Car insurance in SA: CTP, regos and renewals

CTP is a mandatory insurance scheme that applies to all vehicle owners in Australia. While the scheme and legislation for how CTP works differs depending on which state or territory you’re in, broadly, it exists to help protect drivers from the financial impact of causing death or injury to another road user.

CTP in South Australia operates as a third-party scheme, which means that claims for injuries may only be accepted if you’re not at fault, or if two drivers are found to be equally at fault (depending on the circumstances). It won’t cover an injured driver who is entirely at fault, which differs from some other Australian states and territories, such as NSW.

In SA, you pay for CTP at the same time you register your vehicle. You can choose the insurer, allowing you to shop around for the service and price that suits you, but all insurers ultimately offer the same policy of insurance.

All vehicles in South Australia need to be registered before they can be used on the road, including trailers. This applies regardless of whether you’re driving a car, caravan, or motorbike.

If you’re buying a new car, some dealerships may register the car on your behalf. Otherwise, you can arrange it yourself by visiting a Service SA centre.

For information on what you need and how it works, visit sa.gov.au.

You can renew your car, motorbike, caravan or trailer registration for 3 or 12 months. To renew your rego, you’ll need your vehicle’s plate number and your licence or client number.

If you renew early and pay for your rego before the expiry date (A+ for being on top of your life admin!), your rego will kick in the day after the expiry date.

If your registration expires, you'll have 2 options:

• Renew: your new rego period will start from the last expiry date and you'll pay the same amount on your renewal notice.
• Re-register: a new rego period will begin from the day you pay your registration, and an additional $21 fee¹ will apply if the vehicle has been unregistered for more than 90 days.

For information on renewals, head over to sa.gov.au.