You’ve found a buyer for the old HiLux, and the only thing between you and the sale is a roadworthy. The question sitting in the back of your mind is simple: what’s going to fail, and what will it cost to put right?
A roadworthy certificate (RWC) is a check that your car meets Victoria’s minimum safety standards on the day it’s tested. It looks at the parts that keep you safe on the road. It does not check whether the car is reliable or in good general condition. In plain terms, it covers your tyres, brakes, steering and suspension, lights, windscreen and wipers, seatbelts, and a handful of structural items.
The items that fail most often are the cheap, easy-to-miss ones:
Most of these are quick to sort before you book in. A few are bigger jobs. Here’s the rundown.
Uneven tyre wear patterns give useful clues, but they do not confirm the fault on their own. A mechanic still needs to inspect the tyre, wheel alignment, suspension and steering before calling the cause.
| Item | What the tester checks | Rough cost to fix | Sort before booking? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | Tread depth (1.5mm minimum), damage, uneven wear, matching across an axle | $120–$250 per tyre, fitted [VERIFY] | Yes if low or damaged |
| Brakes | Pad and disc wear, leaks, handbrake hold, brake lights | $150–$350 per axle for pads[VERIFY] | Get it checked, often a workshop job |
| Lights and globes | Headlights, brake lights, indicators, reflectors | $15–$60 per globe, fitted [VERIFY] | Yes, quick and cheap |
| Windscreen and wipers | Cracks or chips in the driver’s line of sight, wiper condition | Wipers $20–$50 a pair; chip repair from $50 [VERIFY] | Wipers yes; windscreen depends |
| Steering and suspension | Worn ball joints, tie rod ends, bushes, leaking shocks | $150–$400+ per worn part [VERIFY] | Get it checked, usually a workshop job |
| Oil and fluid leaks | Leaks onto the road, brakes or hot parts | $200–$450 for a gasket [VERIFY] | Get it checked |
| Get it checked | Belt function and mounting, rust in key areas | Belt function and mounting, rust in key areas | Get it checked |
Costs are general Australian estimates only, not Lloyd St pricing. Get a written quote before any work starts.
A roadworthy looks at safety, and only safety. The tester works to a set list of items laid down by the state: brakes, steering, suspension, wheels and tyres, lights and reflectors, the windscreen and wipers, seatbelts, the exhaust, and any safety-related part of the body or chassis.
What it does not do is tell you the car is a good buy or that it will keep running. It won’t flag a tired clutch, a noisy wheel bearing that isn’t worn out yet, or an air conditioner that’s stopped blowing cold. A pass means the car was safe to drive on the day it was tested. Nothing more. If you want to know the full health of a vehicle, that’s a separate job, a full inspection rather than a roadworthy.
A Victorian roadworthy certificate is valid for 30 days from the day it’s issued. You can use it more than once inside that window, but once 30 days pass, it’s done and you’ll need a fresh test.
If the car fails, the tester gives you a report listing what needs fixing. You then have 14 days to fix those items and bring the car back for a re-check. Stay inside the 14 days and the tester only looks at the items that failed. Go past 14 days and it counts as a new inspection, with a new fee.
Not every workshop can hand you a roadworthy. In Victoria, only a licensed vehicle tester (LVT) can carry out the inspection and issue the certificate. An LVT is a workshop that VicRoads has approved and licensed to do the job, and the licence comes with rules about how the test is run.
It matters because the certificate is a legal document. Lloyd St Automotive holds licensed vehicle tester status, so we can inspect the car and issue the certificate in the one visit, rather than sending you somewhere else for the paperwork.
30 days from the date it’s issued. After that you need a new one.
Not without cover. An unregistered car can’t legally be driven on the road. You’ll need an unregistered vehicle permit from VicRoads, or you arrange to have the car transported to the workshop.
No. It means the car met Victoria’s safety standards on the day it was tested. It says nothing about the engine, gearbox, air conditioner or long-term condition. For that you want a full inspection.
Only a licensed vehicle tester. A workshop without that licence can repair the car, but it can’t issue the certificate.
If you’re getting a car ready to sell or re-register, book a roadworthy inspection with Lloyd St Automotive in Moe. We’re a licensed vehicle tester, so a passing car gets its certificate in the one visit. If something needs fixing first, you’ll get a clear written quote before any work starts, and we’ll re-check the items that failed once they’re sorted.
