Roadworthy vs pre-purchase inspection
A pink slip, roadworthy certificate or safety certificate is a statutory inspection for registration. A pre-purchase inspection is a report for a buyer. Here's the difference by state, and how to word a PPI so no one mistakes it for a roadworthy.
By Miqui Campuzano, founder of GoFolio · Updated 6 October 2026
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and depend on your circumstances: check with your state's transport department and your accountant. Checked against the official sources linked below on 6 October 2026.
A roadworthy, pink slip or safety certificate is a statutory inspection: the state sets what is checked, only licensed or approved inspectors can issue it, and it exists for registration. A pre-purchase inspection (PPI) is a commercial service you sell to a buyer, with no statutory standing in any of the states below. Buyers mix the two up, so your report has to make the difference obvious.
The statutory inspections, state by state
This covers only the states whose official transport page we checked on 6 October 2026. Each row links to its source.
| State | What it's called | Who can issue it | When it's needed | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Safety inspection report (pink slip) | Authorised Inspection Scheme (AIS) stations only | Yearly, to renew rego for most light vehicles more than 5 years old (counted from the compliance plate date; for imports, the manufacture date) | 6 months: rego must be renewed within that time |
| VIC | Roadworthy certificate (RWC) | A licensed vehicle tester | Selling a car, re-registering it, or clearing some defect notices | 30 days from issue; usable more than once in that window |
| QLD | Safety certificate | Approved inspection stations (AIS) only | Transferring rego to a new owner (the seller gets it), moving to QLD rego from interstate, or re-registering an unregistered vehicle. Not needed for unregistered vehicles, trades to or between licensed dealers, or some exempt transfers | Private seller: 2 months or 2,000 km. Licensed dealer: 3 months or 1,000 km. Whichever comes first; one transfer per certificate |
Queensland no longer requires a safety certificate before a registered car is advertised for sale, but the seller must have one before disposing of it (other than to a dealer) and can be fined over $700 without one. In NSW and Victoria a failed car can be fixed and rechecked within 14 days without paying for a new inspection (in NSW, at the same AIS station). For other states and territories, check the state transport department before telling a customer what they need.
What the states say their own inspection is not
Two of the three official pages spell out their own limits. Quote them when a buyer asks why they need a PPI on a car that already has a roadworthy.
Victoria’s roadworthy certificate page says an RWC shows the car is currently safe to drive but doesn’t guarantee it’s mechanically reliable. It lists what isn’t covered: general wear and tear, non-safety items like air-con and electric windows, whether checked items keep working, and full compliance with the Australian Design Rules. It tells owners who want an inspection of overall condition and reliability to organise a separate independent inspection.
Queensland’s safety certificate page lists the items inspected (tyres, brakes, steering, suspension, body rust or damage, windscreen, lights). It says the inspection is not a full mechanical inspection of the vehicle’s quality or life expectancy, and points buyers to a motoring group such as RACQ for a full mechanical inspection.
Roadworthy vs PPI, side by side
| Statutory roadworthy / safety inspection | Pre-purchase inspection | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | The owner or seller, to meet a rego rule | The buyer who pays for it |
| Who can do it | Licensed or approved inspectors only (see above) | Any mechanic the buyer chooses |
| What's checked | A state-set list of safety items | Whatever your checklist covers: engine, gearbox, leaks, history, road test |
| Outcome | Issued or not issued | A graded report of condition on the day |
| Answers the question | Is it safe enough to register? | What condition is it in, and what will it need soon? |
| Legal standing | Required for rego or transfer in the cases above | None: a private report to your customer |
One does not stand in for the other. A car can pass a roadworthy with a gearbox on the way out, and a PPI with no Fail items is still not a certificate the buyer can use to register or transfer the car.
How to word a PPI report so no one mistakes it for a roadworthy
A buyer who thinks your report is the roadworthy may skip the statutory inspection, or later claim you certified the car as safe. Close that off in the wording.
- Title it “Pre-purchase inspection report”. Never use roadworthy, RWC, pink slip, safety check or safety certificate in the title, the file name or the invoice line.
- Don’t give the car an overall “PASSED” or “Roadworthy: yes”. Grade each item (pass, watch, fail) and summarise the findings instead.
- Put the scope statement below near the top, not in the footer.
- Where a safety item fails (tyres, brakes, lights, rust), say so plainly and add that the car may not pass a statutory inspection until it’s fixed. Don’t predict that it will pass.
This is a pre-purchase inspection report prepared for the buyer named above. It is NOT a roadworthy certificate, safety certificate, pink slip or any other statutory inspection, and it cannot be used to register or transfer the vehicle. If the sale needs a statutory inspection in your state, it must be done separately by a licensed or approved inspector. This report describes the vehicle's condition as found on date at odometer km. Nothing was dismantled, and it is not a guarantee of future condition or reliability.
"I can tell you what I found, and the safety items are all in the report. But I'm not issuing a roadworthy, and this report isn't one. If you need one to transfer the rego, that's a separate inspection by a licensed tester."
For the PPI itself, the pre-purchase inspection checklist has the full printable list, the grading guide and the report contents.
Common questions
If a car fails its roadworthy or pink slip, does the owner pay again?
Not if they're quick. In NSW, repairs done within 14 days and reassessed at the same AIS station attract no extra inspection fee. In Victoria, the owner has 14 days to fix the issues and get the car rechecked; after that it's a new test.
Can a mobile mechanic do pink slips in NSW?
Only as an Authorised Inspection Scheme station. NSW says mobile pink slip providers can come to the customer for the same pink slip fee, though a call-out fee may apply. Any mechanic can do a pre-purchase inspection.