A vehicle must undergo inspection and be deemed free of any alterations, deterioration or wear which may render it unsafe for normal use on the roads. It must be confirmed the car meets the standards set out under Regulation 220, prior to the vehicle being issued any certificate of roadworthiness.

Before a certificate of roadworthiness (RWC) can be issued for a vehicle, the vehicle must be inspected by a licensed vehicle tester and found to be free of wear and deterioration or alterations that would make it unsafe for normal use on the road.

Vehicle owners are responsible for maintaining their vehicle in a safe and roadworthy condition at all times but wear and tear can cause the condition of a car to deteriorate over time and modifications or alterations can impact a vehicles safety. Testing of roadworthiness helps to lessen potential hazards to protect all road users. An RWC also protects prospective purchasers of used vehicles from buying a vehicle which could possibly be in a hazardous condition.

A Certificate of Roadworthiness can be tricky to price. The age of the vehicle and the overall condition at the time of inspection will have an impact on the overall cost, as will the type of vehicle undergoing the roadworthy inspection. Because of this the actual cost of an RWC will vary, sometimes quite significantly. Geoff Perry Motors will be happy to provide a quote for the cost of the Certificate of Roadworthiness inspection before any work begins.

For the purposes of a transaction, such as the sale of a vehicle, a Certificate of Roadworthiness will be considered as current for a period of 30 days from the date of issue.

A Certificate of Roadworthiness can only be issued by a Licensed Vehicle Tester operating from a nominated facility, usually a workshop or garage. As a Licensed Vehicle Testing station Geoff Perry Motors in Ringwood are able to issue Certificates of Roadworthiness.

Neither the workshop conducting the roadworthy inspection, nor the Licensed Vehicle Tester performing the actual examination of the vehicle are responsible for setting the standards a vehicle must meet to be issued a Certificate of Roadworthiness. These standards are clearly defined by VicRoads, the licensed vehicle tester merely confirms whether the vehicle meets the standards as specified.

The ADRs (Australian Design Rules) are a set of minimum standards for the construction of vehicles and trailers. A Roadworthy Inspection may not cover all of these standards as in most cases, compliance with them cannot be assessed by inspection alone.