How to Check Car Registration: A Complete Guide for Buyers and Owners

Having a car in Australia comes with responsibilities, and one of them is ensuring your registration is up to date. Whether you are a buyer trying to confirm the details before making the payment or an owner keeping up with renewals, knowing how to check car registration is essential. 

In this blog, we will cover the different ways to confirm registration status across states. What information will you need, and how can you save yourself from legal and financial troubles.

Why You Should Check Car Registration?

A car registration check is more than just a checklist part because it confirms whether the car is legally allowed to be driven on Australian roads. If you know how to check a car registration, you can avoid:

• Accidentally buying an unregistered car
• Have an expired registration
• Not sure about the car’s past ownership and relevant details

As a buyer, being able to find a car from registration is also a way to confirm a vehicle’s identity before handing over money. While waiting for documents, you can also inspect the car, read our blog on “How to Inspect a Used Car” to know more about it.

What You Will Need to Do a Registration Check

If you want to check car registration, you will need the following:

• The car’s REGO number
• The state where the car is registered

You can easily search car by registration if you have the above-mentioned details. The information can be gathered from official transport websites.

How to Check Car Registration by State

The process depends on the state your car is registered in. Since all the states have different processes, here’s the breakdown.

Western Australia (WA)

If your car is registered in Western Australia, you can use the car registration check WA service through the Department of Transport REGO check page to verify details. Start by simply entering the car’s REGO number, and you will get details like expiry date and related information. You can also use the car registration Australia WA, when buying a used car, as this gives you confidence and assurance.

New South Wales (NSW)

If you wish to confirm a vehicle’s details in NSW, you need the car registration check NSW, a service provided by NSW government. This service allows you to check registration expiry, vehicle make, model and even CTP insurance status. Living in NSW, this is the most trustworthy way to find car with registration when verifying the provided details. 

Victoria (VIC)

If your car is registered in Victoria, you can use the official VicRoads car registration check VIC service. You just need to enter car registration number plates, and get the information like whether the REGO is current, when it expires and what the vehicle type is. This set for confirmation is very crucial, especially for buyers. 

Queensland (QLD)

Car drivers and owners based in Queensland can use the check car registration QLD service provided by the Department of Transport and Main Roads. This quick search will tell you if registration is valid and when it runs out. Knowing how to check car registration here is useful if you are purchasing from interstate.

How to Find a Car from Registration

As a buyer, sometimes we want to explore and confirm all the information about a used car and finding a car with registration is much more than just checking if REGO is active or not. This also covers:

• Cross-checking the make, model and year with the seller’s details
• Matching plates with the car listed
• Checking suspensions or restrictions

These state-based services can find car with registration in no time by just entering the REGO number. 

Car Registration Checks vs Car History Reports

While a basic check car registration will confirm whether the car is legally registered and allowed on the road, sometimes as a buyer, you will need more information than that to confirm the purchase. A search car by registration through third-party services like Cars24 can provide a full car history. Car registration checks confirm legal worthiness on legal parameters. 

Whereas if we talk about car history reports, we can dig deeper into the car’s financial and accident past. When buying a car history report, ensure it’s from a trusted source like Cars24’s Check Vehicle History. Our car history report will include the following:

• Finance check
• Written off status
• Stolen status
• Recall status
• PPSR certificate
• Odometer comparison
• Current market value
• Market demand 

When buying a used car, you are advised to buy both, along with learning how to check a car registration. This combination gives you complete information. 

Quick Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s a simple checklist if you want to check car registration in Australia.

1. Get car registration number plates.
2. Visit your state’s official transport website (WA, NSW, VIC, QLD)
3. Enter the REGO number
4. Review details like registration status, expiry and basic info
5. If you want extra assurance, order a car history report.

Conclusion

Whether you are a diligent owner keeping track of your renewals or a dedicated buyer trying to verify all details before making the payment, knowing how to check car registration is crucial. For a quick car registration check WA, using the Department of Transport REGO check, to confirm details in VIC, NSW or QLD, the services are available online. This gives you confidence in what you are driving and buying.

So next time you need to confirm the car’s status, don’t wait for anyone. Just grab the car registration number plates and run a quick online check to avoid risk and unnecessary payments.

If you are looking for used cars, try Cars24 and skip the hassle of gathering information about cars, because we provide all the information required to purchase. Explore our services.