Does your car need a roadworthy certificate? Owning a vehicle does require filling out a fair amount of paperwork, as well as staying on top of general maintenance, and in some cases you might need to get a roadworthy certificate for your car. But not to worry, we’re here to tell you all you need to know about getting a roadworthy certificate!
What is a Roadworthy Certificate?
Basically, a roadworthy certificate is a piece of paper that says that your car is safe to drive on the road. Your vehicle will have to undergo a roadworthy test, or a basic mechanical check up, and then the mechanic in question will decide whether or not your vehicle is safe to drive. Simple, right?
And Why Would I Need One?
The good news here is that a roadworthy certificate is not something you have to think about too often! The only time you should need a roadworthy certificate as a private car owner is when you’re registering a car in your name. For example, a roadworthy certificate is part of the process of changing ownership of a vehicle. So if you buy a new or used car (whether that’s through an auto dealer or a private sale), you will need to get a roadworthy certificate to go and register the vehicle. This is important because until you change the ownership and register the car in your name it does not legally belong to you, and you won’t be able to do things such as apply for car insurance for the vehicle.
Additionally, if you’re building or remodelling a car (maybe building a kit car, or even building a car from scratch), you’ll need to get a roadworthy certificate before you can drive that car legally on the road, and again before you can register the car and get car insurance.
So How Do I Get a Roadworthy Certificate?
The actual process of getting the roadworthy certificate isn’t too difficult, although it might take you a little time. You’ll need to go to your local roadworthy centre or vehicle testing station (you can find out more about that below), and take with you:
The car’s registration certificate;
One form of ID;
A completed ACR (Application for Certification of Roadworthiness) form, which you can pick up at your testing station.
You will need to pay a fee, and that fee depends upon your chosen testing station, so you might want to call ahead and ask how much it will be. Your roadworthy certificate will be given to you as soon as your vehicle has passed its roadworthy test.
Which Roadworthy Test Centre?
There are plenty of testing stations to choose from, both public and private, and you can take your pick. You might want to get a couple of quotes for prices and compare them before deciding. Do make sure that the centre you choose is qualified to give you a government roadworthy certificate, however. You might also want to call and make an appointment with the centre you choose, since this will certainly save you waiting time.
What is Required to Pass the Roadworthy Certificate Test?
The roadworthy test isn’t too difficult to pass, and as long as your car is in fairly good shape you should be fine. Testing centres look at all kinds of things including safety belts, tyre condition, brakes, windows (to check they’re made of safety glass), and electrical systems. They will also check that the vehicle identification number carved onto the engine and chassis of the car match the number on the car’s registration certificate. If you’re worried that your vehicle won’t pass then you might want to let your mechanic give it a check up first, since he will best be able to advise you on any maintenance that needs to be done.
A Roadworthy Certificate and Car Insurance
One important thing to note is that your car insurance may very well depend on having a valid roadworthy certificate. If you read the fine print of your insurance policy you’ll probably find that your car insurance contains a clause that says your policy is invalid if your car does not have a valid roadworthy certificate. This means that if your vehicle is deemed unroadworthy and you have an accident your car insurance does not have to pay you any money!
Roadworthy Certificate: Bottom Line Time
Getting a roadworthy certificate is a necessity in some cases, though it’s not something you’ll have to do too often. In some cases a car dealership will even go through the process for you if you’re buying a vehicle through them. However, you do need to ensure that your vehicle has the proper paperwork, since not having a roadworthy certificate could end up costing you money when it comes to car insurance.
Main Subject: Roadworthy Certificate
