The ACT has two quirks that catch sellers who've done this elsewhere.
First, an inspection is required for any vehicle over six years old — an age test rather than a blanket rule, and a lower threshold than the Northern Territory's seven years. Second, there's no online transfer for private individuals: it's done in person at a service centre. Only the ACT and the NT still work that way.
Two ACT-specific things to plan for: the age-based inspection, and an in-person transfer. Neither is difficult; both need a diary entry.
Does your car need an inspection?
If it's over six years old, or an imported vehicle, yes. Access Canberra publishes the roadworthy inspection requirements, and that page is the authority for your specific vehicle.
The certificate is valid one month — shorter than Queensland's two months and the NT's six weeks. Time the inspection to when you're genuinely ready to sell, not months ahead, or you'll pay for two.
Under six years old and locally delivered? No inspection needed.
Before you advertise
- Check the age threshold and book the inspection if it applies.
- Gather the registration papers and service history.
- Note the odometer reading.
- Deal with any finance owing before you list — a buyer running a PPSR check will find it.
Selling the car
Write a receipt: both parties' names and addresses, the date, the sale price, the registration and VIN, the odometer reading, both signatures. Keep a copy and photograph it.
Take the buyer's details from their driver licence. A name that doesn't match is a reason to stop the sale, not a detail to work around.
Lodging the notice of disposal
Access Canberra sets out the notice of disposal on its page for selling an ACT registered vehicle.
We could not find a stated deadline for lodging it — unlike every other jurisdiction, which publishes either 7 or 14 days. That absence isn't the same as there being no deadline, so confirm it with Access Canberra if it matters to you.
Either way, lodge it the day you sell and the question doesn't arise. Until it's in, the vehicle is registered to you, and infringements follow the registration.
The transfer — in person only
This is the part to warn your buyer about. The ACT has no online transfer for private individuals: it must be done at an Access Canberra service centre. See vehicle registration and transfer.
The buyer pays the transfer fee, currently $51.70 — at the higher end nationally — and the ACT adds a non-refundable $139.50 if the transfer is lodged late. That late fee is unusually steep and unusually unforgiving, so it's worth telling the buyer plainly rather than letting them discover it. Current figures are on the transfer fees page.
Duty — check the current rates, they've moved
The ACT calculates motor vehicle duty in bands based on the vehicle's CO₂ emissions, not value alone. So a low-emissions car and a thirsty one of identical price attract different duty — which is deliberate policy, and which surprises buyers from other states.
Read the current rates on the ACT Revenue Office page. We're deliberately not quoting figures: the ACT has revised these recently, has further changes scheduled, and any number in a third-party article — including this one — is likely to be stale. This is the one duty figure in Australia we'd most strongly advise against taking secondhand.
Insurance
Cancel or transfer your comprehensive cover once the sale is complete and the notice of disposal is lodged — not before the buyer drives away, because until then it's still your car. Ask your insurer specifically about test drives.
What this means if you're selling on MotorLoop
The inspection and the in-person transfer are between you and Access Canberra. What we can do is the listing side: listing a car on MotorLoop is free, and buyers message you in the app so your phone number stays private until you choose to share it.