When does the ACT ask for one?
Access Canberra's list starts with the ones most people meet: transferring ACT registration for a vehicle over 6 years old, changing interstate registration to the ACT, and clearing a defect notice. It also covers recall inspections, cancelled or lapsed registration, public vehicle renewals and heavy vehicle registration.
Buying privately outside the ACT has a wrinkle of its own. If the year of manufacture is 10 years or less, the car needs both a roadworthy inspection and a vehicle identity inspection.
A car bought new from an interstate dealer with a Type Approval Number may not need one. Some vehicles aren't eligible, so check first.
Hume or an authorised inspection station?
| Access Canberra, Hume | Authorised inspection station | |
|---|---|---|
| Private cars | Yes | Yes |
| Heavy vehicles, or over 4.5 tonnes GVM | Yes | No |
| Modified cars, street rods, left-hand drive | Yes | No |
| Public vehicles | Yes | No |
| Imported cars | Yes | Some, so check first |
| How to arrange it | By appointment only, booked by phone or at a Service Centre | With the station. Access Canberra keeps a public register |
Going to Hume?
Arrive at least 10 minutes early and report to reception. It's debit or credit card only, with no cash or cheques. Bring your registration number or interstate plates, plus the tools to swap plates, and stay for the whole inspection.
How long does the certificate last?
Access Canberra says Certificates of Inspection are valid for one month from the initial inspection date. If the car needs repairs before it passes, ask how that affects your month, and leave yourself some room.
What the ACT inspector checks
- Wheels and tyres.
- Steering and suspension.
- Brakes.
- Seats and seatbelts.
- Lights and reflectors.
- Windscreen, windows, wipers and washers.
- The car's structure.
- Identifying numbers: the VIN, chassis and engine numbers.
- Other items that affect safety.
What doesn't it check?
Access Canberra says the inspection doesn't cover mechanical reliability, general condition or non-safety extras such as air conditioning. A pass says the safety items were fine that day. If you're paying for a used car, a pre-purchase inspection answers the bigger question.
If the car fails
A failed inspection shows as a fail on the certificate. Before you start repairs, ask the station how the recheck works and how long you've got.
Motor vehicle repairers need a licence to operate in the ACT, and there's a public register, so you can look a business up before you say yes.
What's yours and what's the mechanic's
You can
- Check the year of manufacture and your rego papers, since both change what you need.
- Try every light, and look for broken reflectors.
- Clean the windscreen and windows, and top up the washers.
- Find the VIN so you can confirm it matches your paperwork.
Leave to the mechanic
- Repairs to anything marked on a failed certificate.
- Seatbelt, brake and steering faults.
- The inspection itself: Hume or an authorised station.
Our take
If you're selling an older car in Canberra, we'd have a mechanic look over the safety items first, then get the inspection done when a buyer is close, so the month isn't spent waiting. If your car is modified, we wouldn't ring around at all. We'd go straight to arranging Hume, because that's the only place that can take it.