Insure a used Tesla in Australia: what to check

Last checked: 28 October 2026 against ASIC’s Moneysmart, state and territory CTP and registry pages, AFCA and Tesla Australia. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for any policy before you buy it. This is a general guide, not financial advice.

Short answer: a used Tesla needs two kinds of cover. Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance covers injuries to people and comes with registration, but in NSW you buy it separately as a green slip. CTP does not cover damage to any car, including yours, so most buyers also want comprehensive or third party property cover. Choose between agreed and market value, check what the policy says about charging equipment, battery damage, repairers and towing, and tell the insurer about any modifications. Have the policy start from the moment you take the car, not after you drive it home.

If you are still choosing a car, start with our private buying guide. Insurance questions often come up alongside the warranty and battery health checks.

The types of car insurance

Moneysmart, ASIC’s consumer site, lists four main types of car insurance in Australia:

Type	What it covers
Compulsory Third Party (CTP)	Injuries to people caused by your car. Not damage to cars or property.
Third party property damage	Damage your car causes to other people’s cars or property. Not damage to your own car.
Third party property, fire and theft	The same as third party property, plus your car if it is stolen or damaged by fire
Comprehensive	Damage to your car and to other people’s cars or property, even if you caused the accident, plus theft, fire and weather events, subject to exclusions

Moneysmart’s point is simple: if you want the cost of repairing your own car covered after a crash you cause, you usually need comprehensive insurance. Even comprehensive cover has exclusions, so compare what each policy doesn’t cover, not only the premium. Moneysmart also notes that if the car is financed, your lender may require a minimum level of insurance.

CTP: compulsory, but it works differently in each state

You must have CTP to register a car, and it is required in every state and territory. What changes is how you pay for it and who you buy it from:

NSW: you buy CTP separately, as a green slip, from a licensed NSW CTP insurer before you register or renew. Most insurers send the confirmation straight to Transport for NSW, and the CTP term must match the registration term. Service NSW’s Green Slip Price Check compares quotes, and recent driving offences can change the price.
Victoria: the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) charge is included in your registration fee. The TAC provides personal injury cover and does not cover property damage.
Queensland: the cost of CTP is included in your registration fees, paid to the Department of Transport and Main Roads. You choose from licensed CTP insurers.
South Australia: you pay CTP at the same time as registration. When you buy a second-hand vehicle, you take over its remaining registration and CTP, and you can choose a different CTP insurer at renewal.
Western Australia: motor injury insurance is paid as part of licensing the vehicle with the Department of Transport. It covers injuries caused to others, not damage to vehicles or property.
Tasmania: the MAIB premium is paid as part of registration.
ACT: when you register, you also select an insurer under the Motor Accident Injuries (MAI) Scheme as part of the registration process.
Northern Territory: the registration fee includes compulsory motor accidents compensation (MAC) cover.

Moneysmart’s claims guide warns that you may not be covered if your car was unregistered. Our ownership transfer guide lists each state’s transfer deadline, so keep the rego and CTP side moving on handover day.

What affects the premium

Moneysmart says insurers work out a premium from:

the type and value of the car
who will drive it, and how often and how far
where you live and where the car is kept overnight (garage, driveway or street)
the type of insurance and the excess you choose

For a used Tesla, that means the exact model, year and trim matters. A Performance version, a Long Range and a rear-wheel-drive entry car are different risks and values, so quote the exact version. Our trims guide explains how to tell them apart. Driver history matters as well: in NSW, the Green Slip Price Check says demerit points from the past 3 years and 4 months can affect the green slip price.

Repair costs and parts are part of what an insurer is weighing, even if no quote form asks about them. Ask each insurer who would repair the car and what happens if parts are delayed, especially if the policy includes a hire car. This matters for warranty too. Tesla’s battery and drive unit warranty does not cover damage from those parts being serviced or opened by people who aren’t Tesla or Tesla-certified. Our warranty guide has the detail.

We don’t quote premiums, rank insurers or recommend one. Prices change, and they depend on your circumstances.

Agreed value or market value

With comprehensive cover you choose how the car is valued. That value is what you’ll get if it is written off or stolen:

Agreed value: a fixed amount set by you and the insurer. It usually costs more. Moneysmart warns that insurers may lower the agreed value every year as the car ages, so check it at every renewal.
Market value: what the car would have sold for at the time of the loss, worked out by the insurer from industry information. Moneysmart stresses that this is not what you think you could sell it or trade it in for, and you won’t know the amount until you claim.

Used Tesla prices can move a lot from year to year, so a payout at market value may be lower than the price you paid. Compare a few asking prices on the price guide to get a feel for the market, then decide whether a known agreed value is worth the higher premium.

EV-specific things to check in the policy

Most comparison checklists were written for petrol cars. For a Tesla, read the PDS for these as well:

Charging equipment. Is the Mobile Connector cable covered against theft or damage? Is a Wall Connector fixed to your home covered under the car policy, under home insurance or not at all?
Battery damage. How does the policy handle damage to the high-voltage battery, for example from debris or hitting a kerb? Is it treated like any other part, and who decides whether to repair or replace it?
Repairers. Does the insurer choose the repairer, or can you? Can the repairers it uses work on Teslas?
Roadside and towing. Moneysmart lists roadside assistance and towing as extras some policies include. Ask whether the roadside provider can handle an EV, what happens if the battery runs flat, and where the car would be towed.
Exclusions. Moneysmart’s examples include mechanical failure, wear and tear, and storm damage. Check how those exclusions would apply to an EV.

If a quote doesn’t answer these, ask the insurer and keep the reply in writing.

Insurance through Tesla

Tesla Australia’s support page describes InsureMyTesla, a comprehensive motor policy for Tesla owners issued by Zurich. Tesla lists cover for charging equipment and access to an authorised repairer network among its benefits, and says it is currently available through the Tesla app in the pre-delivery experience. That is the new-car purchase flow, so don’t assume it will be offered when you buy a used car privately. Wherever a policy comes from, compare it against the PDS points above. Mentioning it here is not a recommendation.

Cover from the moment of handover

In a private sale, the risk passes to you when the car does. Don’t assume the seller’s policy covers the car once it’s yours, or that it covers you as a driver.

Get quotes before settlement day using the VIN, the exact model and trim, and where you will park it overnight.
Set the start date and time for when you collect the car, before you drive it away.
Check the rego side. In NSW, a free rego check shows the CTP insurer and policy expiry date, and you have 14 days to transfer the registration into your name. In SA, you take over the remaining CTP with the registration.
Keep the policy documents on your phone for the drive home.
Tell your insurer if the car turns out to have damage or modifications you didn’t know about.

Our private buying guide covers PPSR, payment and paperwork. The ownership transfer guide covers the Tesla app and keys.

Modifications and aftermarket wheels

Used Teslas often come with aftermarket wheels, tint, wraps, lowered suspension or other changes. If the insurer asks about modifications, accessories or existing damage, answer accurately.

For consumer insurance such as personal car insurance, the Insurance Contracts Act sets a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation when you take out, renew or vary a policy. AFCA, the financial complaints body, explains that a breach can let an insurer reduce or deny a claim, depending on what it would have done had it known the truth. If the breach is fraudulent, the insurer can generally cancel the policy. Renewals count too, so when a renewal notice repeats your earlier answers, tell the insurer about anything that has changed.

Before you buy, ask the seller for a list of modifications and any invoices. Check whether the wheels and tyres are original, because that question often appears on quote forms.

FAQ

Is CTP enough for a used Tesla? CTP only covers injuries to other people. It doesn’t pay for damage to your Tesla or to anyone else’s car or property. Moneysmart says you usually need comprehensive cover to have repairs to your own car paid for after a crash you cause.

Does the seller’s insurance cover me on the drive home? Don’t rely on it. Arrange your own policy to start when you take the car.

Should I choose agreed or market value? It depends on how much certainty you want and what you can afford. Agreed value gives you a known payout and usually costs more. Check it at every renewal, because insurers may lower it. Market value is set by the insurer at the time of the claim.

Do I need to tell the insurer about aftermarket wheels? If the insurer asks about modifications or accessories, yes. Answer accurately. A misrepresentation can affect a claim.

Sources: Moneysmart (choosing car insurance, how to save money on car insurance, claiming on your car insurance); NSW (how to renew vehicle registration, buying and registering a vehicle, SIRA: how to buy a green slip, Service NSW Green Slip Price Check); VicRoads on the TAC charge; MAIC Queensland: what is CTP insurance; CTP Insurance Regulator SA: purchasing CTP; Transport WA: motor injury insurance; Transport Tasmania: MAIB premium; Access Canberra: vehicle registration and transfer; NT.GOV.AU: register or transfer your vehicle; AFCA Approach to the duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation; Tesla Australia: InsureMyTesla and vehicle warranty.

Find your used Tesla

Browse live classifieds, compare asking prices on the price guide, or go straight to Model 3 or Model Y listings. Common questions sit on the FAQ.