Buying a Used Car in Tasmania

Tasmania at a Glance

How to Check a Car Before Buying in Tasmania

Start before you go to see the car, once you have its number plate and VIN. See car and vehicle checks before buying for what each one shows.

1. Run Transport Tasmania's free registration check, by number plate. It shows the vehicle's details and when its registration expires, which also tells you whether the rule below applies.
2. Run a PPSR check with the VIN, on ppsr.gov.au, for money owing and whether the car has been reported stolen or written off anywhere in Australia.
3. Look up its recalls on the government's vehicle recalls site, and ask the seller for proof any were fixed.
4. Inspect the car yourself with a used car inspection checklist, then test drive it. Nobody has to check a currently registered car for you.

When a Car Needs an Inspection

Registration is the thing to check. A car that's been unregistered for three months or more must be inspected at an Approved Inspection Station before it can be registered in your name. If the registration lapsed less than three months ago, you pay the renewal fee, backdated to the expiry (Transport Tasmania).

So a cheap car with lapsed registration can cost more than its price suggests. Ask how long it's been off the road, and budget for the inspection and any repairs it needs to pass.

What the Seller Does

The seller must lodge a notice of disposal within 7 days of the sale, which is half the time you have to transfer. It can be done online if both of you hold a Tasmanian licence, or through a Service Tasmania service centre, by post or by email (Transport Tasmania). Give the seller your details on the day.

Transferring the Registration

You must lodge your application to transfer the registration within 14 days of buying the car (State Revenue Office). The paperwork can be lodged at a Service Tasmania service centre, and penalties may apply if you miss the deadline (Transport Tasmania).

There's a transfer fee as well as duty. It was $35.28 for a car as at November 2026, and the duty and transfer fee calculator adds up both.

Motor Vehicle Duty

Duty on a used car is charged on the dutiable value, which is the greatest of the price you paid, including any trade-in, and the market value when you acquired the car or apply to register it (State Revenue Office). These are the rates for a passenger car as at November 2026 (State Revenue Office).

What Duty Costs in Practice

A $15,000 car costs $450 in duty, and a $38,000 car costs $1,380. Watch the band from $35,000 to $40,000: each extra $100 there costs $11 in duty, so a price just under $35,000 is worth more than it looks. Utes, panel vans and motorcycles stay at a flat $3 per $100, with a $20 minimum, whatever their value.

Before You Pay

Run your own PPSR check on the day you pay, and check the documents. A private sale doesn't come with a dealer's guarantees: see buying from a private seller.

Buying in another state? See Victoria, NSW, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT or the NT.

Questions Answered