Rego to VIN — Victoria
Check a Victorian car before you buy it: finance owing, written off, stolen. Or get its VIN and specifications from the plate.
Buying a car in Victoria? Check what the roadworthy does not
A used car sold in Victoria comes with a roadworthy certificate, and it is easy to take that as the all-clear. It is not. A roadworthy says the car was safe to drive on the day it was inspected. It says nothing about whether money is still owed on it, whether it has been written off, or whether it is recorded as stolen.
Those three are recorded on the PPSR, and a PPSR check is the one to run before you pay for a Victorian car. Enter the rego below and the official certificate comes back in about a minute. Your card is only charged if the search returns one.
A$9.00 · Is it safe to buy?
The official PPSR certificate: finance owing, written-off and stolen records, with the vehicle’s recorded make, model, colour and engine number to check against the car.
A$2.00 · What is this vehicle?
The VIN from the plate, with the make, model and variant, year, body type, transmission and the full manufacturer description.
The plate
Reading a Victorian number plate
Standard Victorian plates being issued now are one number, two letters, one number, then two letters, like 1AB 2CD. Plenty of older plates are still on the road: three letters followed by three numbers, like ABC 123.
The current plates mix numbers and letters in a fixed order: the first and fourth characters are numbers and the other four are letters. An O in the second place is a letter; a 1 in the first place is a number.
Personalised, trailer and motorcycle plates follow their own patterns. Enter the plate exactly as it reads, without spaces.
Buying or selling
Selling or buying a car in Victoria
- Roadworthy
- A seller of a registered vehicle must provide a Certificate of Roadworthiness that is less than 30 days old. Some exemptions apply. Official source
- Transferring the registration
- Both the seller and the buyer need to notify VicRoads within 14 days of the sale. Official source
- Money owing on the car
- No roadworthy or registration check covers this, in any state. A loan secured against a vehicle can follow it to the next owner. A finance check before you pay is the only way to see it.
These rules were checked against the official pages linked above in October 2026. They change, so confirm them before relying on them.
The data
What a lookup returns in Victoria
One lookup, every field below — where the data provider holds it.
- VIN
- The full 17-character Vehicle Identification Number.
- Make, model & variant
- Manufacturer, model name and the specific variant.
- Year of manufacture
- The build year of the vehicle.
- Body type
- Sedan, hatch, SUV, coupe, ute and so on.
- Transmission
- Automatic or manual, with detail where available.
- NVIC
- National Vehicle Identification Code.
- Full description
- Manufacturer description including engine and drivetrain codes.
FAQ
Rego to VIN VIC questions
- Does a roadworthy certificate mean a Victorian car is safe to buy?
- No. A roadworthy covers the car's safety on the day it was inspected. It does not show finance owing, written-off history or stolen records. Those are on the PPSR, and a PPSR check costs A$9.00.
- How do I check for finance owing on a car in Victoria?
- Run a PPSR check on the registration number or the VIN. The certificate lists any security interest registered against the vehicle, along with written-off and stolen records. It is a national register, so it covers the car wherever the finance was taken out.
- Can I get a VIN from a Victoria rego number?
- Yes. Select VIC as the state, enter the registration number, and Rego Notes returns the 17-character VIN recorded against that plate, along with the make, model, year, body type and transmission.
- What does a Victorian number plate look like?
- Current standard plates are one number, two letters, one number, then two letters, like 1AB 2CD. Older plates still on the road are three letters followed by three numbers, like ABC 123. The current plates mix numbers and letters in a fixed order: the first and fourth characters are numbers and the other four are letters. An O in the second place is a letter; a 1 in the first place is a number.
- Do I need a roadworthy to sell a car in Victoria?
- A seller of a registered vehicle must provide a Certificate of Roadworthiness that is less than 30 days old. Some exemptions apply.
- How long do I have to transfer rego in Victoria?
- Both the seller and the buyer need to notify VicRoads within 14 days of the sale.
- What does a check cost in Victoria?
- A rego lookup is A$2.00 and a PPSR certificate is A$9.00. For both, your card is only charged if the vehicle is found. If you look up vehicles regularly, packs start at A$19.50 for 50 checks.
Other states
Rego to VIN across Australia
Check a Victorian car before you buy
A PPSR certificate for finance owing, written-off and stolen records, or a lookup for the VIN and full specifications.