Vehicle registration checks
In Victoria, you can perform free registration checks online for any vehicle via one of two primary services that the government makes available to all.
What You Need
In order to perform any of the checks, you will need at least one of the following for the vehicle:
- Registration number (aka number plate); OR
- Vehicle identification number (VIN); OR
- Chassis number
If you are wanting to do a registration check on a vehicle with a club permit, you may only use the vehicle's permit number which is the same as the plate(s) on the vehicle.
What You Get
The registration checks provided by the listed services will generally give you most of, if not all, of the following details:
- Registration number (or permit number)
- Registration status / expiry date
- Registration serial number
- Year
- Make
- Body type
- Colour
- Engine number
- Compliance plate / RAV entry date
- Any sanctions applicable
- Whether or not they're a goods carrying vehicle
- Whether or not the transfer is in dispute
Registration Check Services
VicRoads
The VicRoads website allows you to do a free registration check for cars, trucks, motorcycles, caravans, trailers, or vehicles with club permits.
If you're performing a registration check as part of the process of purchasing a vehicle, VicRoads also offers the option to purchase a VicRoads Vehicle Report1 online for 27.63 AUD (including GST + credit card fee) at the time of writing.
The paid vehicle report includes everything included in the free registration check and the following items, where available, at the time of writing:
- Vehicle specifications such as transmission, fuel type, etc
- Registration history (within Victoria)
- Transfer history (within Victoria)
- Roadworthy inspection and result history
- Odometer history and market comparison
- Vehicle value insights and market comparison
- Finance status sourced via the Personal Properties Securities Register (PPSR)2
- The report includes a copy of the PPSR search certificate where available
- Reported accidents and thefts history
- Written-off vehicle history (excludes caravans, trailers, and heavy vehicles)
Service Victoria
You can also use the Service Victoria website do a registration check for the same vehicle types available to check on VicRoads except for vehicles with club permits where you must do a VicRoads Registration Check.
We recommend using the VicRoads service when it is available as it is more comprehensive and also allows you to easily proceed to a paid vehicle report if you need to.
Other States
If you are unable to find a vehicle with a Victorian registration check, it may be that the registration number is for another state.
Every state and territory in Australia provides their own free vehicle registration checks which can be used similarly to the Victorian services.
They are listed below in the order that we think you would be most likely to have seen them on Victorian roads:
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Western Australia
- ACT
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory