Cheapest and dearest state to register a car in 2026

Tasmania is the cheapest place to register a typical car, at $642.77 a year. Australian Capital Territory is the dearest, at $1,036.10. That is a gap of $393.33 a year, or about $7.56 a week.

Updated 9 October 2026. Figures come from the same fee tables as the compare every state calculator, where you can try your own car.

The short answer

Yearly rego, cheapest to dearest: TAS $642.77, SA $705, NSW $833, NT $849.25, QLD $852.70, WA $953.44, VIC $958.80, ACT $1,036.10.
Buying a $30,000 used car (transfer fee and stamp duty): Northern Territory is cheapest at $922 and Victoria is dearest at $1,307.50.
An electric car is cheapest to register in Northern Territory ($623.25 a year) and dearest in Western Australia ($1,072.48).
CTP insurance is bought separately in NSW, Queensland and the ACT, so we added an example amount in those states to make the comparison fair. Without it, those three look cheaper than they are.

Yearly rego for a typical car

The car is a 4-cylinder petrol sedan, 1,400 kg tare, used privately: in Victoria in a high-risk metropolitan zone, in South Australia in the metropolitan area, in the NT with a 2,000 cc engine, and in the ACT in emissions category B. The figure is 12 months of registration including compulsory third party (CTP) injury cover.

TAS$642.77

SA$705

NSW$833

NT$849.25

QLD$852.70

WA$953.44

VIC$958.80

ACT$1,036.10

State	Per year	Per week	CTP
Tasmania	$642.77	$12.36	Included in the fee
South Australia	$705	$13.56	Included in the fee
New South Wales	$833	$16.02	Your estimate $458
Northern Territory	$849.25	$16.33	Included in the fee
Queensland	$852.70	$16.40	Your estimate $400
Western Australia	$953.44	$18.34	Included in the fee
Victoria	$958.80	$18.44	Included in the fee
Australian Capital Territory	$1,036.10	$19.92	Your estimate $397

The NSW figure includes the $100 private-use discount available to 31 August 2027.

Buying a $30,000 used car

This is the one-off cost of a transfer and stamp duty for a car that already has current rego, paid on time. Stamp duty is a big driver, and states charge it very differently: some use a flat rate, some use tiers, and some give concessions to lower-emission cars.

NT$922

QLD$933.65

TAS$935.28

NSW$942

ACT$1,002.70

WA$1,070.50

SA$1,173

VIC$1,307.50

State	Transfer and stamp duty
Northern Territory	$922
Queensland	$933.65
Tasmania	$935.28
New South Wales	$942
Australian Capital Territory	$1,002.70
Western Australia	$1,070.50
South Australia	$1,173
Victoria	$1,307.50

An electric car

Same comparison for an electric car of 1,800 kg tare, counting each state’s electric car rego rules. Where rego is charged by weight (NSW and WA, and by weight and emissions in the ACT), a heavier electric car costs more to register than a light petrol one. Elsewhere rego is set by vehicle type or class, so an electric car costs about the same as a petrol car, or less where the state has a lower electric car category.

NT$623.25

TAS$642.77

SA$705

QLD$770.35

ACT$936

VIC$958.80

NSW$1,038

WA$1,072.48

State	Per year	Per week	CTP
Northern Territory	$623.25	$11.99	Included in the fee
Tasmania	$642.77	$12.36	Included in the fee
South Australia	$705	$13.56	Included in the fee
Queensland	$770.35	$14.81	Your estimate $400
Australian Capital Territory	$936	$18	Your estimate $397
Victoria	$958.80	$18.44	Included in the fee
New South Wales	$1,038	$19.96	Your estimate $458
Western Australia	$1,072.48	$20.62	Included in the fee

See EV incentives by state for rebates, duty concessions and what has ended or is planned.

How we worked it out

Every figure is produced by the same calculation that powers each state’s rego calculator, using fee tables checked against Service NSW, Queensland Transport and Main Roads, Service SA, Transport Services, Access Canberra, Department of Transport, Motor Vehicle Registry, VicRoads in October 2026.
CTP examples: NSW $458, Queensland $400, ACT $397. These are examples, and your own quote will differ. The ACT figure is unconfirmed.
Not included: plates, safety checks, late fees, concessions for pensioners or other groups, hybrid duty rates, heavy vehicles and motorcycles.
Fees change, often on 1 July or 1 January. Check with your state agency before you pay.

Open a state’s calculator for the full breakdown: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria.

Quoting this page

You are welcome to quote these figures with a link back to this page. Please say the car, the date and that they are estimates. For other cars, use the compare every state calculator.