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ADVERTISEMENT: AAMI-12/11/24

Save money on running a car in NSW

At last save money

The cost of living is rising and owning a car may be a big drain on the household budget. However, NSW residents can save money on the costs of running a car. You can save money on tolls, registration, and your drivers licence. Save money also by using our fuel Calculator, for the cheapest prices near you, and our greenslips.com.au Calculator, for the cheapest green slips.

Save money on tolls

There are currently 3* ways you can save money on tolls:

  1. Toll Relief Rebate
  2. M5 Southwest Cashback
  3. Large towed recreational vehicle toll rebate.

*More toll relief is coming from 1 January 2024.

Toll Relief Rebate

If you spend over $375 up to a limit of $750 on tolls from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, you can claim a 40% rebate once a quarter.

If you spend over $402 up to a limit of $802 on tolls from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, you can claim a 40% rebate once a quarter.

The closing date for claims is 12 months after year end.

Toll Relief Rebate does not include tolls paid interstate, tolls paid by your employer, or those paid without a personal toll account. You cannot use it with M5 Southwest Cashback.

M5 Southwest Cashback

The M5 Southwest Cashback is for drivers who use their vehicle for personal use and have paid their M5 Southwest tolls using an electronic tag. You need to register with your toll tag provider first and make claims once a quarter within 12 months of receiving your toll statement.

Large towed vehicle toll rebate

If you own a caravan, boat or horse float and have paid Class B tolls, you can claim the large towed vehicle rebate. The rebate is the difference between Class B and Class A toll fees for up to 8 tolled trips per month. You need to register for the scheme through your toll tag provider
and claim within 12 months of receiving your toll statement. The rebate doesn’t apply to motorhomes.

Save money on registration

You can save money on registration in 2 ways:

  1. Toll Relief
  2. Buy a low emissions vehicle.

Toll Relief

The Toll Relief scheme offers discounts on 12 month registration if you spent at least $877 up to a limit of $1,462 a year on tolls in the years to 30 Jun 2022 and 30 June 2023.

You can claim one of:

  • Free 12 month registration if you spent $1,462 ($27 a week) or more on tolls
  • Half price 12 month registration if you spent $877 ($16 a week) or more on tolls.

Toll Relief is for one privately registered car, ute, 4WD or motorcycle linked to one toll account. It can’t be used with the M5 Southwest Cashback.

Save on vehicle tax and stamp duty with lower emissions vehicles

When you register a lower emissions vehicle, you pay a lower rate of motor vehicle tax. This includes hybrids and plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell light vehicles. If you buy an electric vehicle (including motorcycle) or hydrogen fuel cell light vehicle for over $78,000, you don’t pay any stamp duty.

Save money on your drivers licence

If you had a clean driving record in the past 5 years, you can renew your drivers licence for half price. It is called Fair Go for Safe Drivers. You automatically get the discount when you renew your licence for 1, 3, 5 or 10 years. You can renew up to 6 months after its expiry date and still receive the Fair Go discount.

To qualify for a clean licence, you must not have had any driving or parking offences that carry demerit points, unlicensed driving offences or a major conviction like drug driving.

Save money on fuel

The price of fuel considerably, so it’s worth comparing prices regularly. You can find your cheapest fuel nearby by using the Fuel Price Calculator on greenslips.com.au. Every servo must notify any price changes as soon as they are made, so we check prices every 20 minutes. Changing where you buy your fuel can make a big difference to how much you spend on fuel over time.

Check fuel prices now and register for email alerts.

Save money on your green slip

It’s compulsory to buy a green slip to register your vehicle in NSW, but you can choose your greenslip insurer. Save money on your greenslip by using the greenslips.com.au Calculator. It compares every insurer, gives you the cheapest prices from every insurer and you don’t have to give your name or contact details to use it.

Some vehicle owners have saved up to $300 a year on their green slip with safe driving. Even a small saving can make a big difference to the cost of running a vehicle in NSW.

author image

Corrina Baird

Writer and Researcher

Corrina used to lend her car to her kids and discovered what Ls, Ps and demerits mean for greenslips. After 20 years in financial services and over 9 years with greenslips.com.au, she’s an expert in the NSW CTP scheme. Read more about Corrina

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