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Tolls. How much are you paying?

Have you worked out how much you are paying in tolls on a daily, monthly or annual basis?

If you drive to work in Sydney it is highly likely you will be hit with a toll somewhere in your trip.  Some drivers can pay up to 5 or 6 tolls in a return trip to work each day.  The impost would be even higher for professional drivers such as couriers, taxi drivers and truck drivers.

As an example, a drive from Campbelltown or Liverpool to the city and return in a passenger car can cost as much as $24.47 per day.  That is $489.40 per month or $5,872.80 per year.

If you drive from Liverpool to the city, there is the M5 ($4.40), Eastern Distributor ($6.17) and the Cross City Tunnel ($4.95).  On the way home, there is the Cross City Tunnel and the M5 again.  Luckily, the Eastern Distributor only charges for north bound journeys.

The trap is that you pay each toll by way of draw down of funds from your account.  It is easy to overlook the total cost.

How much do you pay in tolls?

Changes to Learner Hours and Speeds, Plus New Restricted Provisional Licences

The NSW Government announced yesterday more changes to the logbook driving hours requirement for learner licences.

Learners who participate in a new Safer Driving Course will be able to reduce their compulsory supervised driving hours from 120 hours to 100 hours.

The reduction of 20 hours is in addition to the 20 hour reduction already available for having 10 hours of professional lessons.

In total, learners will be able to reduce their compulsory supervised driving hours from 120 down to 80 if they participate in the new Safer Driving Course and also have 10 hours of professional lessons.

The new Safer Driving Course will involve both theoretical and practical training and has been developed in consultation with safety and industry experts.

The government also announced that from 1 July 2013, learners will be allowed to travel at 90km/h, instead of the current 80km/h.

The final aspect of the announcement is that restricted provisional drivers licences are being tested in three remote communities in northern NSW.

The restricted provisional licences are designed to assist young drivers from remote, lower socio-economic and Aboriginal communities satisfy the requirements to get their P-plates.

Under 25 year olds from those remote communities will be eligible for the restricted provisional drivers licence if they have completed 50 supervised driving hours and have passed the driving test.  They will only be able to use the restricted provisional licence to drive to work, education and medical appointments.

CTP Greenslips Across Australia

We know that those of us who take the time to shop around, we can find cheap green slips in NSW, but what about the rest of the country? People who are planning to make an interstate move to, or from, New South Wales, will be interested to know that the process for purchasing CTP insurance in NSW does not always work in exactly the same way across Australia.

Overview of CTP Insurance in NSW

When registering a motor vehicle in NSW several steps are involved once you receive your renewal notice from the State Government’s Roads & Maritime Services (RMS) Department (formerly Roads and Traffic Authority – RTA).

Firstly, you will need to get a Green Slip – your Compulsory Third Party Insurance. NSW registrations are unique in that you are able to compare prices in order to get the cheapest Green Slip NSW has on offer. Your previous insurer will send you a renewal notice well in advance, but you are under no obligation to renew with them.

Use our NSW Green Slip Calculator to find the cheapest Greenslips in NSW.

Once you have paid for your green slip, its details will be sent electronically to RMS.

The second step is to have your vehicle inspected for roadworthiness at an Authorised Safety Check Inspection Station (ASCIS) for light vehicles. (Heavy vehicles inspections are conducted though an HVAIS, and cranes are inspected by an ACIS.)

Your e-Safety check will be transmitted electronically to RMS.

You can then either complete your registration online, paying the required registration fee electronically, send your registration renewal with payment to the RMS, or present at an RMS location and pay in person.

From January 1, 2013, there is no longer a requirement for registration stickers to be displayed on NSW registered vehicles.

The NSW CTP Insurance scheme is explained in full on this website, including everything you need to know to compare and purchase your greenslip.

So that’s the story for CTP insurance in NSW, what about the other States and Territories?

How Much Is CTP Insurance in QLD?

When you register, or renew registration, on a motor vehicle in Queensland, there is no real need to shop around for the best Greenslip price. You simply nominate on your registration documents which insurer you choose to use, and the insurance is actioned at the same time as your registration.

There are six companies who provide CTP insurance in Queensland:
AAMI
ALLIANZ
NRMA Insurance
QBE
RACQ Insurance
SUNCORP

Their prices are all the same, which in February 2012, was $328.80 for 12 months, for a Vehicle Class 1, without Input Tax Credit Entitlement (ITCE).

However, as is the case with a CTP NSW insurer, if you have other policies with one of these providers, e.g. home contents insurance, then by electing them as your CTP insurance provider as well, you may be offered a multi-policy discount on those other products.

CTP Insurance in Victoria

In Victoria, when you register your car, a component of your registration is a TAC charge or TAC premium. ‘TAC’ stands for Transport Accident Charge, which is Victoria’s Compulsory Third Party insurance, its Greenslip.

Managed by the Victorian Government’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) rather than individual insurers, so there is no need to go through the process of searching for the cheapest Greenslip NSW-style.

The Transport Accident Act 1986 is the legislation that guides the type of benefits the TAC can pay, but they are essentially the same as in other states, i.e. for the treatment and compensation for people injured in accidents caused by drivers of Victorian registered vehicles.

How Much is a Green Slip in SA?

Compulsory Third Party Insurance in South Australia is referred to as Motor Injury Insurance, and is controlled by the Government’s Motor Accident Commission (MAC).  As with Victoria and Queensland, CTP insurance is bundled with your vehicles registration fees.

In 2013 the MAC increased insurance rates by an average of 4.7%. This brought the Class 1 passenger vehicle premium to $512 (family car garaged near or in Adelaide).

All claims enquiries and claims processing are managed by MAC’s Claims Manager, Allianz Australia Limited, which is one of the providers we compare to get the cheapest Green Slip NSW rates.

CTP ACT – Australian Capital Territory Green Slips

As with elsewhere in Australia, it is compulsory for anyone registering a vehicle to have compulsory third party insurance in the Australian Capital Territory.

Unlike the New South Wales model where, when registration time comes, around you can shop around and compare green slip NSW prices, there is only one provider of CTPI for ACT motorists – NRMA Insurance.

As a rough guide to rates, as at 1 September 2012, the CTP rate for a passenger vehicle in the ACT was $578.70.

CTP Insurance in Western Australia

Compulsory Third Party Insurance in Western Australia is provided by the state government under the auspices of the Insurance Commission of WA.  The Commission is subject to conditions of the insurance policy and the Motor Vehicle (Third Party Insurance) Act 1943.

The premium to cover this insurance is included with motor vehicle registration.

For a Class 1X Motor car used for private purposes, the premium, as at 1 July 2012, was $245.01.  As with all other states, including NSW greenslips, prices vary depending on the type of motor vehicle being registered.

NRMA Covers Tasmania CTP

Tasmanian CTP insurance is governed by the Motor Accidents Insurance Board, but as in the ACT, the NRMA is the sole provider of green slips for Tasmania.

Green Slips in The Northern Territory

CTP insurance in the Northern Territory is paid as part of motor vehicle registration renewal, and is managed by the Territory Insurance Office (TIO). Currently the CTP component for a car of less than or equal to 4 cylinders is $227.90.

From July 1, 2013 the Northern Territory will abolish registration stickers.

New South Wales is unique in giving its motor vehicle owners the flexibility to seek out budget CTP green slip quotes, and using our free Greenslip Calculator allows you to do it all in one place.