reports issued in NSW are valid for 6 months from the date of issue for private passenger vehicles, but other periods of validity apply to vehicles used for public transport. Moreover, issued reports must be used for vehicle registrations within six months from the date of issue for a report to remain valid.

Note that if the description or specifications of a vehicle change significantly, you’ll need to ask for a new registration renewal notice to see if the inspection requirements for the altered vehicle have changed.

Roadworthy reports and/or certificates issued in jurisdictions other than NSW are valid for 42 days from the date of issue, or the period of validity in the issuing jurisdiction if this period is shorter than 42 days.

Who can issue roadworthy certificates (Blue Slips) in New South Wales?

All vehicle inspections can be performed by Authorised Safety Inspection providers, but be aware that not all such providers can, or do, provide all such required inspections. For instance, some providers specialize in inspections of heavy vehicles, while others perform inspections on both heavy and light vehicles, but not on motorcycles or caravans.

This being the case, we recommend that you visit this official NSW government resource to find an inspection service provider near youthat can perform the specific type(s) of inspections(s) you require.

How much do roadworthy inspections cost in New South Wales?

New South Wales regulations describe a wide range of possible vehicle inspections, but while this list is too long to reproduce here, the following random examples of inspections and their accompanying fees are instructive. Note while the fees quoted below were correct as of 1 April 2021 and are inclusive of GST, inspection fees are reviewed annually and could change without notice- 

Pink Slip Inspections (Vehicle Safety Check)

• $43 for a light vehicle
• $24 for a motorcycle
• $22 for a trailer without brakes
• $34 for a trailer with brakes

Blue Slip (Safety and Identity Check)

• $69 for a light vehicle
• $42 for a motorcycle
• $35 for a trailer without brakes
• $50 for a trailer with brakes

Vehicle Identity and Inspections Unit (VIIU)

• $529for the initial inspection of a written-off vehicle
• $73 for the initial inspection of high-risk vehicles (interstate vehicles or vehicles with identification irregularities)

More information on the full list of possible inspections and their accompanying fees is available here.